Summer Backyard Fun – Here Are My Top Toy Picks!

Summer vacation is finally here and parents are certainly looking ahead to the next two months with excitement…and a little bit of apprehension. While camping, family vacations and summer camps are all exciting parts of summer, what about the days in between? You know, those days at home when the kids would rather be behind a screen than outside.

Heading to the neighborhood park or simply enjoying backyard, both are backdrops for creating summer memories as well. Here are my top 5 toys for backyard fun this summer!  Check out the video here and see more info below.

• Bunch O Balloons

Taking social media by storm, Bunch O Balloons launched via Kickstarter and is now on store shelves across Canada (and online at Mastermind Toys and Chapters Indigo to name a few).

Remember tediously filling water balloons one by one? A girlfriend recently did this for a birthday party and it took her an hour. With Bunch O Balloons you can fill 35 balloons at once, and their packaging states you can fill 100 balloons in 60 seconds! Busy parents love life-hacks like this that can help save them time, and kids (and grown-ups!) love a good water balloon fight or backyard game.

• Crayola

Of course, we have to include Crayola Sidewalk Chalk when thinking about backyard fun. Utilizing sidewalks creates the biggest canvas, but we love our backyard chalkboard for displaying masterpieces too.

Crayola Neon Washable Sidewalk Paint and Outdoor ColourFoam are other great ways to add some color to your day – the Outdoor ColourFoam is especially fun for creating designs or spraying – and it washes off easily (because of the PH on our skin, it won’t stain).

• Nerf

Nerf has been synonymous with summer for years. Now, Nerf Rebelle encourages girls to get in on the action.

Nerf Super Soaker Flash Flood Blaster holds 23 ounces of water and literally can soak your target with two separate nozzles, while the Nerf Rebelle Super Soaker Tri Threat Blaster has three blasting nozzles holding 25 ounces of water, and besides, it’s pretty. 😉

• Twister

Twister now goes beyond the basement board game into the backyard with Twister Moves Skip It, which keeps count of your skips and Twister Moves Tracker which keeps track of every step, jump, and slide like the grown-up Fitbit and similar items that may already be in parent’s drawers after the New Years excitement has waned. 😉

• Coleman

Adults love backyard games too, so ones like this Coleman Washer Toss game that are family-friendly encourage everyone to get in the game. I like that it comes in it’s own travel bag making it easy to take to a BBQ or camping trip.

Summer in Saskatchewan is short, so it’s important to get outside and take advantage of every moment we can. While screen time certainly has a place (and this mom definitely utilizes it!) I also know how important it is to get outside and move. It’s also worth noting that your kids are watching YOU mom and dad! Get outside in the backyard with them and have some fun this summer!