We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
1. A budget-friendly 3-in-1 sprinkler, splash pad, and wading pool so your kiddo gets practice with the letters and number design *and* gets to live their best fun-in-the-sun life. Simply screw the hose in, turn it on, and voila!
Promising review: "Best kid product I’ve bought in awhile. I absolutely LOVE this. I recently bought it for my nephew who is 3 and it was used for a range of kids from 3-10 years old at a recent birthday party!
I also liked this product so much that I bought one for my dog. He is a Labrador and loves the water. Quick setup and mess free!" —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
2. Or an Intex family-sized pool featuring an inflatable bench for lounging AND cupholders, so you can kick back and sip your favorite bev while your munchkins splash and play! It's big enough to fit a family of four for an easy backyard staycation that doesn't break the bank.
Promising review: "I bought this pool. It is awesome. I swam in it with my 6-year-old, and we had a blast. I’d totally recommend purchasing. He loved it and I loved it. It was big enough for at least two adults and two kids. We lounged on the lounger, and he jumped off of it and played and played for at least two hours, maybe three hours. It kept inflated and was very sturdy. The lounger was sturdy as well. I was concerned it would not take much weight or might deflate, but it held up nicely." —Customer C
Get it from Amazon for $47.14.
3. A Melissa & Doug Sand Baking Play Set perfect for pretend "baking" sand "cakes" and other concoctions at the beach or in the sandbox — the shell-shaped measuring cups, crab mixing spoon, octopus whisk, mixing bowl, and turtle lid/"flour" sifter make it even more fun!
Chandni says: "These thick and durable toys are an AWESOME alternative to traditional beach toys. I cannot tell you how many children have befriended my toddler in the sandpit after this play set caught their attention. Not to mention *countless* mamas have approached me at the park asking where I bought this. You won't regret buying this!"
Promising reviews: "This is hands-down the best sand toy we’ve purchased. Sturdy and high quality. Our boys will get years of use out of this, unlike the thinner toys we’ve purchased in the past. Very comparable to a true kitchen mixing bowl and measuring cups." —Kevin
"Super cute set for the beach...my daughter loves it!! It's kind of hard to get 'creative' when it comes to stuff for the beach, so the second I saw this on Amazon, I had to get it. She was awestruck when I showed her what I bought! We took it to the beach in Hawaii for our trip last week, and she played with this mostly while leaving the other sets of buckets, rakes, shovels, and molds I purchased off to the side. This is definitely worth the money, especially for kids who like playing with sand but are sick of the usual beach 'stuff,' especially if your child really likes cooking or pretending to cook. They will throw seashells and rocks in their simulated 'soup' they are making right on the beach while you can relax and read a book for once! :-)." —Monica Main
Get it from Amazon for $11.99.
4. A Melissa & Doug "Louie Lobster" claw catcher pool toy because what lil' explorer wouldn't be THRILLED to use this adorable lobster featuring a squeeze-to-close handle (which, bonus, could help develop dexterity!) to pick up all kinds of things at the beach or pool — or even in the bathtub or around the house.
Promising review: "Another family at our neighborhood pool had this toy, and the kids loved playing with it so much I had to get one! This toy is perfect for the pool as well as the bath. The lobster toy is great by itself even without the other pieces — our kids went from the pool to trying to catch bugs with the lobster! The lobster has now become one of our main bath toys, enjoyed by my 3-, 5-, and 7-year-old!" —Carolyn
Get it from Amazon for $10.99.
5. A giant wooden Connect 4-style game that's the stuff backyard family fun time dreams are made of — you're all about to get REALLY good at this.
Chroma Fling is a small biz based in Cincinnati, Ohio, that specializes in personalized gifts and accessories.
You can even personalize it by putting the name you want on the game in the notes box before checkout!
Promising review: "This is the second game I have ordered. I wanted one at each of our homes. Our grandkids can understand it and love it. So do the adults. It’s fun to have a game we all can play together. Nicely constructed and two screws for construction, so easy." —BKLutes
Get it from Chroma Fling on Etsy for $159.99 (available in six disc colors).
6. A WowWee Nerf Super Soaker RoboBlaster for family water battles so incredible, you'll start to tell your own three-part saga about them. Though, if TBH you'd prefer to chillax with a beer, they can go one on one vs. the RoboBlaster and knock it out by hitting its two automatic targets.
