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42 Amazing Toys for Active Kids

If you are looking for the best kids for active kids, or want some toys that will help encourage your kids to be active, you’ve come to the right place!

As a mom of five kids (three of them early-rising, super high energy boys) I am very familiar with the need to find good ways for your active kids wiggle, burn off energy and have fun! 

I remember when it started to get cold outside and my oldest was a little over a year old. After spending summer and fall outside at parks, riding scooters and bikes and running off every blessed bit of energy I was having a hard time imagining him INSIDE FOR THE WINTER?! What in the world was I going to do with him all day? 

17 years (and four energetic kids) later, I’m here to share with you my favorite gift ideas for those little ones with BIG energy. These are toys for active kids that provide lasting fun, are good for many ages, and will get a lot of use!

Whether you are looking for Christmas gifts for active kids, birthday gifts for high energy kids, or a great toy so you don’t lose your mind during the winter, let’s cross a few gifts for wiggle-worms off your list!

This post contains affiliate links. This means, if I will get paid a small commission (at no cost to you!) if you purchase products through my links. I always try to recommend products I have personal experience with and LOVE. I also read reviews and ratings to make sure that I am offering up the best possible gift option for you. You can read more in my full disclosure.

The best climbing and sliding toys for active kids

There is something about climbing up and then sliding down that every kid just adores. And our slide usually ends up with dolls, stuffed animals, and dinosaurs zooming down as well! Little Tikes slides are durable andI love that this one folds up!

Another great toy for active kids is this sofa/bed slide. It has no stairs but kids will turning every room into their own playground.

A Pikler Triangle is such an awesome toy for active kids! They can move the ramp up or down and climb on the other side.

The Funphix Climbing Gyms toy is fun for two reasons…first you can build them and then you can climb on them! I love that this climbing toy can be completely customized to your space AND your child’s abilities. This comes with 80 tubes, 56 connectors, 160 screws and 2 keys. You can purchase platforms separately. Another bonus is the ability you have take it apart and store it in a bin. Sweet! 

The Grow-n-Learn Tunnel Climber has five pieces of medium density foam. What I love about this set is that it has both a taller and sturdier tunnel as well as a slide and stairs. These options will help this climbing toy last for years!

Pikler Arch is another wonderful climbing toy for active kids. This is closer to the ground, but still allows your kids to climb over and down. The arch can also be flipped upside down and used as a rocker. This climbing toy DOES have to be assembled, but reviewers mentioned that it is quite easy. You can also purchase a bundle with a Pikler Arch and a slide attachment. 

The Best Jumping and Bouncing gifts for active kids

Bounce house: This is hands down the best gift Santa ever brought to our house. It is small enough that it fits in our family room and it stays inside always (I don’t want leaves, grass or dirt on it!). We pull out the bouncy house ALL THE TIME and all of my kids love to play on it! and this was the BIG present for my kids one year.

Balance Stepping Stones: This is another toy that gets a ton of use at our house. The height is hard to see in this product picture, but the tallest Stone is pretty tall!  This comes with 9 stones for jumping, leaping and balancing. These are awesome because they inspire imaginative play, are great for balance and coordination, and stack inside of each other for easy storage. Our stones have been volcanoes in dinosaur play, been landing spots for musical chair type games, and have created awesome obstacle courses! These are sturdy, but made of smooth rubber and have rubber backing so they don’t slide.  My kids will just set them up and try to get across them by jumping. I just love these things!

Bounce Toys: I’m sorry, these are the most adorable things ever! And with a toddler on them?! When my one-year-old holds onto her blue horse’s ears and bounces I take like 40 zillion pictures. There are even hoppers for bigger kids and hopping balls for TEENS! Hoppers are super fun to play with indoors on carpet, or outdoors and are perfect for helping active kids get their energy out. 

Pogo balls combine balance and jumping! Get yourself balanced on the ball and then hop up and down. Older kids can try and do it while jump roping. A super fun activity (I had one growing up!)

