​Tips and Toys to Get Your Kids Playing Outside

A while back I learned that 3 out of 4 children don’t even get an hour of exercise each day, and since I read that, I have made sure to focus on making sure that my kids are exercising enough. Truth be told, my older kids are both competitive basketball players, so they are good on the exercise front, but I have a 3 year old that spends a lot of time in the car and sitting on the bleachers while watching his siblings playing basketball. That means that he is one of those 3 out of 4 children that don’t exercise enough! That was a disappointing realization to come to.

Seriously, 75% of our nation’s children are not exercising enough! That is terrible. We need to do better. As parents, we owe it to them to teach them how to take care of themselves and how to help them be the healthiest that they can be. The good news is, getting our children to exercise and be active is actually much easier than you probably realize. Check out these tips and toys to get your kids playing outside and therefore, exercising!

Tips and Toys to Get Your Kids Playing Outside

Here is a nice list of tips and toys that will help get your kids playing outside, exercising and staying their healthiest and happiest selves.

1. Get out there with them. When was the last time you played outside with your kids? Kids love playing with their parents. Seriously. Take the time to get out there and just play. Toss the ball, splash in the puddles, play with toys...whatever!
2. Create fun. As a busy parent, I know you are tempted to say “go play outside” but don’t do that. Give them toys to play with outside, ideas of things to do, etc. Help them create fun.
3. Provide them with some awesome out outdoor toys. When your kids have awesome and fun outdoor toys, they are more likely to head out without needing to be persuaded by you. Luckily, we here at Sassafras have some great toys that will help encourage your kiddos to get out and stay active outside. Here are some of our more popular ones:
   1. leaf tree swing - create an instant playground in your backyard! tie our leaf swing onto a sturdy tree limb or overhead rafter, sit on the seat and swing away!
   2. Ladybug tree swing - our ladybug swing swings not only forward, but lets kids turn around, too! includes one rope handle ladybug ball and a carabiner hook to wrap around a tree branch or rafter. we recommend that you hang the swing no higher than 2 feet from the ground. The swing can handle up to 100 pounds in weight.
   3. frog rolling stilts - kids will have tons of fun with these old-fashioned rolling stilts.
   4. Butterfly net - gently capture all sorts of flying wonders and delight in nature's beauty before setting it free.
   5. Bug hotel - think of your bug hotel as a rest -stop for the ladybugs, lightning bugs, and caterpillars that you find during the day
   6. owl bowling pin set - line up the pins on a hard floor or tabletop. then roll the ball, aiming at the front pin, to try and knock all the pins over. move the ball further and further away to make the game more challenging. keep score by the number of pins each person knocks over.
   7. Frog bowling pin set - line up the pins on a hard floor or tabletop. then roll the ball, aiming at the front pin, to try and knock all the pins over. move the ball further and further away to make the game more challenging. keep score by the number of pins each person knocks over. These bowling pin sets would also work well on a paved driveway or deck.

I know that my 3 year old will love every one of these toys and even my big kids would have fun playing with some of them with their little brother.