9 Best Toys to Keep Kids Active
This post may contain affiliate links; please see our terms of use for details.
- Keeping your children engaged in healthy physical activity from the start is a great way to encourage a lifelong love of movement and exercise.
- Active play toys are one way to get your children interested in sports, dance, and all kinds of movement, while helping them work on important gross motor skills like balance and coordination.
- Active play toys are excellent props for your child’s imagination, and they’ll find amazing ways to use them in a role-playing game or as part of construction play, building their language and social skills.
- Look for active play toys that are versatile, safe, and multi-purpose that will last through different stages, and always supervise your children when they use them.
We all know how important it is to keep our kids active and moving. You can start by getting them interested in active play toys that lean into their natural interest in seeing what their bodies can do, like jumping, bouncing, balancing, running, and throwing.
Active play toys are often multi-purpose and can grow with your child through their different stages of physical development. Look for toys that stimulate your kids to work on their gross motor skills but that also encourage them to engage in imaginative play.
Climbing toys turn into forts, and stepping stone toys turn into the only escape from a dragon in a castle. Check out our guide to some of the best toys to keep your kids active.
Our Choice: Bilibo by Moluk
- Deceptively simple, elegantly shaped and magically attractive, the Bilibo inspires creative, imaginative, limitless play for boys and girls
- The iconic shell shape and bright colors are immediately appealing, arousing curiosity, intrigue and commanding immediate attention
- The award winning Bilibo was designed in Switzerland in conjunction with child development experts
- Made from nontoxic, shatterproof polyethylene it is incredibly durable and appropriate for both indoor and outdoor play
The Bilibo by Moluk is a versatile, creative, multi-purpose toy for indoor and outdoor play that will get your kids moving and thinking about all the different ways they can use it.
The Bilibo can be used for sitting in and spinning, rocking, and rolling. Made of shatterproof material, it’s durable enough to be used outside for these activities and so much more. Your kids can use it for water play, in the sandbox, or even on snow!
This is a brilliant multi-use toy for physical play as well as giving your kids’ imagination a creative boost for years to come.
Age Recommendation: 2-7 years | Item Weight: 1.54 pounds | Product Dimensions: 15 x 15 x 8 inches
View on Amazon | View on Walmart.com | View on eBay.com
Playskool Sit n’ Spin: Best Spinner
- SPIN AROUND TO PJ MASKS MUSIC: Get ready for a PJ Masks “spin” on the classic Sit ‘n Spin toy! As kids whirl the musical toy’s wheel,they can twist along to the PJ Masks theme song
- COOL PJ MASKS-THEMED DESIGN: It’s a crossover that can only be described as mask-nificent;The Playskool PJ Marks Sit ‘n Spin toy provides plenty of classic spinning action for energetic PJ Masks fans
- A CLASSIC TWIST ON ACTIVE PLAY: Turn the fun loose with the PJ Masks gang on this sit-on spinning activity toy for toddlers 18 months and up;It also makes a great way to help practice motor skills
- GO ‘ROUND AND ‘ROUND: Kids control the speed,as they push and pull the stationary wheel to make the base spin. When they stop spinning,the music stops too
The Playskool Sit n’ Spin is a classic toy enjoyed by generations of children. Great for kids 18 months old and up, this is an indoor toy your kids will return to again and again for loads of fun spinning and whirling.
Excellent for practicing balance skills, coordination, and motor skills, one of the things kids love best about this favorite is they can control the speed of it themselves by pushing and pulling the wheel to make the base spin.
The perfect toy for little kids, it also comes in PJ Masks and Peppa Pig themes, as well as in classic primary colors.
Age Recommendation: 18 months and up | Item Weight: 4.55 pounds | Product Dimensions: 17.9 x 17.99 x 3.99 inches
View on Amazon | View on Walmart.com | View on eBay.com
Hide N Side Tunnel: Best for Indoor Play
- ULTRA DURABLE AND LIGHTWEIGHT: Hide N Side Premium collapsible Tunnels are made with the highest quality 190T soft polyester fabric and thick steel wiring, assuring your kids or dogs a SAFE, LONG LASTING, and ENJOYABLE play experience.