Promising reviews: "This water blaster connects to your garden hose — and then it's so much fun for the kids. We've had some recent hot days, and my son and his friends have entertained themselves for hours outside with this SuperSoaker blaster. It comes with some targets to aim at — but the kids like spraying each other." —Kevinbeijing
"Summer fun game changer. My son and his cousins absolutely love this! They had so much fun when we set this up! It was easy to set up and brought so many smiles to their faces!! If you don’t have this, I highly recommend you order it for summer fun!!" —Mary Kate Matthews
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
7. A bubble toy lawn mower that your toddler won't be able to get enough of. It only requires bubble stuff — not batteries — and they'll be engrossed in "mowing" the lawn as they're surrounded with shiny, floaty, poppable bubbles!
Promising review: "Lots of bubbles! We bought this for our 2.5-year-old, as the one her big sister has (the more expensive brand everyone knows) doesn't blow bubbles anymore, and we wanted her to be able to have one that worked. The first time they used it, I only put in maybe a third of the bubble solution, and they were out there FOREVER chasing bubbles and 'mowing.' We are very very happy with this purchase!" —Jennie
Get it from Amazon for $23.21.
8. A Stomp Rocket launcher because what is more exciting than getting to count down, yell "BLAST OFF!!" jump on a pad, and watch a rocket literally launch up to 200 feet high??? Y'all, *I* could do this for hours.
Promising review: "My 4-year-old goes nuts over this. He’s so loud with excitement, it draws out the neighborhood kids, and next thing I know the neighbors are over chatting outside with me while their kids are COMPLETELY occupied playing this thing. The assembly is EXTREMELY easy. The rockets launch well above my two-story home that I have to make sure it’s not too close so one doesn’t land on the roof. It’s actually fun for the adults as well. My son loves to watch me really launch one. This is a great outside activity for any boy or girl. You don’t have to chase the kids around, and they get plenty of exercise running to get the rockets after they’ve landed. Fun for everyone. Well worth the 20 bucks I spent on it." —Geno
Get it from Amazon for $14.99.
9. Banzai Bump N' Bounce Body Bumpers for hilariously silly backyard sumo tournaments. It's funny enough to be in a bubble suit like this, then add (gently) bumping into each other? Imagine the laughter!!
PSA: Make sure helmets are worn during bump-offs.
Promising review: "Absolutely hilarious to watch! I got these for my kids (7 and 8) because I thought it would be a perfect way to blow off steam and get out some energy... It was great! They ran at each other pretty hard, but it didn't pop, and no one got hurt! If your kids do a lot of bickering like mine do... Get these! 😅" —Sky Moran
Get it from Amazon for $17.97.
10. A six-pack of Max Liquidator water blasters that shoot water up to 30 FEET! Get ready to dash around the yard with your kids, squirting each other until you're all soaked and out of breath from laughing and running. This is, like, what core memories are made of.
If you don't have a pool/lake/ocean nearby, I think you could set up some buckets to act as refill stations.
Promising review: "I got these for my kids to play in the pool with, and they most certainly didn't disappoint. The maximum range on these (around 30 feet with a little elbow grease put into it) surpasses any Super Soaker that I've ever tried, and they're extremely easy to use. Granted they have no water reservoir, so you have to use them in the pool, lake, ocean, etc. for them to be effective, but aside from that, they are a fantastic water toy. Plus, they're brightly colored and float on the surface of the water so almost impossible to lose." —iEspresso
Get it from Amazon for $22.93.
11. A Little Tikes Big Digger Sandbox featuring an excavator (SUCH a cool thing when you're that age) that actually. works. Your toddler's about to spend soooo much time scooping up sand, loading the trucks, and then dumping the sand out in another corner of the box!
This compact sandbox is perfect for a smaller yard and comes with two characters, sand cup, sand sifter, shovel, rake, and a dump truck. And it can be played with with the lid either on, like in the left pic above, or take the lid off to have an extra ramp and spot to dump some sand!
Promising review: "Love this little sandbox :) I'm writing this review as I relax under the shade of a tree drinking my coffee that's still HOT. That's because this little sandbox is amazing and occupies my little guy for hours :) it is small, but he doesn't seem to mind digging from the outside. I think a friend or two could join him comfortably. We filled with a little less than 28 lbs of sand that we bought at Hone Depot for $10. We hid little dinosaurs at the bottom so every now and then he finds a 'fossil' and gets really excited. Great investment!" —Boogies Mommy
Get it from Amazon for $49.98.
12. And a Little Tikes Frog Pond Water Table that's comfortably under $50 and reviewers love even though it's not as much $$ as the fancy ones! Your kiddo won't know the difference — but they will enjoy every moment of flipping the frogs onto the lily pads, floating them down the lazy river, and splashing in the water!
