125 classic and upcycled backyard toys for kids
Children’s backyard toys aren’t just playthings. They’re tools for developing fine and gross motor skills, encouraging creative play, enhancing language and communication skills, and most importantly, sparking joy.
When a child is excited to be outside playing, they’ll want to move more and spend more time in the fresh air. It’s a positive cycle—and adventurous outdoor play has lots of benefits for kids.
There’s a TON of toys that can be purchased to help encourage play, but there are also many items that kids can play with that are recycled or from nature. Need ideas of backyard toys to have on hand for your kids? Look no further than our mega-list of playthings!
Kids’ backyard toys: Classic toys
When looking for backyard toys for kids, you can purchase new from a store or used from garage sales or thrift stores. Or you can see if your neighbourhood has a toy exchange or swap program.
Balls
From squishy to tactile balls for babies through baseballs, footballs, beach balls, basketballs, tennis balls, soccer balls, wiffleballs etc. that kids of all ages can use, balls are core items in a backyard toy collection.
Blankets
Pick up a water-resistant outdoor blanket for tummy time, for kids to use to pull each other on, or to roll up in like burritos.
Tunnels
A collapsible tunnel is perfect for kids to crawl through or hide in.
Ball pit
Pick up a pop-up set with a pit and balls or purchase just a set of balls and use them in an inflatable pool. A ball pit is great fun for throwing, catching, or using in an obstacle course.
Inflatable pool
Inflatable pools come in the classic design or with a shade for sun protection. Fill the pool with water, bath toys, cups, sponges, and funnels for some splashy fun!
Pull toys
With rubber-rimmed wheels, a good pull-toy for toddlers will have them, well, happily toddling along!
Slide
A stand-alone slide will bring hours of sliding fun for your baby to five-year-old.
Sand table or sand box
Talk about a multi-use toy! Kids can dig, mix sand with water, build, pour, and on and on. Multiple kids can stand at a table or sit in a sandbox for parallel or solo play. You can also purchase sandboxes with canopies for sun-safe play.
Water table
Just like a sand table, a water table offers so many options for kids! Pour, scoop, wash toys, splash, float toy boats or duckies. (You can also trying building your own.)
Bubbles
Kids love bubbles! (They’re also a good way to help your child develop visual tracking.) Pick up some solution and fun wands in so many sizes and shapes.
Bats
Whether your child is hitting a baseball, a beach ball, or a pinata, a bat comes in handy! Get ones that are the right size for your kids.
Jungle gym
A jungle gym will have your kids sliding, climbing, hanging, and swinging. Depending on the space you have and your budget, jungle gyms vary in size from small to ginormous.
Soccer or hockey net
Having a target to shoot or kick into will keep kids focused and motivated. If you don’t have a lot of room, a pop-up net that folds up is a great option.
Sprinkler
Whether your kids want to run, cartwheel, or do a funny walk through the water, sprinklers are a great way to cool down on a hot day! Pick a regular sprinkler or a kids’ option. Then try some of these sprinkler games.
Splash mat
A splash mat (sometimes called a sprinkler mat) is a perfect water toy for toddlers. With a slip-free surface, the mat has sprinklers on the sides that spray water gently inwards. They’re a great option for kids who want to sit (or stand!) and play in water.
Water slide
On a hot day, sliding across a long, slippery tarp with sprinklers on each side of it is thrilling fun!
Badminton set
Did you know that badminton is the second most popular sport in the world? Badminton is a great game for the whole family, and it’s relatively easy to learn.
Jump ropes
Skipping ropes are—obviously—for skipping but there are so many other games and tricks your kids can do with them!
Beach buckets
Kids can use these buckets in the backyard to make castles in the sandbox, to carry water in a relay race, to store their collection of stones from the yard, or to mix a secret potion of dirt, water, and leaves!
Bikes
Ensure you have the right size of bicycle for your child and a helmet that fits properly. Add some handlebar ribbons and your child will have a fancy, accessorized ride!
Tricycles
A tricycle is a great way to get your under-twos onto wheels! Many trikes are now adjustable so they can go from the classic three-wheeler to a balance bike, which will help move your child from three wheels to two a lot more easily.
Magnifying glass
Your kids can get up close and personal with bugs, leaves, tree bark, or their own skin with a kid-sized magnifying glass!
Scooters
It’s easy to learn how to use a scooter, and it can provide your kids with hours of fun. Scooters come in all sizes, for two-year-old riders and up.
Sidewalk chalk
There are so many games kids can play with sidewalk chalk. It’s great multicoloured fun!
Spray bottles
If your child wants to water your grass, mix up some mud pies, or wash their toys, a spray bottle is a perfect toy.
Wagon
Whether your child wants to hauling rocks around or pull their “construction materials” to their next site, a wagon is a great versatile toy for a backyard.
