Best Outdoor Toys

Best Water Toys and Splash Pads for Kids This Summer

From toddler splash pads to backyard water balloon fights: how to pick the right water toy for your kid's age and your yard.

Best Nerf Guns for Kids: Rapid-Fire, Rival, and Budget Blasters Compared

Nerf's lineup splits into a few real categories: hand-powered pistol-style blasters, motorized rapid-fire drums, and the higher-capacity Rival system. Here's how to tell them apart and pick the right one.

Best Bubble Machines for Kids: Automatic, Portable, and Handheld Options Compared

Bubble machines split into a few real categories: toddler push-mowers, handheld guns, portable one-hand makers, and automatic machines built for a backyard full of kids. Here's how to tell them apart and pick the right one.

Best Beach Toys and Sand Sets for Kids

A 5-piece starter beach set and an animal-mold sand tool set, sized for how many kids will actually be sharing them.

Best Screen-Free Active Outdoor Toys for Kids This Summer

A pair of walkie-talkies, a 24-piece pool diving set, and a light-up ankle jump ball: 3 real outdoor toys we stock, picked to get kids moving instead of staring at a screen.