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July 8, 2022
By Steven John , Lauren Ro , and Liza Corsillo
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35 items in this article
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14 items on sale!
Outdoor toys are fun to play with any time of year, but once summer really hits, having a healthy stock of swings, scooters, water balloons, and bubble machines is essential to making sure kids stay entertained outside. And since perennial favorites like kiddie pools and bikes were especially hard to get last year thanks to supply-chain issues, there’s a good chance that you and your family are in the market for some new outdoor toys right now. So we set out to determine: What are the best ones?
To find out, we gathered suggestions from a slew of experts: child psychologists and toy insiders, children’s librarians and Little Gym owners, kids and parents (including one writer of this story, Steven John, a father of two who maybe knows a little too much about playing T-ball and blowing bubbles). The following list breaks down the most highly recommended outdoor toys by age: 2 through 4 , 4 through 6 , and 6 through 10 . They range from TK to an ATV-style roller coaster ; a foam pogo stick to a geometric dome climber ; a polished aluminum gardening set to suction-cup archery . Many of these products are classics, several are new within the past few years; some are portable enough for you to take along to the park, others require your own private outside space. In almost every case, though, they have educational and developmental benefits, in addition to letting kids get dirty and run wild.
“They’re just a bunch of balloons,” says Jim Silver, CEO of toy-review company TTPM . But that simplicity seems to be the reason three of our experts (including John) have such high praise for them. You simply attach the balloon bunch to a hose, turn it on, and, in Silver’s description, “you have some 40 water balloons that are filled up in a few seconds.” They even self-seal once full. Adds Laurie Schacht, chief toy officer with the Toy Insider : “These are the original and best-selling water balloons.” She reiterates the fact that “they let you fill and tie dozens of balloons in seconds,” which saves parents time and keeps the kids in motion (and playing independently). Also noteworthy: The small balloons are the perfect size for toddler hands, and because they’re soft-sided, they won’t cause injury even with the occasional head-shot. And, of course, they’re a great way for kids to stay cool on a hot day.
As far as sports go for the toddler-to-preschool set, there’s nothing quite like classic T-ball. “Children at these ages love to master new skills, and using a large bat to hit a ball off the tee is a fun challenge for them,” says child psychologist Dr. Nicole Beurkens . “It works on age-appropriate gross motor skills and eye-hand coordination, and can be played alone or with others.” Dr. Lee Scott, chair of the advisory board for the Goddard School , seconds the point about collaboration: “What’s fun is that children can use it to play so well together,” Scott says. Plus, “it allows kids to use different sized balls, so both younger and older kids can feel success.” And also: “Kids can try different balls to see, ‘Hey, how far does it go?’ So you can kind of make it more for even teaching science and math skills using distance, measurement. It goes beyond just fine and gross motor stuff.” That said, T-ball is still great for motor development, as Scott says, “because little children often have trouble with hand-eye coordination,” and T-ball helps them get gradually accustomed to hitting a ball with the bat. “It’s a great starter for sports.”
Little Tikes also makes an oversize and inflatable version of its original T-Ball set, which comes recommended by Chris Byrne, a toy expert known as The Toy Guy . He says the Totally Huge set gives little kids who might not have hand-eye coordination down quite yet the chance to feel the satisfaction of a big hit.
If you want to nurture social and emotional development, a playhouse like this wood house with a real ringing doorbell — admittedly not a small investment of money (or assembly time) — “allows siblings of varying ages to engage in parallel play, enjoying the same space while not necessarily doing the exact same activity,” explains children’s librarian Lesley Siegel of the Port Washington Public Library . “When it comes to outdoor play,” adds Silver, “a lot of it is purely physical, but then you have the other level, which is imaginative play.” Kids can go outside in this playhouse — which has a working doorbell, play kitchen, and café window, plus all kinds of other kitchen accessories that you won’t care about them making a mess with because, well, they’re outside — “and it’s all about imagination.” If your little ones have a wide age gap, you can also consider the larger, two-level KidKraft Cozy Escape Playhouse , which has everything from a kitchen on the bottom level to a climbing wall and twisty slide for the bigger kids. And don’t underestimate the freedom kids will find in a space that’s not confined to the walls of their own house: “If there’s dirt in there, that’s fine. If there’s water in there, that’s fine,” says Scott. “Kids get to live their play experience in a more complete way than they can indoors.”