A smaller trampoline for indoors is another great gift for active kids. This 84” trampoline works great inside if you have space for it. This is definitely for younger kids…my 9, 7 and 5 year olds use it almost every day, but it isn’t bouncy or big enough for my 13 and 16 year olds.  It is great for kids to exercise and get their wiggles out. We love ours!

Oh my goodness, this crash pad is amazing (with 900+ five star reviews!!) This is a giant pad that your active kids can jump dive and CRASH into and that isn’t your couch cushions! 

The best swinging toys and gifts for active kids

Indoor Play Gym:  This is one of the best (and most used) gifts we ever purchased. We have ours hung in the doorway of our playroom and my kids swing on it all.the.time.  This hooks into your doorway (without screws) and has a swing, a ladder, a trapeze bar, rings and a swinging rope! AND it holds up to 300 pounds (so if the doorway height isn’t an issue much older kids can actually use this!). My 16-year-old also uses it for chin-ups. It is super easy to install and change out the different pieces

Yoga Hammock : Now stay with me here for a second. HAHA! This gift will require some DIY to make a spot that the yoga hammock can hang from. These are very similar to what are called “therapy swings,” which are used for kids with autism as a way to calm them down.  This Yoga Hammock comes in so many cool colors, is made from soft silk-like fabric and when paired with this Yoga Bar you can simply  hang it in your doorway. There are other kits that include the two caribinirs  (don’t forget to order two!) and two daisy chains (don’t forget to buy two!) that you will need to hang this, but it is less expensive to add these items to this particular hammock. Remember, if you get this for kids make sure they have a soft landing underneath, and are being properly supervised!

There are so many different swings available, but these rounds swings are my kids’ favorites. Partially because most of my kids can get on them at the same time! 

A vortex spinning ring swing looks like a wonderful toy if you have space for it! This thing seats four people and can swing and spin! The bad news is it doesn’t work for just one child (it tips!) so buy this if you have more than one active kid that needs a gift. 😉

A SWURFER stand-up swing not only has a catchy name, but it also is a unique and active swing option for your kids. It is a stand up swing with handles. Kids will LOVE this thing!

A combo gymnastics bar/swing set for inside makes a great gift for active kids who love to swing! This also folds up for easier storage and is relatively inexpensive.

The Best Balance Boards and Balance Toys for active kids

Wooden Balance board: There are quite a few variations of balance boards, but the basics are that your wiggle worm will be using their core to balance on a wobbly surface while having tons of fun. The first balance board is for younger kids.

This more advanced balance board is great for older tweens and teens. They will love sliding back and forth (and can pretend they are catching a wave!) This was a whole family gift that we keep in our family room. It is great to have there because while watching tv my kids will hop on it and balance themselves.

The Spooner board  is great for kids of all ages (including tweens and teens!) It’s like a skateboard without wheels. Kids can practice jumps, twists and have tons of fun inside! We have two of these at our house that get used ALL.THE.TIME. 

These Dino balancing stilts come in a pack of four so your kids and their pals can stomp around.

For kids, (ages 4+) who are a little more daring, these adjustable height stilts would be great option to help your child develop core strength and balance.

The Razor RipStik is a HUGE hit at my house! It only has two wheels, and you wiggle your feet to propel yourself forward. It takes some coordination and balance but is a really fun and challenging skateboard for active kids.


Other fun gifts and toys for active kids

 Parachute: Everyone remembers playing with the parachute in gym class, don’t you? My favorite was when we lifted it up in unison and sat down while putting it behind our backs to make a giant parachute igloo, ah-mazing! Now, these play parachutes are only 10 feet across, so not quite big enough for a giant igloo, but fun nonetheless! I would recommend adding some ball pit balls to this gift, throw them on top and oooweee it is a blast! We’ve also thrown stuffed animals and, umm, popcorn on top (try and catch it in your mouth, it’s hard! haha!) I love the versatility of this gift and also how compactly it can fold away…super easy to store! 

Ball Pit: Since you already bought ball pit balls to go on top of the parachute your high-energy kids will also enjoy this ball pit! This fancy foam ball pit makes a stylish addition to your active child’s bedroom or playroom. There are also beautifully colored ball pit balls.

