Outdoor Play

Three children shown outside filling up a bucket of water balloons.

Major summer fun

Keep it cool with water balloons

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Different color beach toys including sand molds, bucket, shovel and bag.

Yay for beach days!

Your go-to toys for sand, sea & sun

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Pool with in-built seats shown.

Pool season, incoming!

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Toddlers shown playing with a water table.

Water tables kids love

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Orange and blue water blaster shown spraying jet of water.

Play out back

Water blasters for warm weather

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Playtime bliss

The latest outdoor toys

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Stitch bubble machine.

Shop ’til you pop

These new bubbles are blowing up

Let’s go
Square bounce house.

Hop into spring

Bounce houses are big fun.

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Trampoline with net.

Jump for joy

Trampolines for every yard.

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Little Tikes playhouse.

Good times live here

Inspire imagination with playhouses

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Shop new arrivals

Outdoor Toy Fun Savings

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FAQ

What are the elements of outdoor play?

The elements of outdoor play include:

  • Space: Outdoor play requires enough space for children to run, jump, climb, and explore. A safe and open space is important for children to engage in outdoor play.
  • Nature: Outdoor play often involves interacting with nature. Exposure to natural environments, such as trees, plants, and animals, can stimulate children's senses and encourage curiosity and exploration.
  • Physical activity: Outdoor play provides opportunities for physical activity, such as running, jumping, climbing, and swinging. Physical activity is important for children's overall health and development.
  • Social interaction: Outdoor play can involve social interaction with other children. Playing with others can help children develop social skills, such as sharing, cooperation, and communication.
  • Imagination and creativity: Outdoor play encourages imagination and creativity. Children can use their surroundings to create their own games and activities, which can help develop their problem-solving and decision-making skills.
  • Risk-taking: Outdoor play involves some degree of risk-taking, which can help children develop resilience and confidence. Encouraging children to take appropriate risks can help them learn to assess and manage risk in a safe and controlled environment. Overall, outdoor play provides a wide range of benefits for children's physical, social, and emotional development.

What are the different types of outdoor play?

There are many different types of outdoor play. Some of the most common types include:

  • Active play: This type of play involves physical activity, such as running, jumping, climbing, and swinging. Active play helps children develop gross motor skills, coordination, and endurance.
  • Creative play: Creative play involves using imagination and creativity to create games, scenarios, and structures. This type of play can help children develop problem-solving skills, as well as language and communication skills.
  • Social play: Social play involves interacting with other children, whether through cooperative games, role-playing, or other activities. Social play helps children develop social skills, such as sharing, taking turns, and communicating.
  • Exploratory play: Exploratory play involves exploring and investigating the natural world, such as through nature walks or scavenger hunts. This type of play helps children develop curiosity and a love of learning.
  • Constructive play: Constructive play involves building and creating, whether through sand play, building with blocks, or other activities. This type of play helps children develop fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and problem-solving skills. 6. Imaginative play: Imaginative play involves using imagination to create scenarios and characters. This type of play helps children develop creativity, empathy, and communication skills. Overall, outdoor play provides a wide range of benefits for children's physical, social, and emotional development, and there are many different types of outdoor play that can help children learn and grow.

What are some differences between indoor and outdoor play?

Indoor play and outdoor play have several differences, including:

  • Space: Outdoor play provides more space for children to run, jump, climb, and explore, while indoor play has limited space and restrictions on movement.
  • Weather: Outdoor play is dependent on weather conditions, while indoor play is not affected by weather conditions.
  • Equipment: Outdoor play equipment is usually larger and more robust, while indoor play equipment is designed for smaller spaces and is often less durable.
  • Safety: Outdoor play has more safety concerns than indoor play, such as exposure to sun, insects, and uneven terrain, while indoor play has fewer safety concerns.
  • Social Interaction: Outdoor play provides more opportunities for children to interact with peers and nature, while indoor play may be more solitary or structured.
  • Creativity: Outdoor play encourages children to use their imagination and creativity, while indoor play may have more predetermined rules and expectations.

    About Outdoor Play - Walmart.com

    Shopping for outdoor play toys

    Any season can be the best for outdoor play activities, especially with a toy from one of our popular outdoor collections. Whether you're building the neighborhood's largest playhouse or just shopping for activities for a weekend barbecue, we've got the waterslides, inflatable bounce houses and outdoor sports activities you'll need to keep the kids entertained all year.

    Get started shopping

    Browse our outdoor play toy products easily by their suggested age range when you choose one of the age categories in the center of the page. If you're shopping for outdoor toys for babies and toddlers, you'll be able to choose from items like sandboxes, infant swings, water tables and height-adjustable basketball nets. Many toys in this category are built to grow with your child and are also useful to have on hand for multiple children of different ages. If you're browsing for a preschool-aged child, our large selection includes outdoor playhouses, small-scale swing sets and kid-sized sports gear. These toys often offer more permanent outdoor installations and can often remain useful for years to come. Toys recommended for ages 5 to 7 include foam rocket launchers, foam dart guns and large outdoor climbing playsets. Outdoor toys in this age range offer a wide variety of activities for adventurous children. Older children in the 8 to 11 year old or 12 and over age categories might enjoy outdoor trampolines, advanced water guns or weather-resistant tetherball sets.

    Outdoor playtime variety

    If you're shopping for outdoor toys for children of varying ages, browse for favorites by selecting one of the most popular toy categories listed on the left side of the webpage. Once you've selected one of these or other groupings, you'll be able to sort your search results by store pickup availability, price or available shipping discounts.

    • Outdoor games: The outdoor games department is the perfect place to browse when you're shopping for activities for a larger group of children who want to play together. Adventurous kids will delight in the variety of large inflatable toys, including soccer nets, basketball hoops and bounce houses. Some of these inflatable summer seasonal toys may also be useful in winter conditions. Look for clever outdoor reconstructions of typically indoor board games, such as tic tac toe or checkers, for large group gatherings and casual get-togethers with the neighbors.
    • Blaster toys: A favorite outdoor toy for many age ranges, our large collection of blaster toys includes foam dart guns, foam ball blasters and even archery-inspired foam shooting designs. Whether you choose a single blaster toy for playful target practice or collect an arsenal for an all-out foam dart war, these favorites are durable enough to play with both indoors and out. Check out our selection of coordinating safety goggles, masks and vests for an extra level of protection while playing, and be sure to order an extra set of foam darts or balls if your child will be playing with a group.
    • Swimming pools and waterslides: Above-ground swimming pools range in size from small inflatable baby pools to large, family-size permanent installations. But if you don't have the extra space for a full-size pool, our huge waterslide collection offers even more levels of fun. More than just a simple slide, many of the innovative water slide designs available combine water, climbing and bouncing for full-time inflatable fun. Look for features like integrated air pumps, slip-and-slide runways, and inflatable basketball nets to round out your outdoor summer water fun. Some specially designed water slides are even suitable for use in conjunction with above ground or in-ground pools for a double dose of outdoor water fun.
    • Swing sets: If you're shopping for a backyard swing set, first think about the features that will appeal most to your children. Outdoor swing sets can range from simple swings to elaborate climbing and play structures that require a significant amount of space for installation. Once you've made a wish list for your outdoor space, browse for a set within your budget by using the refining controls at the top of the webpage. Our product descriptions list the dimensions of each swing set and each item that's included with the package. Look for swing sets that can grow with your child if you'll be installing them in a permanent location, with interchangeable infant swings, gliders or trapeze bars for extra versatility.