The straightforward reason this mower is a tried-and-true hit: “Toddlers and preschoolers love to copy their parent’s activities,” says Beurkens, “which makes ‘mowing’ the lawn with their very own bubble mower an exciting activity for them.” (Even if their parents don’t actually own a lawn mower, they’ve likely seen other adults using them elsewhere.) And there’s a developmental benefit, too: “Besides the fun of watching the bubbles blow around as they push the mower,” notes Beurkens, “kids in this age group are working on valuable gross-motor, balance-, and visual-perceptual skills at the same time.” But to focus on the bubbles feature for a moment: “Never underestimate the power and allure of bubbles, and for kids of all ages,” says Siegel. When they’re younger, they’ll chase them around and pop them; when they’re older, they can master the blowing duties, either for little siblings and cousins to enjoy, or purely for their own self-satisfaction.
Here’s another chance for children to emulate their parents. But another reason kids are drawn to gardening is that, as Scott puts it, “they like getting dirty.” This garden tool set stands out for how genuinely functional — and durable — the pieces are, as John can attest after five years of owning some that still remain in great shape. The handles are made of solid wood, the heads of Technicolor metal. The handles’ tops are coated in a rubber that makes them even better suited for no-slip gripping (each rubber covering has a hook that allows for equally easy hanging on the wall). Says Siegel: “They can rake, hoe, and dig,” and it has the potential to become all the more exciting because “maybe they’ll find a worm or some beetles while digging.”
“I can never overemphasize the appeal of classic outdoor toys like a good, sturdy trike,” says Tracy Camp-Johnston, who is an early childhood educator at Burgundy Farm Country Day School with 25 years of teaching experience. The Radio Flyer trike is stable enough to prevent most tip-overs, yet it still allows kids to get plenty of exercise and to enjoy some feeling of speed and freedom. “They’re a great alternative to an early bike,” adds Scott. And from Silver: “It’s about a child learning balance, but also about learning to be comfortable moving themselves. The first time they move on a trike, it’s actually something big to a very young child, having that feeling of movement and learning coordination, the way the body sways and balances; much better than just throwing training wheels on a bike.”
“These are ride-on toys that kids propel using their arms by wiggling the steering wheel,” explains Debbie Imperator, manager and toy buyer of Funky Monkey Toys & Books in Greenvale, New York . Perfect for the 2- to 4-year-old range, but also, notes Imperator, “they can actually support up to 220 pounds, so parents can take them for a spin.” The self-moving element is important developmentally, according to Scott, but also, it makes it much harder to lose control and risk accident and injury, which can happen with ride-on toys that start rolling out of control. The PlasmaCar is less about speed than it is about enjoying twists and turns and motion in general, so they’re ideal for cul-de-sacs, large driveways, or spacious patios.
An at-home amusement-park experience: “For a younger child, these are just pure excitement, but they’re also really pretty safe,” says Silver. “For the young kid who likes the idea of going fast, going up and down — this is a great way to get acclimated to going a little fast and being high up.” Which is very true to the experience of Annie Young, mother of two, former 15-year New York City educator, and owner of the Little Gym of Roslyn in Roslyn, New York, where she has become something of an expert on kids who love action: “I knew this toy was going to be a hit with my toddler the minute I saw it,” she says. “It provides nonstop excitement.” And, as a bonus, these sets are also suitable for indoor use if you have a room with at least 20 or so feet of clearance.
Last summer, when Strategist writer and mom-of-two Lauren Ro couldn’t get her hands on a kiddie pool, she ordered this splash pad as an alternative. She calls it “a fresh reprieve on a hot summer day” that is less stressful than packing up a beach bag and keeps her family from missing the pool or the ocean all too much.
It may be obvious, but kids thrive in the sandbox — “a place where they get to create fun and adventure with the natural resources around them,” says Mike Conners, a junior kindergarten teacher from Burgundy day school . The Little Tikes version, with its pleasingly familiar design and built-in molded seats and easy-to-secure cover, has been a high-quality favorite among parents for ages — and when it comes to an investment that’s going to get as much use as a sandbox, this is a case where you’ll want to go with an established winner. More on why sand play is particularly wonderful in these times: “The textures, learning to pour, learning to build, learning to measure … We have to encourage kids to do more sensory motor play like this, because our children are just stuck to keyboards and screens,” says Scott. Sandboxes also allow parents or other caregivers to curate play, introducing objects that help teach colors, numbers, or encourage fine-motor development .
This toy actually detects metal , lighting up and beeping when, say, a penny is sensed in the sandbox . Schacht of the Toy Insider loves how it “encourages parents and children to spend time together on the hunt for treasures.” While a functional tool, this metal detector was 100 percent designed with kids in mind. It is small and lightweight enough for little bodies to handle for hours on end, and affordable enough to where parents won’t mind if it’s dropped a time or ten during archaeological outings. On rainy days, when you can’t bury objects on the beach or in the woodchips at the park, John recommends covering them with a sheet and playing anywhere you have room in the house.
