Outdoor Fun

The physical benefits of a child playing with outdoor toys are evident in children who enjoy playing outside. It is a not secret that obesity, along with other health issues, is a growing problem in children and is part due to lack of time kids spend outdoors. Being overweight increases the possibility of many different health conditions. When a child plays outdoors, riding a bike, swinging or running amuck he or she is more likely to stay at a healthy weight, an important precursor for their adult body weight.

Obesity is only one problem that is associated with kids not playing outdoors; many kids are vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D is important for the body to absorb calcium and control the protein and rennin that is associated with blood pressure. When kids spend time outdoors, the sunshine helps their bodies to make the vitamin D that they need for ideal overall health.

Because playing outdoors with toys gives kids the opportunity to run, climb, jump, ride, yell and use excess energy, it can also lead to improved behaviour and better sleep. Playing is also important because it builds muscles, conditions the lungs and strengthens muscles.

Not only is outdoor playing important for physical reasons but also for emotional and social reasons. It can encourage improvement in a child’s ability to reason and think logically. Taking risks and using their imaginations are also encouraged. When kids play outdoors with other kids, it builds social skills that are needed to form relationships throughout life. Playing outdoors makes kids happier and offers many development perks.

Gardening is one activity that kids can benefit from in many different ways. Garden toys help build a strong relationship between a child and nature. Gardening helps kids learn patience as they tend to fruits and vegetables as they grow. They also learn about how to nurture and what it takes for something to live. Working as a family in a garden teaches kids how to share and work together.

Working in a garden, kids are surrounded by moments filled with teaching. With garden toys, they are able to learn about the world hands on. Gardening also has a calming effect; a time to connect with nature and relax. Walking, bending and moving provide a great and fun way to exercise. Planting a fruit or vegetable garden makes it much easier to feed children healthier and makes kids more eager to choose better foods.

Watching a seed turn into a fruit or vegetable is a miracle of life and kids who garden learn how to appreciate that. Kids see that sunlight, water, dirt and care are necessities in the plant world as well as in the human world. Gardening give kids a way to love the simplest things that life has to offer.

The benefits of being outdoors are many and it is sad to see that the amount of time kids spend outdoors has drastically declined over the years. Time spent on games and television instead of outdoors can never be taken back or replaced.

While it is a recent concern that kids are spending too much time in front of the television or computer, it is up to the parents to promote outdoor play. For added fun, there are a wide range of outdoor toys that can be purchased that will make any child want to play outside all the time!

One of the most popular types of garden toys are play sets that feature slides, swings and sandboxes. These play sets are made from sturdy wood materials and have options for expansions. Swing sets were once common amongst public areas, but now families can have the same jungle gym fun right in the convenience of their own garden.

Best of all, many reputable companies sell do-it-yourself kits that allow families to work together to build their own swing set. Customize yours by choosing the colours of choice, adding monkey bars or changing the type of slide.

Trampolines are another example of outdoor toys that are sure to offer plenty of fun and exercise for kids. Trampolines are always a hit and kids love the non-stop fun of jumping around right in their own yard. Trampolines were once believed to be unsafe for small children, but many of their recent advances and safety features greatly improve the use of trampolines.

Trampolines are enclosed with a safety net that protects kids from falling off. They are built to be sturdier and bounce kids back to where they took off from, preventing kids from colliding into one another. Of course, it is always recommended that only one child jumps on a trampoline at a time.

Of course, parents cannot forget the fun that sand brings to outdoor play. Sand pits make great garden toys and can be purchased separately or made to go underneath the jungle gym. Kids love the texture of soft, warm sand and have hours of fun building sandcastles and collecting sand in buckets.

In order to keep the sand clean and soft, many companies sell sand pit covers that can be used to cover the sand when not being used. These covers also protect the sand pit from bugs, animals and rainy weather conditions.

Perhaps one of the greatest garden toys for both boys and girls is a playhouse. Playhouses were once thought to be best for young girls wanting to role play, but the unique and innovative designs have led kids of all ages to find use for playhouses. Playhouses are made from a durable wooden material and can be built to look like a miniature house or a rugged fort. Complete the look by adding flowers, chairs and a mailbox.

One of the best ways to complete your outdoor toys is by adding an outdoor pool. While outdoor pools were once for people who had a large budget, the many styles and price ranges allow for just about anyone to have a pool in their garden. Having your own pool means that you don’t have to rush off to the seaside on a warm and sunny day!

