Spring has sprung! And while the weather might need some time to settle into the sunshine that we’re waiting for, the days are getting longer and brighter. So these school holiday are the perfect time to reintroduce outdoor play. Just throw on a jumper and head outdoors with these three absolutely classic playtime favourites.

Bubble-icious

Three dimensional, iridescent balls of fun, bubbles really are some kind of magic. Chase them, catch them, pop them, or just watch in wonder as the soft, glistening rainbows float gently on the breeze. As well as being fun and beautiful, bubbles help development, including motor skills (chasing), co-ordination (catching), vocabulary (describing) and observation (through exploring the different bubbles).

Our Tangent Turbo Bubble Gun is a brilliant (battery powered) way to explore these mystical wonders. The motorised blower effortlessly creates thousands of bubbles. Simple for kids to use themselves, or a real lung saviour if you’re being asked for ‘more, more!’. Comes complete with battery and 118ml of bubble mix to get you started.

Want to take the bubble fun into the artistic realm? Add a little food colouring to bubble mix and carefully blow bubbles onto white paper. They’ll splatter to make unique and interesting shapes. Just make sure everyone’s in old clothes and you’re prepared for a little mess!

Take off!

“Let’s go fly a kite!
Up to the highest height!”

Not just a favourite with Mary Poppins’ charges, kite flying is a fascinating way for all children to enjoy outdoor play. There’s the challenge of getting the kite airborne, following it in the sky and then controlling its movements. Kites are a wonderful way to teach responsibility, co-operation, dexterity and motor skills, as well as an introduction to physics and aerodynamics!

And this Octopus Kite is a great place to start. Our customers have dubbed it the ‘no parents required kite’ as it’s so easy to fly and will often self launch from the ground. So it’s especially suitable for little ones (over three). With a single fibreglass bow, it’s robust and durable – strong enough to withstand its fair share of tumbles.

Chalk it Up

From murals to hopscotch grids and oversized noughts and crosses, there’s no limit to the amazing works of art that Pavement Chalk can create. And it makes colourful fun of learning too, including spelling when writing messages, counting on the hopscotch grid and shape recognition games.

Plus there’s very little clean up. Simply wash away with the hose, or wait for the rain to come and reveal a clean canvas. Ideal!

Our new Crayola Rainbow Rake adds a fun new twist on this classic favourite. Each of the five prongs is loaded with a different coloured chalk stick for multi-coloured creativity. So get set to colour your world!

These are just some of the toys that we love for heading outdoors during spring. For more inspiration, visit us in store or online where we have a wonderful variety of ideas to suit every child.

What are your outdoor play favourites? We’d love to know what you would add to the list!

Until next time,

The Love to Learn Team.

Xx