17 Amazingly Fun Outdoor Toys for Preschoolers and Toddlers

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Every outdoor play session with preschoolers is an opportunity to spark their creativity, imagination, and curiosity. Not only that, but the more your kids enjoy spending time outdoors when they’re young, the easier it is to get them outside when they’re older.

kids playing in backyard treehouse

As blissful as it would be to be able to just send your kids outside and tell them to play, things usually don’t work out that easily. To make outdoor time even more fun for your kids, you’ll want to have some outdoor toys on hand. Here are 13 outdoor toys that every preschooler would absolutely LOVE!

Make sure to also read our top gift ideas for older kids and teens and Best Outdoor Gifts to Get Your Kids Outside if you have older kids!

little boy playing on the beach

Guardian Bike with SureStop Braking

This is the number one best outdoor toy for any kid. A bike gives kids freedom and absolutely opens up the world to them. This bike from Guardian Bikes is the one that your child will love and will not only help them to ride more easily, but make biking safer for them. The SureStop Bike features a patented braking system that activates both brakes with one hand brake and ensures that both tires stay on the ground, so kids never flip over. Our youngest has a Guardian bike and we are absolutely impressed. His Guardian bike is significantly lighter than his other bike and the braking system has given him the confidence that he needs to let his skills really take off! This is the most affordable lightweight bike that we’ve seen and we highly recommend it as the best outdoor toy for preschoolers.

Don’t forget to also get them a helmet to go along with their bike! Check out our full review of the safest bike helmets for kids!

Stomp Rocket

With 5 kids in our house, we have owned SO MANY Stomp Rockets over the years. We love them because they’re easy enough that a toddler can use them, but still completely entertaining for teens and adults. There are so many outdoor toys in the market place, but we think this is one of the best outdoor toys for preschoolers.

stomp rocket toys

Kids Bug Catcher Kit

Do you have a kid who loves to collect and watch insects? This bug catcher is the perfect preschooler outdoor toy for them. A few of my kids have been absolutely CRAZY about bugs, and they would easily spend hours in the backyard turning over rocks and collecting all the critters underneath to watch in their little jar. With this bug catcher kit, you can let them safely catch all sorts of bugs and they’ll have a great time doing it.

The best outdoor toys are the outdoor toys that get used most often! This is one toy that your kids will actually use almost daily. This is the best budget outdoor toy for preschoolers.

Need more ideas? Check out Top Winter Books for Preschoolers, Elementary Kids, Teens, and Adults

Bucket

The best way to get my kids outside is to give them a bucket and shovel. We have a little spot in our backyard where the grass has a really hard time growing and we let them dig and make “potions.” They will spend hours outside digging and mixing things in this bucket.

Shovels

This shovel set is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. The handle is wood and the shovel is made from metal so they can actually dig with these. My kids love using these with the bucket.

Giant Saucer Swing

If you want to get a kids swing that they can play on all by themselves without you constantly having to push them, this is the one. We installed this under our treehouse this year and absolutely love how versatile it is. It’s be enough that you can fit 2-3 preschoolers on it at a time (which they’ll love), and kids can easily sit or lay down on it. We also love that with the big size, it’s the perfect place for kids to just hang out and relax. Our kids regularly can be found on our giant saucer swing curled up with a book, or with a pile of toys playing on the swing. I should also note that while we’ve only had it about 8 months, it’s held up incredibly well to daily use, and even lots of older kids and teens playing on it!

Black Diamond Wiz Headlamp

Whenever we go camping my kids used to always steal my headlamp. We finally got them each their own headlamp and I should have done it years ago. We love these ones. They have a lot of different color lights that you can pick from. It is bright enough to get around camp at night but not so bright that they are blinding everyone they look at.

Sandbox Digger and Excavator

Have a sandbox, or maybe just a great pile of dirt? This is the perfect outdoor toy for your preschooler. They’ll happily spend hours outside digging in the dirt and building towns, roadways, and all sorts of imaginative lands. We especially love that this digger can be easily moved to different locations so kids can always play with something new outside.

Iksplor Base Layer Set

boy in the mountains in winter iksplor

Iksplor makes the softest 100% merino wool. This base layer set is the best for preschoolers and toddlers to help get them outside and to help them stay warm. Layering these with outerwear is how my kids stay outside for hours in the winter.

Plasma Wiggle Car

If you don’t have one of these in your home, get one NOW! Far superior to any other ride on toy we’ve tried (other than a great bike), these PlasmaCars are the perfect outdoor toy for preschoolers. We love that they’re easy to drive (most of our kids could figure them out at about a year old), and the tight turning radius is fantastic for maneuverability. When the weather’s bad, we often bring ours into the garage or an unfinished basement and make obstacle courses for the kids. While this isn’t a budget outdoor toy, it’s one that’s really well built!

Scavenger Hunt Game

This is a great outdoor toy for preschoolers or toddlers who are really detail oriented, or for families to use together. These fun scavenger hunt cards are great for the backyard, a hike trip, or even just a walk around the neighborhood. This is the perfect calming outdoor toy for kids and a great way to help little kids be more observant in nature!

Three Wheel Scooter

This is a great beginner scooter. It doesn’t require as much balance as the two-wheeled scooters. My two-year-old can use this scooter pretty easily and my preschooler loves using this scooter to keep up with her older brother.

Foam Pogo Jumper for Preschoolers

First off, my apologies to mom and dad – this toy squeaks. BUT, your kid is going to love it and it’s a great toy to let them play outside with while you’re inside cooking dinner (and don’t have to hear the noise). Preschoolers will feel so accomplished as they head the squeak of this pogo jumper and it’s the perfect way to let loose TONS of energy.