Stomp Rockets: We’ve gone through our fair share off stomp rockets but this double rocket set is the best by far! It is way more stable and durable and two kids can play at once. Not only can kids jump on it, but then they run to catch their rocket. Way fun (and doable indoors if you have high ceilings). 

Laser Tag is one of the best games to get your kids moving. What I love about this set is that the targets are on the front of the guns…so no clips or vests necessary. This is a set of four guns, and has great reviews! This would be a fun gift for active kids and their friends OR for your family!

Juggling Balls: Juggling is an active hobby that kids of all ages (even teens and adults) will love.

Counting Jump Rope: Kids 5 and up can get out energy and try and beat their previous jumping record with this counting jump rope!

The Best Active Games for Kids

Ultra Dash can be played by only one kid OR more, and involves them running around and putting the stick into the appropriately colored stand. I love that kids can try and beat their own time and that they practice their colors (for the littles).

Here is a Red Light Green Light game your kids can play while you get things done! It has amazing reviews and would be a fun way to run, crawl and sneak to the target (it has motion sensors!) 

Wizards and Werewolves is an outdoor group game that involves LED lights. it is a mix between tag and hide and seek…so much fun!

Active Chutes and Ladders will have your active kiddos squatting, doing jumping jacks and hopping to the finish line.

Ribbon Ninja Game: Fat Brain Toys are some of our FAVORITES and this new Ribbon Ninja game is definitely going to be under the tree this year. It’s kind of like flag football without the football. Each player has three colored ribbons attached to their wrist and everyone battles to grab each other’s ribbons. Simple and FUN!

Xtreme Egg Toss: This toy is adorable and fun for kids! It has a sensor inside and depending on how you toss and catch, noises will let you know if you “cracked the egg.” I love that kids can play this by themselves OR with friends! (It also turns off automatically which is a plus!).

Dancing and Music Toys for Active Kids

Our Amazon Echo devices are an amazing (and surprising) way to get active kids moving! Not only can your child play music, but they can also use Amazon Skills like The Incredibles Trainer which is a game that has them running like Dash, stretching like Elastagirl and jumping like JackJack. 

Portable CD Player + Dance CDs I know it seems old fashioned but kids LOVE to have their own special source of music! Grab a CD player plus a few dance CDs and you and your active kids can dance and dance.

This bluetooth enabled Dance Mat doesn’t require screens PLUS helps get your kid moving! It also folds up when not in use.

Piano Mat: Your active kids will have so much fun creating music with this giant step-on piano keyboard! It is colorful, can be folded up, and includes song cards so your kids can play actual songs!

LED Disco Light Bluetooth Speaker You can connect any bluetooth smart phone or device and play music. The lights react to the beat of the music. Your kids will love the extra excitement for their home dance party!

Ribbon wands with bells: These beautiful ribbon wands have bells attached. Your kids will love to twirl and jingle and it will also be SO sweet to watch!

I hope that these gifts for active kids ( most of which have been used and loved by my five active kids!) have sparked some inspiration for you!

Happy Gifting!

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More Kid Gift Ideas

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Whether you have a kid with a ton of energy or are looking for toys and gifts that will keep your child more active during the long winter months, here are 15 amazing gift ideas for active kids! #thegiftygirl #giftideas #giftideasforkids #giftsforboys #giftsforgirls #activegifts #childhoodunplugged #giftsforkidsinthewinter

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Molly

Wednesday 26th of December 2018

Hi, thank u for your nice ideas My kids are big now 11_13 and 9 Any other information games that can make them busy and release their high energy plz

Thank u

Sabby

Sunday 27th of May 2018

I need all of these! Thanks for the great ideas!

Jenelle

Tuesday 8th of November 2016

Awesome list! We all have one!

The Gifty Girl

Thursday 10th of November 2016

Haha, right Jenelle?! As I wrote that I thought, is there such a thing as a non high-energy kid? But maybe there are some mellow kiddos, they just aren't related to me! I'm glad you liked the list, thanks for leaving a comment!

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