There has been growing concern in the regarding childhood obesity, particularly in westernized countries where fast foods have become so prominent. From 1980 to 2008 the incidence of childhood obesity has increased by nearly 15% in the United States alone. Adolescent obesity has increased 13% over the same time period. Studies show that childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past three decades, and future projections look bleak.

The explanation for this dramatic increase in overweight children is not difficult to understand. Thirty years ago technology had not yet advanced to the point where it targeted children. Portable tape cassettes were beginning to replace CD players, and the once popular boom box became a thing of the past. But the nearly indestructible mp3 player was still two decades away, and youngsters remained in the “hands-off” stage of personal music devices. Computer games were sparse, and those that existed were visually unappealing to a child, and far too complex for a child to play. Consequently, children aged six to eleven continued to seek their entertainment in physical activity. Sports included kickball, soccer, swimming, flag tag, and tee ball. Outdoor games included tag, hide and seek, and red rover. Chores for children often involved tasks such as raking leaves and planting. Garden toys made it fun to work outside, and children assisted parents in gardening tasks. Kids were always on the move. Obesity was not an issue.

With the advent of computer games, and gaming systems like the Sony Playstation and the Nintendo series, suddenly children became the target of colourful, exciting advertisements. Outdoor toys and garden toys gathered dust. Children spent hours every day sitting in front of computer monitors, television screens, or handheld devices. Physical activity dramatically fell, while obesity quietly rose. Today we can witness truly advanced gaming devices with colourful graphics and crisp sound. Many are small and conveniently portable. Outdoor toys cannot compete with these electronics that capture the imagination of children, draw them in and hold them captive for hours every day.

However, there is resurgence in innovative and exciting outdoor toys. Mobile toys abound. The Ripstik, Sole Skate, skateboards, scooters, inline skates and sleek sporty bicycles are just a few outdoor toys that woo our children, and offer good physical exercise. Trampolines and zip lines, swing sets and rock climbing walls, swimming pools and boogie boards, all provide the fun and excitement children need to become involved.

Today’s garden toys are nearly as realistic as the tools mom and dad use. Wheel barrows, plastic shovels and rakes, sturdy and colourful chainsaws that make noises—the list goes on. Parents can easily attract their kids to outdoor tasks by providing them with a few interesting garden activities and toys. Many of these actually have moving parts while ome even light up, or vibrate when in use. As soon as children remember how fun it is to be outdoors, electronic games won’t hold their attention.

Parents must also set limits on the amount of time children are allowed to stare at a television or monitor. Remember that parents set the examples for their kids. Invite your kids for a walk, or a swim in the pool. Let them join you in the garden. It won’t be long before outdoor toys and garden toys attract children effectively, offering them education, fun, and exercise. In the process everyone gets exercise, and the family spends time together.

Young children love to help in the garden. What better way for them to help than give them their own garden toys? Garden toys can be anything they do not have to be commercially purchased items. Some of the best gardening toys in most children’s toy collection are mom and dads very own hand gardening tools.

Hand gardening tools work well for children’s gardening toys because they are already small. The handles easily fit little hands and are easy to manoeuvre through the dirt. Add in a bucket and some water and they can make great mud pies.

A small card table or portable table is a great asset for gardening toys as little children can set their “tools” on them and create great masterpieces. When they are finished it is easy to simply wash the table off and let it air dry outside in the sunshine.

Little boys will enjoy dirt moving trucks and dump truck type gardening toys. They can use the hand gardening tools to shovel dirt into the trucks and you will have an instant recipe for fun.

Add a little girls tea set (plastic of course for ease in washing and durability) will make for some great “garden parties” have her invite her little friends over and her gardening toys can create a fantastic tea party with dirt cakes and more.

Teach young children to use the hand gardening tools to help you plant vegetables or flowers. Little hands love to help mom and dad in the garden. Have them dig the hole and then show them how you set the plant into the hole and show them how to shovel the dirt back in and pat it down. After a few practices with mom or dad they may well want to venture out on their own and plant their own vegetable or flower garden.

Go a step further and show them how to weed with the garden toys. Children love to learn and teaching them to discern the difference between a weed and a plant (flower or vegetable) is a great way for them to learn the value of a gardening experience. As the plants begin sprouting show them how the plants should look in a book or online and then show them the weeds and let them have at it. Providing the weeds are not poisonous you should have a great garden when little hands are finished weeding. Just make sure to have some warm bath water ready at the end of the day to wash that dirt off and find your children underneath.