Rope Swing

We put one of these in our front tree just after we moved into the house, and I didn’t think much of it. Well, I was completely wrong for underestimating it, since it’s become one of our kids favorite outdoor toys in the tree. We love this one with the little saucer swing because it lets kids use the rope as a traditional swing, or to climb the rope with the hand holds.

Butterfly Kit

While this isn’t exactly an outdoor toy, it’s one of the most amazing outdoor products for preschoolers. You’ll get a container, some catipillars, and food and you get to watch the process of metamorphasis happen with your kids over a period of a couple weeks. We give these to each of our kids for their 4th birthday and it’s the best outdoor themed gift for preschoolers.

Metal Dump Truck

We’ve had a few of these through the years and they’re always such a hit with the toddlers and preschoolers. They love to cart all their toys around in them, and I love that they’re super durable and can just be left outside all the time. This is one of the best classic toys for toddlers and preschoolers.

sandbox full of toys

Springfree Trampoline

Want to get your toddler or preschooler an outdoor toy that they won’t outgrow EVER?? Invest in a Springfree Trampoline. We’ve had ours for nearly 3 years and it’s in constant use from the youngest up to the oldest (and basically every kid in the neighborhood in between). Springfree Trampolines are extra bouncy, much safer than traditional trampolines, and are ridiculously durable (my teenage son and his friends regularly put it to the test). They’re not cheap, but they’re the perfect place to spend your money if you want your kids to love playing outside for LIFE. Read our full review of Springfree Trampolines HERE.

Don’t forget to check out our other gift guides.

About Jessica Averett

Hi, I’m Jessica, a mom of 5 kids and married to my favorite adventure partner. I love to bike, ski, camp and hike. We've visited over 40 countries with our kids, but are equally happy on the road as we are exploring our home state of Utah.

70 thoughts on “17 Amazingly Fun Outdoor Toys for Preschoolers and Toddlers”

  1. We love where the weather is beautiful this time of year. We try our best to wear our kids out on Christmas Eve with bike riding!

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  2. We also love heading out to the tree farm and cutting our own tree. Our kids pride themselves on being the perfect tree pickers and that invariably leads to long walks on the farm.

    Reply
  3. We love going out to cut our own Christmas tree! It’s been a favorite tradition of mine since I was a kid and I love sharing it with my son now!

    Reply
  4. We live in a ski town where the road that goes up and over the notch is closed every winter. It is too narrow with large boulders on either side for the plow trucks to make it throug. So every Christmas we walk to the top of the notch. It is a magical place filled with snow & ice.

    Reply
  5. My parents used to recreate the scene at Bethlehem in our barn. We started with a house full of people and when Mary and Joseph would come to the door, we would send them to the barn. The guests would follow them down there and we would have a Catholic Mass surrounded by farm animals. It was awesome..

    Reply
  6. I remember it taking forever to be ready to get my training wheels off. With my daughter I definitely want to try the balance bike method.

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  7. As a pediatric physical therapist – I can’t say enough good things about balance bikes! Can’t wait to try one with my little munchkin next spring. She will be 17 months old by the time the snow has melted in our neck of the woods – so it is good to know that the Strider would fit her! Thanks for the post

    Reply
  8. My husband is a city firefighter and is always scheduled to work on Christmas. Last year, I took my kids (2.5yr and 3 months) nordic skiing with our chariot trailer. We had a picnic of hot cocoa and fresh oatmeal cookies and talked about everything we saw along the way. We brought nutbutter pinecones to hang on trees as Christmas presents for the birds. This year, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to pull them alone!!!! I’m hoping my 3.5yr old will be able to ski on her own for a bit because my 15 month old son is now 30lbs!!!!! That adds up to 90lbs of kids and gear.

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  9. Our local zoo would open on Christmas Day. Because most people at are home it was like a ghost town, but we looked forward to it every year.

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  10. Anything outdoors… Esp skating at our lake, zoo lights, walking around the neighborhood to look at lights, and trying out whatever fun outdoor equipment we got for Christmas (this yr the kids get snowshoes)

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  11. My family planted a Christmas tree outside. We never have to by a tree that’s been cut down. We keep the presents inside though.

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  12. We always like to go for a walk at some point during Christmas Day. It feels good to get out in the fresh air and walk off some of the food we’ve indulged in…

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  13. The only outdoor Christmas tradition I can think of is that we go over to a house and sit and watch their lights for 20-30 mins! They have one of those awesome ones where you can tune into a station and watch all the lights go along with it!

    Reply
  14. We live in SoCal so I love going to a walk or run on Christmas. Last year we had a beach bonfire on Thanksgiving. I’d love to make that a Christmas tradition too.

    Reply
  15. Well…growing up my parents always had us put carrots out in the yard for Rudolph each year. When my little brother was about 5…decided he wanted to put them on the roof so Rudolph didnt have to come down to get them! My dad said no…but when he wasnt looking….my brother threw them up on the roof! In the morning….the carrots where gone…and dad was not at the hospital…so guess it went okay during the night and Rudolph ate his carrots! 🙂 LOL

    Reply
  16. When I was a kid we did all of the S’s for Christmas vacation: skiing, sledding, snowmobiling, ice skating, snowball fights and shopping. 🙂

    Reply
  17. As a kid it was tradition that Mom and I set up the very large ceramic nativity set out in the yard. It is such a great memory of mine!

    Reply
  18. I like making luminaries and putting them out. If the whole street did this on a certain night, it would be so pretty to take a walk and see them.

    Reply
  19. On the topic oof gift giving, steer clear of just presenting them money.
    Offering cash definitely gives out the view, “I couldn’t be irritated to think much about you, there you go, that’s in reality what you are worth to me.”

    Reply
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