Dr. Alexandra Figueras-Daniel , the associate director of Bank Street College of Education’s Straus Center for Young Children & Families, reminds us that the best outdoor toys help kids “observe nature and build science concepts that get so overlooked inside.” Some aspects of nature and science can really only be observed come nightfall, which is where this cute headlamp comes in. Figueras-Daniel told us that her own kids use it on walks or while playing outside at night with their friends. “We have also gone on night hikes, and the headlamps offer a way to keep your hands free for exploring,” she adds, noting that even having a kid wear it for a short evening stroll around the neighborhood is a “fun way to see what nature you might get a glimpse of.”
This scavenger-hunt-style card game is our pick for the best overall outdoor toy for four reasons: First, it gets kids outside — you simply can’t play with it indoors. Second, it encourages wandering and exploration. Third, the game is quite affordable at under 15 bucks. And fourth, multiple experts we spoke to said it deserved top billing, including Beurkens , who called the Outdoor Nature Scavenger Hunt Card Game a toy that “takes advantage of the natural curiosity of kids this age.” It comes with a deck of cards, each with a descriptive word and drawing on it (like, say, a green splatter along with the word “Yuck!”), which they can then match up to anything relevant they find in the park or backyard. “Kids love looking for the various items on the cards, and the excitement of successfully finding things keeps them motivated,” adds Beurkens. “There is also exposure to new words that fosters the literacy skills children are developing at this age.” Scott, meanwhile, loves how it’s a game that the family can play together: “It’s amazing to compare what you see versus what a little child sees — what they’re curious about,” Scott says. “This is a wonderful way to get to know your child.”
According to our experts, bubbles in all forms remain wildly popular. And Byrne says the brand Gazillion makes the very best bubble fluid out there. She also recommends the Mega Zillion Wand, which has 33 mini wands built into the paddle so you can get the most out of each dip.
Another Byrne recommendation is this newly released foam machine whose main draw is that it makes insane amounts of foam. Byrne says you can pick up the foam and throw it, cover the backyard with it, or use it to create a fun sensory experience.
Schacht recommends this focus-free, 10-times-magnification telescope because “the best toys are those with an educational component that are so much fun, kids never know they are learning.” Little ones can peer through the two jumbo eyepieces and see the moon — or use it to nature-watch by day, as it’s perfectly suited to use before sunset, too. (It should be said that it is unfortunately not powerful enough to zoom in on the stars, but still a great value for how well it works in other ways.) Among other useful features, like an adjustable tripod, it comes with a guide that depicts the lunar phases.
By age 4, according to Beurkens, kids have mastered the gross-motor and balance skills needed to go nuts on this modified pogo stick, which has a foam base and handles for added comfort and security. “The jumper’s sturdy base allows them to have more success than with a regular pogo stick,” Beurkens says. “They can set up races, create paths to navigate around, or jump to the mailbox.” Silver is also a fan of the young-kid-friendly design: “A lot of kids even 5 or 6 years old don’t have the balance to be on a traditional pogo stick,” he says, but the wider base here “encourages the kids to have success, to continue, to get active.”
You probably know how Stomp Rockets work, but in case not, children’s librarian Siegel offers this straightforward explainer: “Kids literally stomp to make the rockets go, then run after the rockets once they’ve been launched.” Or, as Silver puts it, “How hard can you stomp? How high can you make it go? It’s as simple as that.” The fun is in the competition, and the way it brings kids together: “Any child really any age can do it,” says Silver. “A bigger kid, or even an adult, can send it soaring.” Plus, in this version, there are three different kinds of planes (looper, glider, wildcat) that perform varying tricks in the air, as designed by aeronautical engineers.
You know those springform pans bakers use to make cheesecake? This is basically that, but for building sand castles. Byrne likes that it is made by a little company out of Connecticut and helps kids learn about engineering while having a very satisfying play experience.
Don’t overlook the humble kite. “Kites lend themselves to observation of the natural world,” says Figueras-Daniel. While it takes some coordination, flying a kite like this one she recommends “can spark lots of rich conversations and give wonderful opportunities to introduce new vocabulary and concepts,” she explains. “We often forget about simple concepts that children wonder about, like the wind, which can inspire even more curiosity about flying a kite.”
This powder-coated steel dome encourages the kind of rough-and-tumble action that lots of kids don’t get enough of these days. Which is why Beurkens says she loves the idea of them scaling and experimenting on it: “We are so panicked about children climbing and running, and they need to be able to take risks. They need to fall down every now and then and bump their little knees.” It’s also a favorite of Young’s: “Kids love climbing it, hanging upside down, swinging, and making it into their secret clubhouse,” she says. They’re building strength, balance, self-confidence — and can also throw a tarp or large blanket over it to create the perfect fort for evening ghost stories.
This field guide, which comes with a pull-out magnifying glass in addition to the many seek-and-find lists for all manner
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