These awesome backyard toys for kids are sure to spice up your kids’ outdoor play this spring and summer!
Backyard toys for kids are invaluable tools for encouraging kids to develop gross motor skills, teamwork, and other developmental skills, all while enjoying the great outdoors!
When kids engage in activities like running, jumping, climbing, swinging, and throwing, they build strength, coordination, and balance. Physical activity through outdoor fun is the perfect way to get kids practicing these skills! And we can’t forget that backyard toys are also amazing for inspiring creativity and imaginative play!
Incorporating teamwork into backyard play is equally important. Games like relay races, obstacle courses, and team sports teach kids how to work together, communicate effectively, and cheer one another on! These experiences foster social skills, cooperation, emotional development, and self-regulation – all crucial for success in the classroom and beyond!
Backyard play also offers rich sensory experiences. Swings and other playground equipment provide vestibular input, helping children develop balance and spatial awareness. Activities like pushing and lifting, or working against resistance offer proprioceptive input, often referred to as “heavy work,” which is essential for body awareness and self-regulation.
Today, we’re rounding up some of the best outdoor toys for kids and backyard games to get kids moving and playing out in the yard! These backyard toys for kids are sure to spice up your kids’ outdoor play this spring and summer! These ideas would make a perfect gift for any little ones in your life and cover a wide range of different ages! Check out these outdoor essentials…
The Best Backyard Toys for Kids
Outdoor Minute to Win It Games
If you’re looking for fun active play ideas for kids – this kit is for you! These simple activities are perfect for promoting all kinds of developmental skills while adding an element of friendly competition!
Parachute Ball Game
Add this gem to your arsenal of cool outdoor toys and you’ll have some happy and excited kiddos on your hands! Kids will have a blast working together to shift and move the parachute to make the balls drop into the holes!
Cooperative Stretchy Band
With a hefty dose of full body strengthening and heavy work, this might become your new favorite backyard toy! There are so many fun ways to use this versatile toy at home, at school, or in therapy sessions!
Glow in the Dark Capture the Flag
This set has been responsible for hours of fun at our house during the warmer summer months! Get the whole neighborhood in on the game – trust us, you won’t regret this purchase!
Group Walkie Talkie Scavenger Hunt
Outdoor adventures await with this creative twist on a scavenger hunt for kids! It even includes a set of indoor cards for a rainy day!
Giant Bubbles
No list of fun outdoor toys would be complete with out this kid favorite! We use these giant bubbles to work on self-regulation (wait your turn to pop the bubble!), coordination (pop the bubble with different body parts!), balance (pop the bubble with one foot!), and more!
Lawn is Lava Game
Do your kids love playing “Floor is Lava” in the living room? Why not take the fun outside with this fun version! Kids will have a blast, moving across the colored tiles to safety!
Zoom Ball
One of our favorite classic outdoor games! There are so many fun ways to play with a Zoom Ball, you won’t want to miss out on the fun!
Stomp Rocket
Another fan favorite at The Treehouse, this toy is ideal for working on single leg stance, as kids balance on one foot before blasting the rocket into the air! So much fun!
Disc Launcher
Kids love shooting the discs into the air and them watching them spin to the ground – it’s mesmerizing! This is another great way to practice self-regulation in a group – call one child at a time to run and retrieve the disc after it floats to the ground while everyone else practices waiting their turn!
Ninja Line
Looking for some active playtime for older kids? This awesome ninja line is a great place to start! The different swings, handles, and other elements are an awesome challenge for whole body strength and coordination.
Swings for Kids
This is a big list of fun games to play on a swing along with some of our favorite unique swings for your backyard!
