Summer Must Haves for Kids
My daughter has 2 days of school left, and between, the beautiful weather we’ve been having, and the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, it really feels like summer is upon us. I thought I’d share some of the products that we use over and over again all summer long. These are the basics that help keep my girl entertained, and mom a little more sane! All links are affiliate links.
Sand toys – A good set cannot be underestimated! I DO NOT like sand personally (something about the way it feels just gets me) but my daughter doesn’t share this aversion, she’ll happily cover herself in it. I keep a set of sand toys in the back of my car all summer long because we never know when we might need it. I appreciate that this set has a collapsible bucket and a bag to keep everything in.
Pop up tent – While I wouldn’t actually camp in this, it’s the perfect entertainment for an afternoon outside. It sets up easy and kids can pretend they’re camping or use it as a reading or art space, turn it into a cave, or something equally inspiring. Then they just might entertain themselves for a good chunk of time!
Soft Frisbees – These are our favorite because they’re easy to throw and they don’t hurt nearly as bad if you get hit with them. Little ones tend to whip a frisbee as hard as possible without thinking through where it might end up (because forethought isn’t really a thing for them yet). Soft frisbees make it completely fine for them to do that because they won’t hurt or break whatever they inevitably collide with.
Sports ball set – High quality sports equipment can get expensive really fast, but little ones just want to explore all of the different games that they see the big kids playing. A set like this gives you each of the most common balls (football, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and a playground ball) so that you can get to playing.
Reusable water balloons – These are genius and I can’t understand why it took so long for them to become a thing! My daughter can fill them up on her own and I don’t have to scour the yard for tiny balloon pieces when she’s done playing. I prefer the version without the magnet closures, they seem to work just as well and they don’t hurt when you get hit with them.
Bug hut – A good bug catcher is a summer must have, and this one is absolutely adorable. I can just see a lightning bug lounging on that little chair. It’s also from B.toys, so I know it’s sturdy and won’t break the minute it gets dropped on the ground.
Sprinkler mat – Gosh we just love this thing. It’s a sprinkler, but the inner mat also fills up with water and becomes a wading pool. It’s so quick and easy to set up, and once you turn the water off kids can still sit in the wading pool and play with water toys.
Child-size camping chair – Chairs like this one are so convenient for everything from a backyard BBQ to a summer festival or a beach day. The child sized versions really are so much easier for kids to use independently, and they just like having their OWN chair.
Sidewalk chalk – we’re talking basics here, and it truly isn’t summer without sidewalk chalk. Whether you’re entertaining one child or a whole group this is an activity that you can always count on. I love this set because it has a wide variety of colors so kids (and adults) can really get creative.
Bubbles – The are SO MANY bubble options out there, but I always come back to these giant wands. They create excellent bubbles every single time, and the actual wand is big enough that the wind will easily move through it, blowing the bubbles for you. We usually get a refill jug so that we can top them off whenever we need to because they don’t work super well if they are only half full.
