With the promise of summer around the corner we’ve been searching for the best outdoor toys and resources for pre-school and primary aged children to enjoy! With the current Covid-19 restrictions meaning children can only play with others outside of school, outdoors at the moment..these resources will hopefully be really helpful in keeping children entertained in the garden or other outdoor space!

• The Den Kit Company The Original Den Kit– I love this kit for bringing back traditional outdoor play. Whilst it is quite expensive, the quality is fantastic. This will literally provide your children with hours (if not days!) of outdoor play. Suitable for children 6- adults!

• If your children enjoy gardening, or you’re hoping to encourage them to have fun helping in the garden, then these two lovely (plastic free) resources from Shop Pom Pom are perfect! The seed balls are such an easy way for children of all ages and abilities to be able to plant flowers easily – all you have to do is put them onto the ground and water) . And the gardening tools are just the right size for little hands! Find the tin of Seed Balls here and their personalised engraved children’s gardening tools here. 

• Brainstorm Toys Outdoor Adventure Microscope.  I’m a former science teacher and when I see Childrens ‘science equipment’ I’m always a bit wary of their quality and worry if they’ll actually be any good. This microscope is absolutely brilliant though, the quality is amazing! It’s fantastic value, sturdy and you can zoom in and see objects up close with such clarity. I was really, really impressed. Also… children love it, they can take it out into the garden or on a walk and observed the world as they’ve never seen it before. An absolute must buy. 

• ‘100 Ways Your Child Can Learn Through Play’ by Georgina Durrant My book has two chapters dedicated to outdoor play, one chapter is called ‘In the Garden’ (but can be any outdoor space) and there’s also a chapter called ‘On a Walk’. Both these chapters share fun, play based activities for pre-school and primary aged children to enjoy. They are fun, need very little resources and also help develop key skills (without your child even realising!). Obviously I’m biased…so why not have a look at it on Amazon and read what Carol Vorderman and Rob Delaney said about it instead…here

• Waterways Towers and Gutters by Early Years Resources – This will literally entertain your little ones (and you!) for hours! Such a simple set of equipment but so effective and engaging. Children can use their problem solving skills and creativity to construct channels using the guttering for the water to flow down. Changing the height and angle of the gutters using the towers and connecting them together. A fab STEM toy and a great one for hot days, as inevitably there’s a bit of splashing from the water!

• Learning Resources Smart Toss Early Skills Activity Set– This activity set is brilliant! We’ve had so much fun trying this out. It is basically a target practise game, where children have to throw the numbered/coloured bean bags into their corresponding holes. It is great fun, fantastic for an active way of learning numbers and wonderful for developing hand eye coordination. And another bonus is, it neatly folds flat (with a little pocket for the bean bags)…taking up very little space.

• Swingball Early Fun Swing Ball – As a child of the 80s this brought back some very fond memories! I’m so excited that Swing Ball has made a come back! A great toy for developing gross motor skills and hand eye coordination through play. It’s also hard to play without giggling!

– ZXVC Rocket Launcher Toy, Bubble Machine– Oh I absolutely love, love, love this!! It’s like the ultimate water/air rocket for kids…because they have not only made it super easy for kids to do themselves…but they have added BUBBLES! I mean, can it get any better than that?! If you’re looking for something to keep your children laughing, jumping and playing all afternoon in the garden, then this is the one to buy.  It is fantastic. 

• Aneco Toys Toss and Catch Paddle Game Set – Just like the Swingball game, this is another toy that I’m delighted to see is making a comeback! You hold the velcro paddles and throw the ball to one another trying to catch it on your paddle. Such a great game for children who are learning to catch as it provides a larger surface area for catching the ball on…making it easier. It’s also great fun for older children too.

• Bestaway Family Pool Deluxe – Have you already had the paddling pool out this year? For many of us, the paddling pool is our ‘go to’ resource for entertaining kids in the garden in the hot weather…and this paddling pool is so big you can even sit in it too! Why let the kids have all the fun?!

• Sand and Water Play Table by Mookie Toys I really like this sand and water play table, really clever how it folds away (with a lid..wahoo!) too. Sand and water play are wonderful for sensory play, relaxation and fun and I’ve found having a sand pit can be a brilliant way of keeping kids happy and busy in the garden.(Don’t forget some play sand too )

• Walkie Talkies– During the first lockdown, a friend of mine suggested Walkie Talkies as a great resource for socially distanced walks and she’s right! They are a fantastic idea. Not only for making walks with grandparents/friends safer and fun by using them whilst socially distancing…but also to play with on walks in general or in the garden..doing secret missions and hide and seek. I’d highly recommend these one’s as they are great quality, have an incredible range and are easy for kids to use.

• Trampolines – Trampolines can be fantastic for exercise and for helping children burn off energy to help them relax later. And if you do have space, they can be a brilliant way of keeping children entertained outside.

What are your ‘go to’ outdoor resources for your kids? Let me know!

*Please note we were sent samples of some products for the purpose of this review, all words and opinions are our own. This post contains amazon affiliate links, for further details read our About Me section.