Inside: Need creative holiday gift ideas for kids that will encourage them to be more active outside? You need this list of over 50 holiday gift ideas to get kids to want to go outside to play and burn off their energy.
“But Mom, I’m bored,” my son whined.
As soon as screen time is done, my kids all of a sudden have no idea how to entertain themselves.
“Go play outside,” is almost always my solution to their boredom problem.
Even in the winter. Even in the rain.
Getting fresh air tends to shake off their crabby moods.
Jumping and running and climbing makes them happier and healthier. And as an added bonus, it exhausts them for bedtime.
Heading outside, playing outside, just simply being outside has a laundry list of positive benefits that are backed by science.
But how do you encourage kids to go outside and play?You encourage kids to get more active by giving them gifts that encourage them to go outside and stay there happily.
Gifts that get them excited to be outside.
Here are over 50 holiday gift ideas for kids to encourage them to get active, play outside, and burn off energy.
Holiday Gifts for Kids that Encourage Balance and Jumping:
Monster Feet-My kids love to walk around the backyard on these monster feet finding their balance. And when the weather is too rough, these are fun inside too.
Trampoline– My son absolutely LOVES to jump. He loves to jump so much we actually have two of these mini trampolines…one inside and one outside. Whenever he’s getting crazy or has too much pent up energy, we send him to jump. (And this one is 6 inches off the ground, so no need for safety nets!)
Bosu Ball- This is really adult exercise equipment you’d find in a gym, but we use ours a little differently. My kids jump on it, bounce on it, balance on it, and sit on it. If they’re feeling super balanced and ready for a challenge, they flip the bosu upside down and balance on the ball part of it. As an added bonus, I can workout on it when my kids let me have a turn.
Balance Board– My kids love to balance on boards like these.
Slack Line– My neighbor had one of these in their backyard and my son was obsessed. Tight rope walkers can practice just a foot off the ground to find their inner circus performer.
Beginner Pogo Stick– A perfect start for your youngest jumpers to find their balance before they progress to a real pogo stick
Pogo Stick– An old school toy that my son became obsessed with. Again, he loves to jump and bounce, so this was a fun challenge for him. With the right helmet and practicing on grass, he got quite good. He now sets up obstacle courses for himself that he does while he’s on his pogo stick.
SeeSaw– Your kids will love working together to make this classic outside toy.
Slack Line– my kids love balancing across the slackline1 foot off the ground in our backyard. They’re now trying to cross it without hands.
Holiday Gifts for Kids that Encourage Movement:
Scoot a Longs – These are great for early walkers and beginning walkers who are excited to be on the move! My youngest loved scooting around trying to keep up with her older siblings.
WheelyBug– My eldest had one of these sweet things and loved scooting around on it.
Little Tikes Coupe– These are perfect for one year old birthdays…my kids squeezed in their coupes until their knees hit the steering wheel.
Radio Flyer Ziggle– Kids can’t peddle yet? This is a perfect way to get them moving.
Radio Flyer Tricycle– The quintessential tricycle that seems to survive generations and generations of kids has survived because it is pretty darn perfect. My youngest had a purple one she loved.
Big Wheel– my youngest is absolutely obsessed with her big wheel and is a little speed demon on it. It taught her how to pedal before she started riding her big girl bike. And now that she can ride her bike, she still prefers her big wheel most days. (The seat is adjustable so it grows with your kiddo!)
Beginner Scooter– All of my kids had a character scooter that they learned to balance on and ride. Perfect for neighborhood walks to give them the practice they need.
Razor Hovertrak Balancing Scooter
Skateboard– Another great way to practice balance and get moving.
Ripstick– These are hard to use (and the hardest part is getting on it), but once my son watched a few videos he figured it out, and he loved it!
Balance Bike– Want to get your kids ready for bike riding? This is the best way to do it!
Bicycles– We started off small and moved our way up as they grew and got more confident on their bikes. My only suggestion would be to let them pick the color out. My son’s black bike grew cobwebs until he picked out a bike in his favorite color.
Kids Bike– get out and get moving with this “big kid bike.”
Rollerblades and pads My son was obsessed with these rollerblades and taught himself how to skate one summer because he was so desperate to keep up with the older boys. And these particular rollerblades are genius. They grow with your child! Purchasing one pair will last your child 4 shoe sizes! That’s four rollerblades for the price of one.
Really Cool Bike Helmets– Kids must have cool helmets if you want your kids to get on their wheels, rollerblades, pogo sticks and skateboards. These are as cool as they come.
