Outdoor Toys

What sets garden toys apart from indoor ones

An outdoor toy is made for open ground and room to move. Where an indoor toy keeps a child busy at a table, a garden toy asks them to run, aim, chase and take turns, often with a friend joining in. That is why outdoor games are so good at using up energy, and why the best have rules simple enough to explain in a minute. A child who drifts away from a board game will often play for an hour once there is grass underfoot.

Choosing outdoor toys to suit your garden

Start with the ground you have. A long lawn leaves room for games that need a run-up, while a patio or a paved courtyard suits toys that stay in one spot. If play often moves to the park, look for something easy to carry there and back. A toy that stands out against the grass is quicker to find at bedtime. Last, think about the day it is for: a Christmas present can be the main event, while a party game has to keep a group of children busy.

Matching the gift to the player

Whether the gift is for your own children or someone else's, think first about how they like to play. A child who is always on the go will want something to take straight outside, while a quieter one may be happier with a game on the patio. If you are buying for a teen, a few of ours will suit, and a game to play with friends tends to go down best. To make up a gift, pair one main toy with a second, simpler one and wrap them together, so there is more than one thing to open.

Giving a garden game at Christmas

Many of our outdoor toys make a good Christmas present, and a game in the garden is a fine excuse to pull on coats and get some air after lunch. If you are buying for brothers and sisters, one game they can play together saves a squabble over whose present is whose. For a stocking, look for a toy that fits in the toe, needs no setting up and can be tried out before breakfast, even on a cold morning.

Planning outdoor games for a party

Some of our outdoor toys are a good fit for a party. The games that work best with a crowd are the ones a whole group can join at once, with quick rounds so nobody waits long for a turn. Set up two or three around the lawn and let the children move between them. For a party bag, choose something easy to tuck in and the same from one bag to the next, so the talk on the way home is about the party, not who got what.

How different materials cope outside

You will find some of ours in plastic, which wipes down easily after a muddy afternoon. A few are rubber, which has a bit of give and copes with being dropped. Among them are a few in wood, which feels good in the hand and mellows over time, and a few that use metal, which is strong but wants drying before it is put away. A few use paper, and those are best kept for dry days.

Bringing toys in after play

Even toys made for the garden last longer when they come indoors at the end of the day. Brush off grass and soil, wipe anything plastic or rubber with warm soapy water, and let it dry before it is stored. Leave anything wooden to dry slowly, away from a radiator, and give anything metal a rub with a dry cloth so it does not rust. Strong sun can fade plastic and harden rubber, so between games a shady corner beats a sunny step. Over winter, a dry shed or garage keeps the lot together until the lawn is ready again.