What outdoor play equipment should I get my child?

Most parents and carers love the idea of encouraging active play outside. It can be imaginative and sociable, as well as great for physical development and fitness. 

But outdoor playsets aren’t always cheap. How do you know which to choose, to make sure your child loves their new equipment? Well, here at Landscapes for Learning we are experts in outdoor play, so we’ve compiled a list of our best-selling outdoor playsets, to give you some food for thought! 

All aboard: The Tug Boat

Let imaginations run wild as children become sailors, pirates and fishermen aboard this hardwearing seacraft. Watch them fabricate their own imaginary worlds within this Tug Boat set, and sail the high seas! At four metres long, it’s plenty big enough for all the crew! 

Take the schoolroom outside: Willow Tree Outdoor Classroom

The Willow Tree Outdoor Classroom is a Forest School staple. Less of an imagination prompt and more of a covered space for outdoor learning, this 5m x 5m heavy-duty timber classroom provides valuable shelter from the elements, whilst allowing the outdoor setting to remain useable for all the kids.

An all-in-one play experience: Adventure Castle

The Adventure Castle comprises two six-foot towers, railed and roofed, linked by an eight foot long rope bridge. Two wave slides, 1 set of routed steps, a five foot armoured rope cargo net and five foot rock wall with positive rock holds, as well as reinforced steps, a turret hideout and added fun such as telescope, steering wheel, periscope and pirate’s steering wheel all come together to make for a fun-fueled, imagination-igniting play set which will be enjoyed by all ages for many years. 

Glorious Mud: Mud Kitchen

Another Forest School staple, the Mud Kitchen provides a stimulating sensory experience for especially preschool and early years children. Watch children engage all their senses and develop fine and gross motor skills by cooking up mud recipes, serving each other special mud dishes, creating items for the mud cafe menu and generally creating an exciting imaginary space in which to thrive.

Smaller playsets

At home, larger play sets aren’t often feasible. We’ve outlined some of our favourite domestic garden-friendly products below:

For agility: the balance beam

This 1.2 metre-long balance beam is brilliant to help little ones acquire better balance and agility, and remains fun through the years as they become more confident in their use of it, turning it into an obstacle or piece of gymnastics equipment!

For older kids: the mini toolkit

This scaled-down version of a real carpenter’s toolkit is a great way for kids to practice making things with their hands, develop fine motor skills and instill in them the true value of being able to confidently work with their hands. Contents vary, but include items such as a miniature saw, plane, screwdriver and mallet.

For role play and imagination: the mini mud kitchen

A scaled down version of the larger mud kitchen listed above, this mini mud kitchen offers the perfect prompt for tiny chefs to spur their imaginations and whip up something ‘tasty’ from their mud menu!

Here at Landscapes for Learning, we are passionate about outdoor play and its benefits for kids. Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss our equipment, or bespoke designs, today!