Promising review: "Got this water table for my 10-month-old baby. He loves it! He stands there and splashes the water for a good 30–45 minutes! The froggies are a nice addition. Honestly, I got it for the price! I couldn't find anything else in this price range! It's very good value for the money. Would definitely recommend." —Hiba
Get it from Walmart for $39.99.
13. A classic toss and catch ball set so you can teach your kids how to catch the same way you learned when you were their age — aww, the memories!! *Wipes away a nostalgic tear*
The set includes two Velcro paddles, two balls, and a storage bag.
Promising review: "My 5-year-old granddaughter loves playing catch with me. She is able to easily develop great eye-hand coordination with this toy. Great for indoors or outdoors." —Barbara Smith
Get it from Amazon for $17.99 (available in 13 colors).
14. Twister Splash, which is exactly what it sounds like: the classic game, plus each colorful dot sprays water!! Get your family bonding on as you all contort yourselves into hilarious knots, and try to avoid slipping and sliding to become the champ!
The game comes with an inflatable splash mat, hose connector, waterproof spinner, and gameplay instructions.
Promising review: "Fun for all ages. Such a fun twist on an already loved game! This kept my 4 and 7 year old's attention for a while! Each spot you put your hand on sprays water, whoever stays up the longest wins! Even the adults had to try it out. I was a little nervous with the quality of the plastic but it withheld adults abs kids moving all round it without any holes." —Deborah Gaffney
Get it from Amazon for $13.99.
15. A pair of GeoSafari Jr. binoculars because your curious toddler won't be able to get enough of the up-close views they'll get of animals, bugs, planes, and plants — whether you bring 'em to the zoo, a park, or stick to exploring the yard at home!
16. A set of eco-friendly reusable water balloons basically guaranteed to trigger giggles upon giggles when you hand them each a bucket full to chuck at each other. And chuck they can: These are incredibly soft and squishy, so they only soak on contact, no stinging!
They're easy to "refill" too: just get 'em wet again!
Promising review: "Better than water balloons!! Wanted an environmentally friendly water balloon without all the plastic waste. Thought I would give these ago, and they turned out to be one of my best purchases ever. They hold a ton of water, Don’t hurt when they land, but leave a satisfying puddle on your enemy. My five and six-year-olds loved them! A must-have item for backyard summer fun without all the mess to clean up after!" —Maureen B.
Get a pack of 51 from Amazon for $23.99.
17. Or the ingenious Bunch O Balloons which are basically 100 water balloons pre-attached to a device that fills 'em all up at once. All you have to do? Screw the device onto your hose, and turn the water on. They're even designed so you don't have to tie them closed!
Promising review: "One of the greatest inventions of our time. Just buy them. You won't regret it. Your kids will love you. You ever fill up 100 water balloons with a beer in your hand? I did." —Jeff Jefferson
Get a pack of 100 from Amazon for $9.99.
18. A toddler-height Tee-ball set so your budding Pete Alonso can get their batting practice in, and hit home run after home run! While they're playing, they just might start to (unintentionally!) learn how different angles and swings affect where the ball goes.
19. A pack of parachute toys brilliantly engineered to be tangle-free, even after they gleefully get tossed from the top of the stairs or a balcony for what seems like the 10-thousandth time.
Promising review: "Durable and NO tangling! Leagues ahead of dollar store parachute men. Used for a game at a birthday party where 7-year-olds threw them off a balcony and tried to land in a corresponding colored circle for a prize. They LOVED it. Very satisfied." —Sarah
Get a pack of four from Amazon for $8.99.
20. A Wiwiurka triangular rope ladder that turns any sturdy tree branch or corner of the playroom into a mini playground: they can swing, perform some acrobatics, or pretend it's a rocket (or tower or ship's mast)!
It holds up to 175 pounds, and does not come with mounting hardware.
Wiwiurka is a Mexican woman–owned business based in Tepoztlan, Mexico, that creates handcrafted and sustainable wooden toys using water-based paints and nontoxic materials to enhance imaginative play.
Promising review: "My kids LOVE their tree climber. It was easy to put together and it's like a magnet for my 3-year-old who gets bored easily and wanders." —Brynn
Get it from Wiwiurka for $185 (available in two sizes and three colors) or from Wiwiurka on Etsy for $210 (available in two colors).
21. Or a platform swing to instantly transform a sturdy tree into a Tarzan-worthy spot for swinging and climbing! No need to leave home — the fun's right in the backyard.
