My boy/girl twins are going to be 4 in November and have many 4-5 year old friends in the neighborhood. The kids play at our house and others frequently, so I'd like to have fun, age appropriate toys. We need to upgrade for the proper age, so I am making a Wishlist on Amazon from which we will Christmas shop. What would you suggest we buy, so they have plenty to play with outside next spring and summer?
Thank you!
We just got something called stomp rocket and my 2 boys (3 and 5) love it! I also heard good things about a toy called Hyperdash. I bought it at the Target July toy sale but saving for a birthday!
my daughter loves her wagon, tricycle, balls, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, we even have a small bounce house type thing called a jump-o-lene (which we blow up & let her jump in & then it gets puts away), jump ropes (she cant jump with them yet but she likes playing with them), hool-a-hoop (she also cant work this right yet but loves trying), water table (you hook a hose up to it on low & it flows water through it for the toys, there are some with sand & some with just water which is what we prefer lol, though if you wanted a sand box i'm sure they would love that i just dont like having to clean it up
1. bikes. Make sure they're the right size. I would imagine they'd need either 16 or 18 inch - if you don't already have those.
2. My 5 yo got a fisher price grow to pro pogo stick. It's really cool.
3. scooters
4. children's tennis rackets
5. volleyball net and ball if you have space for it
6. soccer ball and goal also if you have space
7. Sand/water table but can be messy...
8. I assume you have a swingset. Maybe some kind of cool accessory for it or a neat new slide?
We have a bouncehouse which is alot of fun but they may be on the older rung for it. We got it as a joint bday present when my girls turned 2 and 3 and they still use it at age 4 and 5 but I don't know for how much longer?
Stomp rockets! Also our water/sand table is a huge hit with the preschool and kindergarten crowd.
http://www.target.com/p/Sportcraft-Aqua-Wave-II-Waterslid...
My friends have an inflatable water slide a lot like this and the kids loove it. It usually comes back in stock again in the summer
The Twizzler. Our daughter said it was her all time favorite toy.
http://www.amazon.com/Spring-Swings-Twizzler-Fun-Ride/dp/...
The Air Pogo So much fun.. they can sit on it or stand on it.
www.airpogo.com/?gclid=CMmb3JjE36sCFYdrKgodXC7jPw
Trikes, with orange cones, Gas pump, peddle cars, Our daughter had a Tiny Tikes Castle. It was a gift.. The kids in the hood played on that thing for years.
With 2 children any type of play scape with swings and slide are going to get a lot of use.. Maybe even a playhouse/fort .. Make the door wide enough so their outdoor toys can be stored in there.
My son much preferred a water table and lots of fun toys a sieve, funnels, plastic animals. Of course bubbles never get old around my house, we always love bubbles. We have an inexpensive catch game with mitts that have velcro and the ball sticks which is fun and easy for younger kids. We have a croquet set that is geared towards little ones as well. We had the most fun with this huge over sized ball that we had to inflate, it was a blast. We played soccer a lot. We are anti trampoline and although I know kids love sand boxes I have always detested the mess.
Well if you don't have one yet, definitely a sandbox with a cover. My daughter is turning 4 next week and it's one of her backyard faves.
For us the little plastic slides and climbers don't do it any more, she is getting way too big for them. If you have a nice and sturdy tree consider getting a swing and/or rope swing - or if you have the $$$ and own your home get a swingset/slide combo. I have also seen slides attached to decks and think that that is very cool. This is the one thing my daughter often complains she wishes she had (esp. the swings).
I will never get a trampoline. I see them in people backyards and 95% of them look ratty (the other 5% are brand new) and the liability is just too high for my liking. But I would consider a bouncy castle that you can deflate and store in your garage...but it does require close supervision at that age.
My daughter also loves playing with balls, so we have a number of different sized ones, from whiffle balls to big bouncy ones. For next summer I will invest in a little T-ball set and some pop-up soccer goals.
We also have a tent that we set up when it's nice out and it serves as a fort/shady place/cave to explore... you can get a play tent that would work or a cheap camping tent (which will be big enough for you to get in there too).
A blow up pool is nice when it gets hot, but must be supervised. What I have found is that my daughter has the same or more fun in a smaller pool - our large pool with blow up slide was a complete waste of money, so this summer I actually went out and bought a smaller one.
The last thing I would suggest is to make them a little garden bed or planter and let them plant some veggies or herbs. It's a great way to teach them and they have so much fun sowing/planting starts, taking care of their plants and finally harvesting.
Good luck.
razor scooters, a trampoline, bikes, pogo sticks (for the lighter weight child), a zip line, a tree house/fort!
