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| Image Credit: Vuly Play |
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Staying active is an
important part of keeping your kids happy and healthy, and ensuring they live
vital lifestyles in the future.
Encouraging your children to engage in regular physical activity also helps to regulate their energy, improve their concentration and offers higher sleep quality. Physical play also helps children to become more confident learners as they engage with the world around them.
If you’re looking for clever ways to get your kids active, we recommend starting with outdoor activities that are fun for the whole family! Here are 5 family-friendly toys that encourage kids to get outdoors and stay active:
Bikes
Teaching kids to
ride bicycles can help them to develop a healthy, active lifestyle from a young
age. Not only does cycling increase muscle strength and stamina, but also
encourages children to get to know their local community in a fun and
interactive way.
Another great benefit of bikes is that it’s a very social activity. Children riding their bikes in a group of friends is a wonderful way to keep busy on the weekend. Riding bikes as a family can also be an excellent opportunity to spend time together. Even younger kids can be involved by using scooters to race alongside older bike riding siblings. Find out more about bikes for kids from Vuly Play.
Trampolines
Trampolining is
tonnes of fun for children of all ages! Trampoline {#ad} play helps to strengthen
their bones and improves their balance, flexibility, agility and coordination.
Not only will your kids have hours of fun bouncing around - they’ll challenge
themselves to develop new skills, tricks and games that will keep them
entertained and active!
Ensure you shop for a trampoline that has extensive safety features. This can include safety netting around the enclosure, as well as ensuring that the springs are outside the bouncing boundary of the trampoline. Some modern trampolines also include a shade cover, which will help protect kids from the sun.
Monkey Bars
Thanks to the popularity
of shows such as American Ninja Warrior, enticing children to get outside and
challenge themselves on monkey bars or climbing frames has never been easier. Try
to find monkey bars that offer a range of different attachments. These may
include kid-favourite accessories like the cargo net or flying fox.
This type of play equipment builds strength, agility, confidence, and overall motor skills, meaning you’ll have little gymnasts running around in no time!
Swing and Playsets
Swings {#ad} and playsets are
a great way to develop your little ones’ motor skills, agility and endurance.
They’ll learn how to control movement and power and grow confidence in their
spatial awareness.
Similar to monkey bars, swing sets usually come with a range of different swing accessories and attachments. This makes them incredibly versatile and often allows them to keep several children entertained at one time. Make sure you have proper clearance around your swing or playset when setting it up – you want to avoid any potential injuries as your kids become more confident in swinging higher.
Basketball Hoops
Basketball hoops (#ad) are
an excellent way to develop your kids’ hand-eye coordination, along with
supporting social skills such as communication, teamwork and turn-taking. It’s
a great activity they can enjoy for life that also boosts their agility,
cardiovascular fitness, and strategic thinking.
If you don’t have a place to install a ring and backboard in your yard, consider a portable basketball system. This lets you move it to play areas like a driveway for the kids, before moving it back out of the way for next time.