Climbing Dome– My kids got this dome as a group gift from their grandparents and it was a hit. Every kid who comes to my house begs to climb on it. We’ve had 8 kids on it at once, hanging upside down like little bats. As a plus, if you cover it with a gigantic sheet, it becomes a really cool fort. (My 5 foot 10 year old still plays on it!)Gifts that Encourage Climbing, Crawling, Swinging, and Sliding:
Tunnel– Climbing through tunnels is always a favorite. Now that my kids are older, they use it for obstacle courses and hide and seek. It’s also a great thing to pull inside to play with during bad weather.
Ninja Warrior Course– My kids would love this if only we had a place to put it!
Obstacle Course Kit– Get your kids moving with this fun obstacle course.
Bucket Swing– This is perfect for our youngest swingers…and a great way to keep little ones happy outside.
Circle Swing– My kids LOVE to swing on tire swings and get dizzy. But there’s only one park in our town that has one. This is a great alternative to a tire!
Little Tikes Slide– We got this slide as a hand me down when my eldest was one and we still have it in our backyard. All three of my kids love sliding down this thing and rolling balls and cars down it. Now that they’re older, we use it for them to slide into their kiddie pools in the summer.
Holiday Gifts for Kids that Encourage Kids to Play Sports and Games:
Have a kiddo who loves sports or needs some help with their hand-eye coordination? These sports gifts are perfect!
Outside Sports Pro-Ball Set– Need some fun balls to throw, kick, and shoot? These are perfect for the youngest of athletes.
Baseball Tee– Perfect for your youngest baseball players. Give them a whiffle ball, a tennis ball and a bat and let them practice their major league swing.
Soccer Net– My kids used this soccer net for kicking balls in the backyard and scoring goals playing street hockey with their friends in the front yard.
Return Soccer Ball– This is perfect for kids who don’t have a sibling or friend they can play with…they can play by themselves while still getting in some soccer time.
Soccer Hoverball- Bring the soccer inside when the weather is crummy so you can keep kids moving their bodies and playing together.
Pitchback- This is absolutely perfect for baseball, lacrosse, and soccer when kids don’t have someone to play with.
Nerf Vortex Aero Howler Football My son was desperate to learn how to throw a football properly. This is a great starter football…plus it makes sounds as it sails through the air.
Little Tikes Basketball Hoop I am absolutely obsessed with any toy that grows with my kids. This hoop is adjustable for your shortest basketball players and then adjusts as they grow.
Tetherball Set– My kids absolutely love playing this game at school during recess so they got it one year as a group gift from their grandparents. All the neighborhood kids love coming over to challenge them.
Spike Ball– this is the hot new game that’s sweeping the nation and is perfect for older kids.
Holiday Gift Ideas for Kids that Encourage Outside Fun:
Sand Box and Toys– I have to be honest. I was not excited when my kids got a sandbox as a gift. I pictured sand getting everywhere. And I can’t lie, sand did get everywhere. But it was worth it. The pouring and digging and building was all worth it. My kids ran out to that sandbox daily.
Water table and toys – This toy I was overjoyed to own. We played with our water table almost daily because we lived in Southern California when my kids were toddlers. In the winter months, we bought sacks of pinto beans from Costco and turned our water table into a sensory table.
Sidewalk Chalk-Even on their crummy days, my girls will giggle drawing all over our driveway. They create pictures, write their names and just draw lines.
Glitter Chalk– spread some glitter as you chalk about the driveway and sidewalk with this glitter chalk.
Chalk Rake– Your kids can draw to their hearts’ content with this fun rake that helps them draw big drawings.
Bubble Machine– Seriously, my daughter was in LOVE with bubbles. We could always entice her to go be outside if we turned on this bubble machine.
Fort Kit-My kids all love to build forts. They’ll build them under tables and with the couch cushions. But once we found this kit, I sent them outside to build their forts.
Mini Parachute– My eldest loved this parachute. We would swing her and swing her. She was a sucker for it.
Holiday Gift Ideas for Kids That Encourage Kids To Play in the Snow During Winter:
Sleds– My kids love to sled down any hill, but just this winter they practiced standing as they went down the hill to challenge themselves.
Standing Sled- My kids love these as they try to get down the hill and keep their balance.
Snowboard– My son begged for this beginner snowboard and had a blast figuring out how to balance and still go down a hill. He fell more times than he road, but he loved it.
Snowball Fight Kit- Get ready for the time-honored tradition of a snowball fight with this kit.
Snowball Makers– Make perfectly round snowballs every time and keep your fingers warm.
Snowball Kit, Igloo Molds, Fort Molds-Snowball making kits and fort making kids get my kids outside in the snow for hours. The igloo kit was my son’s absolute favorite.
Snow Art Kit– draw and paint in the snow with this super fun kit. My kids love trying to write their name in the snow with these.
These are perfect to spread some kindness during the snowy winter months.
Whatever you choose from this list will get kids playing outside and more active. And that’s a great gift in and of itself.
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