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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>What Are Your Favorite Outdoor Toys?
preschoolteacher 04:29 PM 05-08-2013
Hi all!

We're making the most of our tiny backyard, and I was wondering what your favorite outdoor toys are for babies-5 year olds. We don't have room for a play structure or swing set. I will have a sandbox with trucks and dinosaurs, lawn bowling, balls (including the kind with handles to bounce on), and a water table/sensory table. What else can I add to the mix? What about during the winter?
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MrsSteinel'sHouse 04:30 PM 05-08-2013
Mud, seriously I moved a raised bed and the dirt is their favorite thing! Trucks, shovels.
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MamaBearCanada 04:35 PM 05-08-2013
What about chalk? A small playhouse or if you don't have room for that a small kitchen. Mine like to play house / drivethru. Ride on/push toys. Small garden tools & plant pots with dirt and plastic flowers.
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Luna 05:06 PM 05-08-2013
Last summer the most played-with toys in my yard were hula hoops and pool noodles, never once used as intended.
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jenn 05:12 PM 05-08-2013
Mine use pool noodles to hit beach balls around, like golf.
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melilley 06:25 PM 05-08-2013
My kids love the plain old buckets,shovels,pails, and sand molds...and I don't even have sand yet...lol
Oh and I have a couple of little plastic wagons that they pull around.
The Little Tykes basketball hoop is also a hit and it's not big at all. Oh and they also love balls and child sized golf clubs (they are also plastic).
I just got a Step 2 wagon and the kids love pulling each other around and having me pull them around...even the babies, they just sit in the bottom instead of in the seats. (I have 2 -9 month old's here)
I also have a couple of little bikes and a little slide.
Bubbles are great too! I have a little lawn mower that blows bubbles.
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melilley 06:26 PM 05-08-2013
Originally Posted by jenn:
Mine use pool noodles to hit beach balls around, like golf.
I love this idea, although one of my kids would probably beat everyone with them.
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spud912 06:31 PM 05-08-2013
I was going to say nothing, but I meant to say nothing that is not normally outside . The toy messes drive me batty (I know, I know...I'm not exactly in the right field ) so I absolutely love being outside! No toys to have the kids clean up!! It's one of the few "activities" that we have that has little to no clean up when we are done (besides changing some clothes and hand washing).

I do have a very small amount of toys outside that I rotate (besides the playground, the climber and the sand table). Currently, we have 2 bikes for everyone to share, some buckets, some shovels and some watering cans. I rotate out balls and a couple of other things. From our backyard, the kids play with leaves, sticks, pinecones, seeds, rocks, mud, water, grapefruit and oranges that fell off the trees (and aren't filled with bugs yet), and of course any non-biting bugs they come across.
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cheerfuldom 08:20 PM 05-08-2013
If you have a surface for wheeled items...I suggest scooters more than bikes and trikes and ride ons. easier to store and then you can have more of them. also small baby doll strollers are a big hit here.

something else i didnt see suggested yet is a mud kitchen.
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Rachel 01:03 AM 05-09-2013
I keep my play kitchen outside, also ride on toys, balls, and doll strollers. We have a sand pit too and chalk.
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coolconfidentme 04:36 AM 05-09-2013
DIRT!!!
I have a 15x48 covered deck for riding toys, a toddler slide/swing set, a little tikes slide, a huge wooden slide/swing set & 2 Rubbermaid picnic tables. They all like to play in the dirt first & foremost. After that they like to play under the picnic tables like a fort.

Maybe you can hang a sheet up off of the fence for a makeshift tent.
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canadiancare 04:40 AM 05-09-2013
Originally Posted by spud912:
I was going to say nothing, but I meant to say nothing that is not normally outside . The toy messes drive me batty (I know, I know...I'm not exactly in the right field ) so I absolutely love being outside! No toys to have the kids clean up!! It's one of the few "activities" that we have that has little to no clean up when we are done (besides changing some clothes and hand washing).

I do have a very small amount of toys outside that I rotate (besides the playground, the climber and the sand table). Currently, we have 2 bikes for everyone to share, some buckets, some shovels and some watering cans. I rotate out balls and a couple of other things. From our backyard, the kids play with leaves, sticks, pinecones, seeds, rocks, mud, water, grapefruit and oranges that fell off the trees (and aren't filled with bugs yet), and of course any non-biting bugs they come across.
Jealousy! I am hoping to have some success with indoor citrus trees. I need to move somewhere hot.
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Jewels 05:23 AM 05-09-2013
Originally Posted by canadiancare:
Jealousy! I am hoping to have some success with indoor citrus trees. I need to move somewhere hot.
Theres always apples, my little ones love the crab apples falling from the tree and play with those alot!

