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Every year somebody buys a slip-'n-slide and every year it lives under the deck by August. The outdoor toys that last are the ones where the kid is the engine — they push, they aim, they pedal — and the toy just responds. Here are six that earn their yard-sale resale value.
1. A balance bike (if they're under 5)
Training wheels are, in hindsight, a terrible idea: they teach the wrong skill, and you have to un-learn it. A balance bike skips the step. Kids on balance bikes from age two go straight to real bikes at four, no training wheels, no tears.
Stomp Rocket launches a foam rocket sixty feet into the air when you jump on a little air-bag. It's ten dollars worth of PVC and foam and it will occupy a kid and their friends for an entire summer afternoon. And it's technically a physics demo, so you can buy it with a clear conscience.
Tricycle/Toddler Balance Bike with Colorful Lighting Wheels for 1-5 Year Olds…Adjustable seat, light-up wheels that a toddler will not shut up about, no pedals to complicate the lesson.View on Amazon →
Stomp Rocket Jr Multi-Color Rocket LauncherLouder than fireworks at the right angle. Rockets survive being stepped on. Ball valve is the failure point; replacement bases are cheap.
