Gift Ideas for Active Kids

Looking for gift ideas for your active child this Christmas? Here are some of our favourite ideas which we think your children will love, helping burn energy, entertain, and develop both their physical abilities and skills.

Wooden Triangle
A favourite amongst Montessori parents, wooden Tri-Climbs encourage climbing and free movement, they grow with your child as extra parts can be added including ladders, slides and climbing ramps, all which inspire imaginative and creative open-ended play and movement, as well increasing strength, grip and developing problem solving skills.

Bouncing Toys
Let your kid hop, bob, and have non-stop hours of bouncing fun with retro classic favourites of space hoppers and pogo sticks. If you have space, consider investing in a trampoline which is always a sure winner with kids and helps improve balance, coordination, and core strength.

Swings and Slides
The simple and classic childhood play equipment stands the test of time. Swings develop fine motor skills, grip strength, hand, arm, and finger coordination, whereas slides cultivate proprioception – the sense of self movement, and the vestibular system which helps coordinate movement. Worried about space? Some brands now offer foldable designs, to store away when not in use.

Ride Along Toys
For younger children’s wheely bugs can be used inside and out, the wheels move in all directions which helps develop gross motor control. For older children it’s a fantastic life skill to learn how to ride a bike, consider starting with a balance bike to bypass stabilisers. Riding bikes advances motor skills and children begin to learn depth perception and three-dimension awareness. Another fun alternative to bikes is scooters, which can be suitable from over the age of one, many brands now grow with your child giving extra longevity, and the newest designs are foldable making them easier to transport and taking up less space in storage.

Soft Play Blocks
Bring the fun of soft play home! Hours of endless entertainment guaranteed, whatever the weather! Watch you children climb, crawl, stack and create new structures with soft play blocks and cubes.

Play Tents and Ball Pit
Super affordable, easy to store, and lots of opportunity for imaginative play. Ball pits improve open ended and cooperative play. The tunnels and tents encourage bending, crawling, turning, reaching, and moving, all of which are extremely important for healthy development since they help coordinate the brain hemispheres. Play tents can double up as a reading den, and the tents and tunnels can be used outside in summer months.

Stepping and Balance Stones
Steppingstones are designed to promote body awareness, balance, coordination, and gross motor skills. The stones offer versatile play as they can be used both indoors and outdoors – great for rainy days inside or sunny days in the garden. The stones are lightweight and easy to move or rearrange by the kids, allowing their imagination to run wild with games like “The Floor is Lava”. Parents love that they are easy to clean-up, as their hollow construction allows for stacking and nesting.

Balancing Beams
Balance beams can be enjoyed with your child and their friends. The design means they can get creative and build any shape from the beams, this self-confidence learning toy also supports muscle growth and balance control and gross motor skill development.

Balance Boards
A great exercise toy, which can be used to stand on, climb on, rock, or use as a base for playing smaller toys. Benefits include improving strength and core stability, refining balance and reflex stimulus, thus fostering gross motor coordination, weight distribution and enhanced spatial awareness.

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