- EASY ASSEMBLY, FAST STORAGE: Pop-up design allows for hassle free assembly. Simply pop open the tunnel and youre ready to go No need for tools! When play time is over the tunnel folds flat for easy storage.
- BUILD PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL SKILLS: Climb into a new adventure in your own living room. This pop-up play tent is the ultimate play space for kids to enjoy year-round play.
- ACTIVE PLAY: Active kids love to run around and play. With this tunnel, kids 3 and up will have a place to play hide and seek, freeze tag, racing and more fun games!
Crawling tunnels are a staple of nursery schools and activity centers. Continue the fun at home with this Hide N Side Crawl Through Tunnel. Crawl through tunnels are a great addition to homemade obstacle courses and relay races. Or add it to your ball pit.
Light and versatile, the Hide N Side can be folded up and taken with you for outdoor fun on the beach or picnics. Use it indoors for hours of active play or to give some energy to play dates.
For bigger kids, there is also a multiway tunnel version so that multiple kids can play at the same time or add an element of extra fun to indoor play on rainy days.
- ULTRA DURABLE AND LIGHTWEIGHT: Hide N Side Premium collapsible Pet Tunnels are made with the highest quality 190T soft polyester fabric and thick steel wiring, assuring your pets, cats or dogs a SAFE, LONG LASTING, and ENJOYABLE play experience.
- EASY TWIST LOCKS: Make for a fast and easy experience opening and closing your foldable tunnel. Skip the frustration of trying to tie the 2 ends with one hand, while holding the giant tunnels together with your other hand.
- THE PERFECT GIFT: Perfect Pet, cat and dog holiday gift or girl or boys Birthday gifts for ages 3 4 5 year old. Fold up your colorful pet and kids tunnel crawl tube compactly for your little baby, to take along to Grandma’s house, and have fun interacting with your dog or child crawling through the mesh peak-a-boo tunnel window. Also great for daycare, preschool, nursery, playgroups.
- PLAY INDOORS OR OUTDOORS including the backyard, parks or playground. Avoid using the Dog Tunnel on course surfaces like Concrete or Pavement.
Age Recommendation: 3-6 years | Item Weight: 1.26 pounds | Product Dimensions: 18 x 72 x 18 inches
View on Amazon | View on Walmart.com | View on eBay.com
Special Supplies Stepping Stones: Best for Balance
- Promote Balance and Coordination – This 12-piece stepping stones set promotes physical activity and active play, inspiring your child to jump, stretch, climb, and balance for full-body exercise.
- Bright, Colorful Blocks – Our kid’s stepping stones come in four gender neutral colors for boys and girls to play alone or together, including yellow, red, blue, and green.
- Indoor and Outdoor Play – Special Supplies balancing blocks are durable enough to be enjoyed almost anywhere! Their rugged nature and full rubber, slip-resistant bottoms make them safe for carpet, tile, and grass.
- Kid-Friendly, Kid-Safe Fun – These balancing stones feature a non-slip rubber edge to reduce slipping or accidents. Our durable design can handle as much as 220 lbs. body weight to accommodate children, teens and adults.
Although there are many stepping-stone active play toys on the market, Special Supplies Stepping Stones are a great, durable option that’s also safe. These stepping stones have rubber edging on the bottom, making them non-slip, both indoors and outdoors.
They also come in varying heights and sizes to really help your child work on their gross motor skills, balance, and coordination. They can also handle up to 220 pounds so that the whole family can get in on all the fun too.
