The sun’s streaking across the pavement, your thermostat has melted and your living room is like a hotbox. And yet you still can’t persuade your kids to put down their Nintendo Switch, head outdoors and enjoy the scant amount of sunshine our rain-soaked country enjoys.
It’s a problem faced by most parents. In the battle between the great outdoors and technology, the easy enjoyment of the black mirror wins out every time.
While parents are told to be mindful of their child’s screen time, the reality of parenting makes that a near impossibility. Games and phone apps are simply too well designed to be anything other than the ideal time killers.
There are, however, an array of toys to use that could coax your child outside (at least for a little while).
To help your kids enjoy the sunshine, we’ve put together a few examples of great outdoors toys that’ll get your kid out of the house to enjoy some vitamin D. Take a look and get inspired.
1. Y Fliker Scooters
Riding a scooter is one of the more satisfying ways of travelling from A to B, and kids love it. The Y Fliker Scooter from Yvolution is the perfect entry point into scooter riding.
These three-wheeled scooters make it easy for first timers to find their balance, and its fully foldable design makes it compact and simple to transport to a good riding location. Its additional footplate also makes it easy to pull off impressive tricks, even for young children.
There are other great scooters on the market, but this is the one we’d choose. Easy to ride but difficult to master, it’s the kind of toy that your kid will become completely absorbed in.
2. Soft archery set
Focus, precision and strength are the key skills needed if you want to be a good archer. It makes it the perfect pastime to introduce your child to. With bow in hand, they can pretend to be their favourite characters from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Assassin’s Creed as they earn their first bull’s eye.
A soft archery set is, moreover, totally safe and a great skill to learn alongside your child.
3. Fort building kit
If you want to watch your kid translate the skills they’ve learned in Minecraft into the real world, then a fort building kit is a savvy investment.
Complete with poles and building blocks, a fort building kit gives your child the opportunity to build their own mini castle in the space of an afternoon. We can’t think of a better way to wile away a sunny day outdoors in the garden.
4. Family pool
A dip in the pool is a satisfying way to cool down when the sun gets too intense. And inflatable pools are a cheap investment to replicate the beach experience from the comfort of your back garden. Who knows, that simple purchase might turn your little one into a champion swimmer one day.
That’s our list! What toys do you buy to help your children savour the outside world? Let us know in the comments below.