Shovels
Whether your child wants to use their shovel in a sandbox or in the dirt to look for bugs, it’s a great item to have on hand. Pick a size that’s best for your child’s age.
Rakes
A great garden toy for combing through sand or for making piles of leaves to jump in!
Balance beam or stepping stones
Challenge your kids’ balance with a beam or stepping stones.
Wheelbarrow
Whether your kids are giving their stuffies a walk, moving stones around, or whatever else their imagination cooks up, a kids’ wheelbarrow is a fun pushing toy!
Dump truck
Dump trucks are such great toys for kids. While kids are filling trucks with rocks, sand or any number of items and dumping them at the “construction site,” they’re using their imaginations and learning about scientific concepts such as gravity, cause and effect, energy, and force.
Bocce
A kids’ bocce set is great for your children to practice their strategic thinking and targeting skills. And it’s so fun!
Stilts
While kid-sized stilts help kids master coordination and core strength, they also spark a lot of pride when kids master them and fun when they can see things from higher up!
Hula hoops
Your kids can use hula hoops in so many ways. Spin them, roll them, use them for target practice and so much more!
Balance board
A versatile plaything, a balance board can be stood on, used as a seesaw, a slide or any number of uses your child can imagine!
Slack line
Whether you have trees to put a slack line between or use a slack line on frames, kids will get a massive boost of confidence when they conquer a balancing challenge.
Frisbees
There are a ton of games your kids can play with a frisbee! Use a standard frisbee or a starter frisbee that’s easy for small hands to grip.
Pogo stick
Kids can work on their coordination and balance while having bouncy fun! Younger kids can start with a foam version and move up to a bigger, bouncier style. (As with bikes, kids should wear helmets while on pogo sticks.)
Binoculars
Whether your child is a pirate looking for treasure or a bird watcher hoping to see their favourite jay, kids can look far and wide with a set of binoculars for your preschooler or older child.
Batting tee
Find a batting tee the right size for your child, from toddler to big kid, and let them swing for the fences!
Kids’ backyard toys: upcycled!
If you think outside the box, you’ll find there’s a treasure trove of toys in your recycling bin at home, in kitchen drawers, in nature, and at businesses that are regularly unloading boxes of goods.
This is where a concept called loose parts play comes in. Loose parts play involves everyday objects that kids can use for open-ended, creative play. There are no instructions with loose parts, and they can be used for an almost infinite number of things. It’s fascinating to see what kids come up with when given a collection of parts!
Will they build a rocket ship? Might they wonder if some pieces can balance on others or if some make fun sounds? Maybe they’ll organize items into groups of colours or sizes. Or make an imaginary world for imaginary friends!
The role of an adult with loose parts is to make sure everything is safe with no rough or sharp edges, no rusty old nails, no toxic paint, and no items too small for kids under three to choke on.
After that, stand back and let your kids use their imagination to play.
Where to find loose parts:
- Recycling bins
- Kitchen drawers (think rubber spatulas, wooden spoons, etc.)
- Family or friends’ for items they might be parting with
- Plumbing supply, hardware, rug, electrical supply, flooring, paint, grocery, furniture or repair stores (you’d be surprised by how many odds and ends they have around that you can ask for)
- Architect offices
- Theatres and more!
Sample list of loose parts for backyard play:
- wooden boards
- wooden planks
- dowels
- handsaws
- hammers
- nails
- tarps
- bricks
- tiles
- pipes
- milk cartons
- clean oil or water drums
- wooden boxes or crates
- tubing (old garden hoses)
- netting
- burlap sacks
- cones or pylons
- plant pots
- ribbon
- yarn
- fabric scraps
- corks
- funnels
- plastic tubs (with or without lids)
- rubber bands
- paper towel rolls
- old sheets and towels
- plastic bottles
- cardboard
- old CDs or DVDs
- bowls
- muffin pans
- pots and pans
- paper
- gutters and downspouts
- spools of all sizes
- bungee cords
- pegs
- tires
- golf tees
- floor sample pieces
- poster tubes
- paint
- brushes
- license plates
- wire
- bottle caps
- door knobs
- forks, knives and spoons
- cheese grater
- mixing spoons
- ladles
- tongs
- spatulas
- whisks
- masher
- ice cream scoop
- sand paper
- keys
- sieve
- turkey baster
- string
Natural loose parts play
Head into your backyard, to a local park, forest, or beach to collect natural items your kids can include in their open-ended play. You’ll want to ensure that kids don’t cut anyone’s flowers from their gardens!
Sample list of natural loose parts for backyard play:
- rocks
- sticks
- tree stumps
- tree bark
- pine cones
- hay
- acorns
- leaves
- driftwood
- shells
- water
- feathers
- logs
- moss
- pine needles
- water
- flowers
- seeds
- dirt
- berries
- maple keys
- sand
- chestnuts