This toy acts as both a swing and a climber thanks to the 4-inch staggered platforms. It's suggested for ages 3+ and has a 150 pound weight limit.
Promising review: "Love this swing! It is so easy to set up and my kids love it. This swing is so easy to take on and off we even bring it with us for picnics and set it up in trees at the park. It definitely helps if you have kids that are tree-climbing age. Love love love! Would definitely recommend!" —Shoe
Get it from Amazon for $17.81+ (available in four colors).
22. A two-pack of foam gliders — your kiddo will be AWESTRUCK when they see how easy it is to make it do a loop-the-loop! The colorful LED lights don't hurt either, and make dusk and night flying a breeze. They'll be so engrossed, they won't even realize they're running to and fro every time they dash over to pick them up!
Promising review: "Wow!!! These things REALLY work as advertised!! To be honest, my expectations were pretty low. But I was very pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong! The looping mode is so awesome, the kids and adults were giddy with excitement! It’s also very durable — can handle hitting the ground pretty hard without taking any damage. Definitely best airplane toy I’ve ever played with." —kliles
Get a pack of two from Amazon for $12.59.
23. A rainbow-colored saucer swing big enough to fit multiple small kiddos. Between twisting, spinning, and swinging, you'll have a hard time coaxing them out of this SUPER cool and fun hangout spot, wherever you decide to hang it.
Promising review: "Since setting up this swing my kids have been on it every day (5, 3). Great purchase! They love the colors and the fact that they can fit on it together. We were able to hook it to an existing swing set for the time being until our new set arrives. Assembly was pretty easy and quick. It did take two of us to push the rods together, but the directions were easy peasy and it came with a little wrench you could use to tighten the bolts. We’ll definitely be purchasing another one for our new set when it arrives so we have two!" —Augare
Get it from Amazon for $57.99.
24. An outdoor activity box good to keep around when your brain just can't come up with a kiddo-entertaining idea at the moment, but you want them to get outside. Draw one of the challenges — like figuring out how many times you can run around your yard in two minutes — and send 'em out. Before you know it, it'll be time for the bedtime routine!
Shop Ideable is a small biz based in Wilsonville, Oregon, that specializes in kid-powered, secretly educational activities.
Promising review: "I purchased this for my kids, ages 2–10. They all think it’s great and I agree!! The activities are new to us and that’s surprising because we have a house full of nature/project/homeschool books and games. I would definitely recommend purchasing." —jmo7799
Get 30 coins (60 activities total) from Shop Ideable on Etsy for $18.99.
25. A bubble machine so you can actually — gasp — relax and finish your coffee before it gets cold again, while the kids expend some energy. You won't have to do a single thing except turn the machine on and watch them frolic and play in a world delightfully full of bubbles!
Promising review: "This is so much easier than giving your kids bubbles only to have them spill all over their clothes and the ground. It is truly a 'set it and forget it' item that provides hours of entertainment, even for little ones! Such a great investment." —Allison A.
Get it from Amazon for $29.97.
26. A pack of flying rings reviewers say work much better than old-school Frisbees (sorry, Frisbees!), because they're 80% lighter, fly more in a straight line, and have a middle hole that works better for small hands. Bonus: They'll float in water!
Promising review: "Okay, here’s the scoop: After a lifetime of embarrassment and injured knuckles from my Frisbee throwing skills, I have finally found the solution. These are AWESOME! Now I don’t have to come up with far fetched excuses as to why I can’t play frisbee with my kids/family, and my 3-year-old can even throw it so accurately that we no longer need to descend into our tick-infested forest to retrieve Frisbees. We sincerely love these flying rings, and they’re perfect for all ages. My 3-year-old was SO excited that she can throw them and catch them with ease. Perfect thing to play with in the back yard!" —Rachel Connell
Get a pack of two from Amazon for $16.99 (available in ten styles).
27. A sturdy, handcrafted wooden lawnmower push toy featuring red, orange, yellow, green, and blue tumbling balls that bounce around when energetic newbie walkers push it — maybe they're pretending to vacuum indoors, mow out on the lawn, or they just like watching the balls go!
This durable rolling tumbler is made with nontoxic paints and oils.
Heirloom Kids is a small biz based in West Point, Georgia that specializes in handcrafted wooden toys for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.
Promising review: "Very well made toy. It was the perfect first birthday gift for our daughter. Communication with the seller was always quick. Definitely recommended." —BE
Get it from Heirloom Kids on Etsy for $49.
The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.