I also say dirt, my kids love the dirt the most, they love digging for worms, otherwise bubbles, they love the stomp rocket(pretty cheap on amazon) sand box, they love the water table as well, but I haven't filled it yet here, when it turns to fall my water table turns mud table, and gets filled with dirt to play in.........there are many times with dirt that I am having to have the kids stand at the door and one by one carry them to the bathroom to wash their feet as well as hands In the summer I have pools and sprinklers out most everyday, its just alot of work and alot of water, cleaning and changing daily, but its worth it.
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canadiancare 05:28 AM 05-09-2013
Originally Posted by Jewels:
Theres always apples, my little ones love the crab apples falling from the tree and play with those alot!

I also say dirt, my kids love the dirt the most, they love digging for worms, otherwise bubbles, they love the stomp rocket(pretty cheap on amazon) sand box, they love the water table as well, but I haven't filled it yet here, when it turns to fall my water table turns mud table, and gets filled with dirt to play in.........there are many times with dirt that I am having to have the kids stand at the door and one by one carry them to the bathroom to wash their feet as well as hands In the summer I have pools and sprinklers out most everyday, its just alot of work and alot of water, cleaning and changing daily, but its worth it.
I tried growing what was supposed to be a winter hardy fig last year but it doesn't seem to be coming back. We did have a heavy snow and cold winter this year so maybe it just isn't THAT hardy. I can't do apples because the raccoons go crazy for them and I don't want to encourage them to hang around.
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Blackcat31 06:27 AM 05-09-2013
I've been collecting the really expensive all terrain rubber wheeled tricycles.

The kids literally ride them around the yard for hours! No sidewalk or smooth surface necessary.

They run about $50-70 and so far I have 4.

The ones like this:

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crazydaycarelady 06:50 AM 05-09-2013
For 1-3yos they LOVE the Little Tikes cars. I have 2 but could easily have more.
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Jewels 07:13 AM 05-09-2013
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
I've been collecting the really expensive all terrain rubber wheeled tricycles.

The kids literally ride them around the yard for hours! No sidewalk or smooth surface necessary.

They run about $50-70 and so far I have 4.

The ones like this:
WOW all terrain, all I have is grass in the back, I need these!!!
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mema 07:20 AM 05-09-2013
Mine love the playhouse with dishes and the picnic table. They play resturant a lot. Chalk and bubbles. We go to the park at least once a day, so I got rid of my big swing set and opened up that space for running! Kicking balls, sprinklers and squirt bottles. They "wash" my garage door a lot and use the squirt bottles to draw pictures on it.
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LK5kids 09:00 AM 05-09-2013
Buckets with water and those cheap Wal-mart paint brushes that come in a five pack. Maybe $3.50/$4.00 a pack. They love to "paint" everthing!

Plexiglass glass easel or frame. I have a homemade frame with plexiglass. Use with shaving cream. Kids can "paint" with shaving cream on each side and see each other.

Little Tyke square climber....don't know if they still make it. All ages love to climb on it and sit on it. Well not 1's and it's a bit big for even 2 yr olds

Painting those flat landscaping rocks...they would do that forever.

Those large flat bubble wands with the round tray...love 'em

Water table

Playhouses & sand kitchen
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lolaland 11:07 AM 05-09-2013
My all time favorite outside play thing - Hay!!! Once in a while I would go to a local farm buy a few of these.... they last "forever", kids love climbing on them and put their imagination to play! Just like giant blocks, the possibilities are endless... Oh the fun you can have with these... but much better than blocks!!
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lolaland 11:09 AM 05-09-2013
My all time favorite outside play thing - Hay!!! Once in a while I would go to a local farm buy a few of these.... they last "forever", kids love climbing on them and put their imagination to play! Just like giant blocks, the possibilities are endless... Oh the fun you can have with these... much better than blocks!!
Attached: 1.jpg (235.4 KB) 
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momofsix 11:45 AM 05-09-2013
Originally Posted by lolaland:
My all time favorite outside play thing - Hay!!! Once in a while I would go to a local farm buy a few of these.... they last "forever", kids love climbing on them and put their imagination to play! Just like giant blocks, the possibilities are endless... Oh the fun you can have with these... much better than blocks!!
What an awesome idea. I might have to try this!
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MN Day Mom 04:35 PM 05-09-2013
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
I've been collecting the really expensive all terrain rubber wheeled tricycles.

The kids literally ride them around the yard for hours! No sidewalk or smooth surface necessary.

They run about $50-70 and so far I have 4.

The ones like this:
Do you think these would work good on pea rock??
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AmyKidsCo 06:09 PM 05-09-2013
Bubbles, balls, sand box, playhouse, chalk, trucks, shovels/pails. The basics.
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