Age Recommendation: 3 years and up | Item Weight: 12.3 pounds | Product Dimensions: 16.2 x 16 x 11.75 inches
View on Amazon | View on Walmart.com | View on eBay.com
Little Tikes Easy Score Basketball Set: Best for Sport Lovers
- 6 ADJUSTABLE HEIGHTS. Raise the height to increase difficulty as your kids grow. Basketball Set can be adjusted from 2.5 to 4 feet
- OVERSIZED RIM. Designed with an oversized rim making it easier for kids to score baskets
- INDOOR AND OUTDOOR USE. Little Tikes’ basketball hoop for toddlers is sturdy and water-resistant so kids can use it outdoors or inside
- DEVELOP SKILLS. Encourages preschoolers and toddlers to play independently while working on balance and improve their hand-eye coordination
If you’ve got a little LeBron James in the making at home, the Little Tikes Easy Score Basketball Set is the perfect toy for young kids to start shooting hoops.
The basketball hoop has six adjustable heights, extending from 2.5 to 4 feet, so your child will be able to play with it for years, indoors and outdoors. This versatile toy is waterproof, so you can keep it in the backyard.
The extra large rim makes it easier for little active kids to score while working on their balance and hand-eye coordination. This will quickly become one of your child’s favorite toys.
Check out other sets from Little Tikes to encourage a love of sport with their soccer and golf sets too.
- Excite your future World Cup Star with this colorful kid-sized soccer set perfect for your own backyard
- Great for learning the fundamentals of soccer, while improving motor skills, coordination and social skills. Constructed of heavy duty metal
- Flip goal over to adjust the height of the net
- Easy to disassemble for storage and portability
- Golf toys promote active play and coordination
- Over-sized club heads and balls make it easy for kids to make contact
- The convenient case holds every piece of equipment for easy storing
- Case holds every piece of equipment-from the tee to the putter
Age Recommendation: 18 months and up | Item Weight: 9 pounds | Product Dimensions: 23.75 x 22 x 61 inches
View on Amazon | View on Walmart.com | View on eBay.com
iPlay, iLearn Bouncy Pals: Best Bouncy Toy
- 【Soft Plush Cover】Zebra hopper is made of safe material which is sturdy, and designed with washable removable plush cloth cover, soft to touch and zero friction on your kids’ skin.
- 【Easy to Inflate】Zebra Plush Hopper Ships deflated but is easily inflated with included hand pump. Take out the inserted white plug (air stopper) from the hole on the belly; insert the tip of the pump and inflate the hopper to a proper size, then replace the white plug into the hole quickly.
- 【 Activity Game】Stable four-leg design prevents tipping and falling off and helps children improve coordination, balance, and exercise ability.
- 【Play Anywhere】Kids can hop either inside or outside, suitable for summer vacation, parties, classrooms and more! Children under the age of three should play under the supervision of an adult.
Bouncy toys are always a favorite with little kids and are a great way to burn off extra energy. The range of animals from iPlay, iLearn Bouncy Pals, including zebras, tigers, and foxes, also give your kids an outlet for imaginative play.
Parents love that this bouncing toy is durable, sturdy, and well-made and that the fabric covering is soft and easy to clean. This is a fun and super cute toy for the under threes, so go ahead and let your kids bounce away!
Age Recommendation: 18 months and up | Item Weight: 3.11 pounds | Product Dimensions: 22 x 11 x 22 inches
View on Amazon | View on Walmart.com | View on eBay.com
Gentle Monster Wooden Wobble Balance Board: Best for Versatility
- 🌱 UNLIMITED WAYS TO PLAY: The Wooden Balance Board is whatever you imagine it to be – a swing, a bridge, a shop, a cabin, a stepping stone, a racetrack, a lounge chair, fitness equipment, a puppet, a small football goal, a teeter popper or a tunnel.
- 🌱 DEVELOP MULTIPLE SKILLS: It stimulates the vestibular system, which is of great importance for general development and learning. It supports the muscles responsible for the correct posture develops the sense of balance.
- 🌱 BOTH FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: The board is a wooden toy that grows with the child and is also very suitable for adults. To get fit, stretch your back (as a seat aid) in yoga exercises, to train balance or just because it’s fun. It’s possible to do a wide range of exercises on the wooden board.
- 🌱 TRUE QUALITY ASSURANCE: Highest quality natural real wood and premium paint. The wood has unique coloring, texture, grain, and mineral patterns in the outer layer, which make each board one of a kind.