Allowing young children to play and be creative with their own garden toys develops a healthy imagination and allows children an experience of growing and learning in a fun environment. It can get boring being inside all day when you are a child and playing in the dirt is part of many a fantastic childhood memory.

Help children to spread their wings by helping them come up with great creative gardening toys out of everyday objects. A spoon makes a great shovel and a muffin pan is great to hold mud pies. Build a dirt castle and add some water to come up with a dirt castle theme.

Whatever you choose your children will have a great time with these creative gardening toys.

Many outdoor toys focus on large motor skills, such as jumping, riding and running along. Trampolines make the perfect outdoor toys as they allow a number of children to jump about right in the comfort of your own garden. Be sure to choose a trampoline that is safe and features an enclosed net and a sturdy frame.

If your children love outdoor toys that focus on riding around, ride on toys are the perfect addition to your garden. There are dozens of ride on toys that are appealing to both girls and boys, including Jeeps and quad bikes. Most ride on toys come equipped with two seats, making it easy for kids to share and take turns driving around.

Another way to get those large motor skills in gear using outdoor toys is by purchasing a climbing frame. Climbing frames provide children with endless hours of fun as they include swings, slides, monkey bars, wooden towers, and sandpits. Having a climbing frame in your garden makes it easy for kids to play together and want to be outdoors.

To expand your children’s creativity, learning toys and action figures are the perfect additions to outdoor toys. Playhouses are a popular choice for both boys and girls and allow children to practice role playing and fantasy. What children love most about playhouses is that they look like real houses and feature working doors, windows, doorbells, mailboxes, and flower beds. Encourage your child to bring action figures outdoors to increase their desire to role play.

If it is toys and games that your children enjoy most, the best garden games include giant sized versions of family favourites including Connect 4, Pick Up Sticks, or Dominoes. In addition, families love to come together over toys and games such as garden chess or garden darts. Or, what better way to spend some family time outdoors than with toys and games that feature water? Above ground pools and water slides make a hot day outdoors a blast. They also encourage your little ones to be active and try out new motor skills.

It has long been understood that play forms a crucial element of development and enables young children to develop key physical, mental and social skills that will prepare them for year ahead. In fact, studies have also shown that the benefits of playing will continue into adulthood, where adults who engage in a range of more advanced playful activities continue to learn new abilities and skills.

As advantageous as play can be, parents know how hard it can sometimes be to get the kids playing outdoors, especially after a long and cold winter where much of their playful activities take place indoors. Toys can often be a parent’s best ally in these situations and there are a range of garden toys and games that are nearly guaranteed to gets the boys playing outside.

1. The Good Old Trampoline. It is often surprising how something that seems repetitive and mundane can be a source of intrigue for children for hours. The trampoline is one of the classical outdoor toys with the first modern trampolines being enjoyed since 1936.

2. Action Figures. While this might seem a surprising choice, the action figures of today are mostly plastic, practically waterproof, due to the propensity of children for putting them in their mouths, and highly resilient. A small collection of even old action figures with a couple of boxes and some garden sand can be a fertile environment for creative play, keeping the little tigers occupied till past sunset.

3. Water Guns. Depending on where you live and the climate, these might have to wait for summer but water pistols are a welcome alternative to the likes of a BB gun, which tends to be less kind on the eyes and sometimes windows making it one my all time favourite outdoor toys. Be sure to keep a towel close to the door or handy to ensure your boys don’t hydrate, and muddy up, the house.

4. A Footy Net. Granted there are many of us who don’t have the space for a mini football net, or may not want to tempt the football meeting the back, or front, garden windows. An alternative could be to use a soft blown up ball, or even one of those oversized tennis balls which can be kinder on the exterior house glass. These footy nets are often quickly disassembled and put in a small travel bag, making them ideal for a visit to the local park.

5. Swingball. This is a great toy because it means your boy can work on his hand to eye coordination by engaging in a tennis style game that only needs one person to make it fun. Having the ball attached to the main stand by way of a rope means that it won’t go missing or find its way through the kitchen window. It’s a great way for the little lads to express any pent up anger, which might be the case when you drag them away from the warmth of the house and their Playstation.