Outdoor Toy Must Haves

Since I started up my daycare in September, the weather has not been amazing and as a result, we do not spend a lot of time outdoors. When we do, it has been building snow men, tobogganing hills, forts ect.

However, I want to invest in some awesome toys for the warmer weather, when we will spend a lot more time outdoors. But, I am pretty stumped for ideas. I am thinking water table, some sort of slide/swing set, playhouse, ride on toys, variety of balls, small picnic table ect.

What kind of toys do you all have for fun outdoor play?

Sandbox !!! Mine all love it !!! I bought used pots and pans and water jugs and they love making mud pies !!!!
I have been buying drain pipes to make a discovery wall when it's nice out ! So they can put balls down and find out where they come out !! I am looking for a huge oil pan that I can put magnets on and have a big chalk board for the fence too !!
We have a paint area on the fence too but I don't keep that open all the time ! I have a weird shape yard , like L shape , A big hit last year was a swimming pool filled with balls !
I can't wait until it's nice out !!!!

I have a play structure that has a slide, playhouse, 2 swings and a pool that can be attached to the bottom of the slide but I keep it separate for safety reasons. I have 2 normal swings, 2 baby swings and a tire swing that I rotate on the structure depending on the ages of the kids I have. This is by far their favourite of the toys.

I also have a diego ship, a smaller slide and a kids sized picnic table that are out all summer.

Than I have ride on cars, baby strollers and dolls, lawnmower that blows bubbles and kid sized chairs. I have a toy box that I keep smaller toys in but they don't really play with them that often as they are similar to the indoor toys so they want to play with the larger things. I also have an assortment of balls of different sizes. Chalk and chalk rakes are a hit too.

I used to have a water table but they never played with it so we just use the pool or go to the splash park. I don't have sand in my yard but we play at the sandy park near us often.

This summer I will probably bring out the indoor trampoline to get more use out of it. We also do a lot of fun summer activities that I will bring things outdoor for. Their favourite activity last summer was a car wash...I gave them a bucket of warm soapy water, put them in bathing suits, dragged all the big cars out to the driveway and let them go to town!

Love these ideas ladies! Keep them coming. It also makes me realize how desperate I am for warmer weather!!!!!!!

Hi ttremble88,

I have bought a ton from Toys R Us that was on clearance. As well Costco is fantastic!

My yard has:
Wooden Cedar playhouse
Toddler slide/swing set
picnic table
water table
2 sand boxes
1 larger slide/climber
Basket of balls
Basket of tonka trucks
Various ride on toys

All of the above and spray bottles and paint brushes! On my top 10 best dollar store purchases for sure. I put soap suds in my water table with the brushes and they 'paint' away on everything:). Also, the kid sized rakes and shovels.
I also had an extra sand box (the big boat kind) given to me and had some extra gravel that we took from under our deck...so...I put the gravel in it with all my Tonka trucks & diggers. They love it.

We have the Makin mud pies set that someone had suggested last year. The kids love it. My son has been asking for it since Christmas!

I'm thinking about adding some wood blocks to our outdoor toy selection this year, it depends how much wood we have left over after building our garden boxes.

I have too many toys! LOL
Outside I have - Little tykes cube climbers/slides x 2 big ones and 1 small one - they don't make them anymore so bought 2nd hand. Another little tykes plastic climber with a roof. large wooden play structure with 3 swings/playhouse on top/slide. Kids are too small for monkey bars on other side so I hung the infant swing on that side. I have tons of balls, bats, golf clubs etc all plastic. A big one here is hoola hoops! Cozy coup cars. I have 2 small plastic houses, an assortment of cars, 2 picnic tables. I am sure there is more!

Things I got rid of were a basketball/soccer combo toy, basket ball net, teeter totter. My kids just don't play with them.

I also do not have a sand box. NO WAY!! I am too much of a clean freak and don't want sand tracked into my house.

My kids favorite outdoor toys are the dirt pile and any water-related activities...they also love to play "house" in the playhouse, and make "soup" (which is the dirt pile and water mixed lol)

my favorite outdoor tool is this seat:

https://www.bekid.ro/images/watermar...-1_b2at-1m.jpg

I love to walk with the bike.

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Originally Posted by ttremble88

Since I started up my daycare in September, the weather has not been amazing and as a result, we do not spend a lot of time outdoors. When we do, it has been building snow men, tobogganing hills, forts ect.

However, I want to invest in some awesome toys for the warmer weather, when we will spend a lot more time outdoors. But, I am pretty stumped for ideas. I am thinking water table, some sort of slide/swing set, playhouse, ride on toys, variety of balls, small picnic table ect.

What kind of toys do you all have for fun outdoor play?

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Backyard hose with a slow trickle will occupy for hours as they go around watering everything. The other kids hold small pails/watering cans to fill up and all take turns with hose. If u have any big icicles outside put them in freezer. In summer, put a little water in a kiddie pool and bring out saved icicles or some snowballs.
On a slightly different note, in the summer if u have any milkweed pods from nature walks, save them for winter. Right now my dcks are having a blast blowing the silky seeds around the room or watching them rise up from the heater. Very easy to vacuum up too. :)

I have bit cedar play equipment with slide, swing, climbing walls and covered platforms. That get most use. Always someone on that.

Other toy used lot is a raised water table. Little children like to play with that. Is good with pebbles or sand or water. Boys like putting dinkies in and making tracks and hill to drive toy car on. Girls like best with water and bubbles and washing dollies. In Winter I bring inside. Is good for sensory playing.