Best Outdoor Toys for Kids 2024

The warmer months are filled with outdoor activities, from trips to the pool and park to camping trips in large tents with your family. It's time to open your garages, basements and outdoor storage tubs and dust off those outdoor toys. Grab a new activity or an upgrade for your family with our best picks for outdoor toys for kids.

What to look for in the best outdoor toys for kids

Run an outdoor toy audit—assess what you already have, what you need to upgrade and what your kids have aged out of. When looking for new outdoor toys, ensure they're weather-resistant–even if you don't store toys outside, you might find them out there in the middle of a quick-passing thunderstorm.

Look for items that encourage gross motor skills like jumping, running and kicking — toys that promote hand-eye coordination. Keeping your kids safe is always at the top of your list, so you'll want to make sure that any new outdoor toys are durable and safe for play under parental supervision.

Best outdoor toys for kids 2024

• Best overall: Motorworx Toy Launch Rocket
• Best budget: Flybar My First Foam Pogo Jumper for Kids 
• Best water table: Step2 Rain Showers Splash Pond Toddler Water Table
• Best for toddlers: Hedstrom Blue's Clue and You Hopper Ball
• Best for older kids: Jenga Giant
• Best swing set: Backyard Discovery Beachfront Cedar Swing Set
• Best for travel: Refresh Sports Easy Throwing Air Planes
• Best sports: Let Loose Moose Hover Soccer Ball
• Best rated: Little Tykes Easy Score Basketball Set 

Best overall

Motorworx Toy Launch Rocket

Kids of all ages will love stomping on these foam rockets and seeing how high they can glide. Made for children three and up, they're made of a safe foam that can't hurt kids as it returns to earth from up to 100 feet high.

The set includes six full foam rockets in three colors and a folding yellow stand that packs away compactly. Kids love active toys, and these affordable takes on Stomp Rockets are sure to bring plenty of backyard fun.

Pros

• Compact design
• Made from safe foam
• Rockets can blast up to 100 feet high
• Easy to assemble
• Packable
• Highly-rated

Cons

• Not for windy weather

Best budget

Flybar My First Foam Pogo Jumper

Get your little ones moving with this beginner pogo stick. It'll help them work on jumping, hand-eye coordination, balance and other gross motor skills.

Made from a durable and safe foam that expands to 48 inches, it squeaks to let kids know when they've jumped correctly. It comes in over a dozen colors and is suitable for children ages three and up and can hold up to 250 pounds.

Pros

• Promotes gross motor skills like jumping
• Squeaks so kids know they're using it correctly
• Expands to up to 48 inches tall
• Compact design
• Can hold up to 250 pounds
• Over 31,000 five-star ratings

Cons

• Some parents don't love the squeaking sound

Best water table

Step2 Rain Showers Splash Pond Toddler Water Table

Durable, sturdy and suitable for multiple children, this water play table from Step 2 will have kids outdoors for hours. It features over a dozen accessories and a two-tier model with a rainfall and waterfall feature. It holds five gallons of water and drains easily via a plug. It's an outdoor playtime hit with over 17,000 5-star ratings on Amazon.

Check out our list of the best water play tables for kids while you're at it.

Pros

• Over 17,000 five-star reviews
• Made of sturdy and durable plastic
• Includes water features (rainfall, waterfall)
• Includes 13 toys to keep kids busy
• Holds five gallons of water and drains easily

Cons

• Time-consuming assembly

Best for toddlers

Hedstrom Blue's Clue and You Hopper Ball

Hedstrom's Hopper Ball will have toddlers bouncing for joy outside. The brand is over 100 years old, and its current Hopper Ball lineup includes characters your child will love like Blue from Blue's Clues, Minnie Mouse and Spiderman.

Ideal for inside and outside, the 15-inch diameter bouncy ball is good for children four and up. It's made from durable, virtually indestructible vinyl with a textured handle to give kids a secure grip.

Pros

• 15-inch diameter bouncy hopper ball
• Available in various characters and colors
• Made from durable vinyl with a textured grip

Cons

• Does not include a pump

Best for older kids

Jenga Giant

Play an enlarged, outdoor version of your family's favorite tabletop Jenga with this Giant Jenga set. It has 54 premium hardwood blocks which can stack to over five feet tall during play. Older children will have a chance to try their hands at playing with strategy and concentration and put fine motor skills to use.

The set comes with a zippered back to transport it easily — making it perfect for indoor use, too!

Pros

• Giant outdoor version of the popular Jenga tabletop game
• Includes 54 oversized hardwood blocks
• Includes a zippered pouch with handles for transporting the game
• Useable indoors as well any time of year

Cons

• Some shoppers say the wood can easily dent

Best swing set

Backyard Discovery Beachfront Cedar Swing Set

This swing set is the ultimate backyard fun, keeping multiple children up to age 10 happy and active for hours. It has a covered deck in a treehouse-style, a pretend telescope, a steering wheel, a five-foot-tall climbing wall and ladder, two swings and a hanging bar.

What's more, it features a mini bench and an adorable awning for sun protection, as well as a set of monkey bars, a sandbox and an eight-foot-long wavy slide.

Pros

• Made from solid cedar wood that's rot-resistant
• Includes ton of features (eight-foot long wavy slide, covered deck)
• Multiple children can use it
• Suitable for children up to age 10

Cons

• Several hours to assemble

Best for travel

Refresh Sports Easy Throwing Air Planes

These compact foam airplanes will have your children chasing after them whether you're in the mountains, on the beach or in your backyard. Made from a unique type of foam that's formulated to prevent wear and tear, these airplanes can glide up to 100 feet.

Lightweight and small, they're packable in travel bags. As a bonus, they promote imaginative play in cars, on planes, while waiting in line, or any other situation where your child might need a distraction.

Pros

• Available in 10 colors
• Small, compact and packable
• Made from high-quality foam
• For children four and older

Cons

• Some might be disappointed in the plane's small size

Best for sports

Let Loose Moose Hover Soccer Ball

These smart soccer balls are made for sports lovers. Crafted with foam, they glide across asphalt, grass and outdoor sports courts for a fun interpretation of soccer.  The set of two balls includes flashing LED lights to keep the fun going even as the sun sets!

Best of all, you can take the game indoors and play "soccer" on hardwood, tile and short-pile carpet — making this a year-round active game.

Pros

• Good for getting energy out of kids of all ages
• Glides over asphalt, grass and sports courts
• Usable indoors
• Includes LED lights to play at night

Cons

• Batteries not included

Best rated

Little Tykes Easy Score Basketball Set

A classic for many years, this preschool-sized basketball net keeps getting progressively harder as kids age. Six adjustable heights make it suitable for children 18 months to five years old and can be adjusted from two-and-a-half feet to four feet tall.

It can be used indoors or outside and will help with hand-eye coordination, teamwork and concentration. The set includes three junior-sized, soft basketballs for mega fun!

Pros

• Can be moved to six adjustable heights to increase difficulty
• Good for children ages 18 months to five years old
• Made from durable plastic and better than cheap suction cup door models
• Encourages hand-eye coordination
• A weighted base prevents it from tipping over
• Makes playing outdoors or indoors super fun

Cons

• The base needs 40 pounds of sand, which isn't included