With the unprecedented increase in childhood obesity, it has never been more important to ensure our kids are leading enjoyable, active and wholesome lives. In the past encouraging children was never a difficult task, with limited hours of kid's television, no computer based games and a selection of council maintained parks and playgrounds children would naturally meet with friends and play active and energetic games. Unfortunately nowadays motivating a child to go outdoors is be a real uphill battle and one that is usually left too late. Once your youngster is able to toddle they must be shown the joy that can be found in active outdoor play and help to form healthy habits for later life. It is unfortunate that in today's society a great many parents are concerned about their kids playing outdoors away from home and that most council play and playgrounds have been shut in recent years. A great answer in this event is to have a range of outdoor toys and play equipment in your own back garden that kids can use and ask friends over to play.

In the past outdoor toys consisted of a hula hoop or a yo-yo and copious amounts of imagination, thankfully nowadays the outdoor toy market is huge and the selection of options on the market ensures there is something for everyone. However prior to parting with any money on toys you could try a little education and try to engage kids in traditional back garden games from yesteryear such as British Bulldogs, Kick The Can or Rounders all of which need little or no play equipment to play and are definitely active.

If you are think about buying some outdoor toys to help drive your child's back garden then there are a amazing range of toys to assist you. Sandboxes are a fantastic choice for toddlers children. Practicaly any youngster can learn from playing in a sandbox and at the same time learn key motor skills as they scoop, construct or even just run their hands through the sand. Clearly very young children do have a tendency to want to place things in their mouths so supervision is vital in the first few years. Sandpit's have also changed over time from the ugly plastic 'shell' shape found everywhere in the 1980's and you are able to find a selection of products including stylish wooden sandpits, sandpit tables where children can sit on a bench seat to have fun in the sand, and even moveable sandpits that can be kept in the garage or shed when not being used. One rule to remember when buying sand for your sandbox is to buy designated 'play sand' that has been washed and processed to remove staining clay components and to make it clean and soft to a child's. One additional advantage of purchasing a wood sand pit is that once the youngsters have outgrown it you can use it as an attractive raised flowerbed and recover your garden!

Another introduction to Britain has been timber climbing frames or 'Swingsets' from the US and Canada These fantastic swingsets are normally made from redwood or cedar lumber and range from simple swings and slides to multilevel adventure centres that cost thousands of pounds. There are two distinctive sort of wooden climbing frame on the market; boxed or modular. The boxed playcentres from producers such as Adventure Playsets include all the components you require to construct a quality freestanding wooden climbing frame by yourself in your own back yard. The modular sets from manufacturers such as Rainbow and Backyard Adventures permint the buyer to choose component 'modules' that combine to one another to produce a brilliant and exclusive creation. The main distinction are quality and price. The boxed playcentres cost from three hundred pounds - three thousand pounds whereas the modular swingsets are two thousand pounds - £25000+. The modular swingsets do tend to be of a higher quality and come with longer guarantees. The other main differentiation is that unlike boxed swingsets which are erected by the buyer the modular designs usually requires an installation engineer visiting your home, working with you to formulate a design and then instructing a professional erection team install your climbing frame as part of the deal. The advantage of a timber playset is that they survive for decades with many being warrantied for 10 or sometimes twenty years ensuring the swingset will outlast your child's childhood years.

If your budget is much tighter than that of a wooden climbing frame then don't panic there are outdoor games that can have youngsters having fun actively that cost just a few pounds. On a warm day water pistols are a fantastic idea and will have youngsters running about after one another for hours using up calories and gaining strong and healthy muscles whilst they play

This is merely points for discussion with many alternative toys to drive your youngsters to play actively outside that I don't have time to mention. I hope this article has however, assisted to galvanise you into encouraging your children to learn healthy habits that will have implications long after they outgrow their garden toys.