You’ll be amazed at all the ways your kids will find to play with this Gentle Monster Wooden Wobble Balance Board. It’s wonderful for active play to rock on and to help your child with gross motor milestones including balance, coordination, and improving their core strength.
Flip it over to use as an arch for crawling, stepping on, adding to an obstacle course, or using with your other climbing toys. Kids love to run cars, balls, or any toys that roll over and under it.
Not only will your kids love rocking on it, but it will encourage lots of imaginative play too. This super fun toy will help your kids stay active and it is one of those toys they’ll use for their games for years to come.
Age Recommendation: 2 years and up | Item Weight: pounds | Product Dimensions: 33 x 8 x 1 inches
View on Amazon | View on Walmart.com | View on eBay.com
B. Toys Ring Toss Game: Best for Hand-Eye Coordination
- Ring Toss Game: Sling the smiley rings to make them land around the pegs! Score 10 or 20 points with every toss.
- 12-Piece Set: Includes a 2-piece base, 5 numbered pegs, and 5 colorful rings.
- Easy Setup: Connect the two base pieces at the middle, pop in all 5 pegs, and toss away!
- Indoor & Outdoor: Fling in the comfort of your home or sling in the backyard while getting some Vitamin D.
The ring toss has to be a classic favorite among active play toys, and your whole family will have so much fun with this B. Toys Ring Toss Game.
This versatile set can be used indoors and outdoors and is perfect for play dates and birthday parties. The numbered pegs help you with scoring and add some fun with numbers to your child’s games, and you work on hand-eye coordination skills.
This is a very easy toy to set up, clean, transport and use which is perfect for active play, helps with coordination and teaches kids to count and add. What more could you want from a game?
Age Recommendation: 3 years and up | Item Weight: 1.25 pounds | Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 4 x 17 inches
View on Amazon | View on Target.com
Tiny Land 5 in 1 Pikler Triangle Set: Best Indoor Climbing Set
- 1. Warning Tip: For the safety of young children, please ensure playtime is under parental supervision
- 2. Safe and Natural Wood: Constructed from natural, non-toxic, and odorless wood; carefully polished to be smooth and burr-free; creates a safe and enjoyable play environment for toddlers
- 3. Sturdy and Durable: Maximum load capacity of 132 lbs; slide and rock climbing components made of thicker wood; designed to withstand regular use without bending or breaking; suitable for long-term use
- 4. Promote Comprehensive Development: Improves balance and coordination; supports gross motor skill development through jumping, walking, and running; encourages healthy exercise habits
Keep your little climbers in training busy with this fantastic and versatile Tiny Land 5 in 1 Pikler Triangle Set. This is one of those toys your children will find endless ways to play with, and they’ll stay interested in it for years.
The natural wood construction is non-toxic and odorless and is a modern-looking addition to home decor. If you don’t want to leave it out, the three pieces detach and the triangle folds flat.
However, the best part about the Tiny Land set is the multiple uses your children will find for it, from the age of two up. It’s perfect for practicing balance, hand-eye coordination, and climbing. Flip over the board to its flat side, and you have a slide.
Not only is this an excellent toy for active play, but it’s also one that will stimulate your child’s imagination to use as a fort, a car garage, a castle, a mountain, as play furniture, and so much more.
Age Recommendation: 24 months and up | Item Weight: 35.2 pounds | Product Dimensions: 42.3 x 20.2 x 4 inches
View on Amazon | View on TinyLandus.com
Related Posts
Product Reviews
4 Best Infant First Aid Kits
Having a high-quality and well-stocked infant first aid kit can give you peace of mind and confidence in your ability to care for your kids at home.
Product Reviews
The 5 Best Adaptive Strollers for Special Needs of 2024
The best adaptive strollers are designed to accommodate individuals with special needs, disabilities, or mobility challenges. Find our favorites here!
Product Reviews
The 5 Best Breast Milk Storage Bags of 2024
Whether you’re heading back to work or pumping exclusively, breast milk storage bags are a must-have for your supply. Check out our list of the best.