Classic Fun

A backyard play tent is a great investment for warm, pleasant weather. They're usually made of tough, weatherproof material, and provide at least some protection from sun, rain and mosquitoes. A tent encourages imaginative play and can serve as a fort or base camp for all your children's adventures.

When it comes to outdoor games, classic sports like baseball and soccer still rule. The one drawback is that these games in their full version don't play well in the limited space of a backyard and with only one or two children to play.

Thankfully, there are backyard toys that offer the best parts of these games in a scaled-down format. Drybranch, Inc.'s Soccer Goal Set With Bounce Back Target allows children to practice their soccer skills either alone or with their friends. When a child kicks the ball at the target, it gets bounced back at them. How convenient!

Swingball is another fun way to pass some time outdoors. The Mookie Swingball game is a full-sized tennis-like set that packs and stores easily into its own base when you're done playing with it.

When you think of outdoor toys, you usually think of summer, but there's no reason you have to sit indoors when the weather is cold and snowy. There's plenty to do in the winter, especially when you have toys like the Slicer All-Season Sled from Ice Meister. This sled looks like most traditional toboggan-style sleds, but its inventive design allows it to be used all year round. The bottom features groves that can hold strips of ice, so kids can glide down the green grass of their lawn and celebrate Christmas in July.