With health agencies around the globe advising of the impending upsurge of childhood obesity there has never been a more important time to encourage your kids to follow healthy, happy and energetic lives. In the past encouraging kids was not a complex job, with set hours of kid's television, no electronic based games and a selection of council run parks and playgrounds kids would naturally meet with other children and participate in active and energetic games. With this wide selection of activities inside the home motivating your child to go outdoors can be a serious battle that needs to be tackled whilst the child is still young. Once your youngster is able to toddle they should be shown the fun that can be found through energetic outdoor pursuits and help to form healthy habits for the future. It is sad that in today's society a great many parents are worried about children playing outside away from the house and that many council recreation parks and playgrounds have been closed in recent years. The perfect solution in this case is to have outdoor toys and play equipment they can use in their own garden with other children and family.

The days of taking a bat and ball outside are arguably long forgotten with media aware kids wanting an outdoor toy that can contend with a Nintendo game. Happily todays outdoor toy market is enormous with a toy for all children and prices for all pockets. However prior to spending any cash on toys you could try a little education and try to engage kids in simple outdoor games from yesteryear such as British Bulldogs, Kick The Can or Rounders all of which require little or no play equipment to play and are extremely energetic.

If you are looking to purchase a selection oftoys to stimulate your child in outdoor play then there are some fantastic toys out there to stimulate your kid's imagination. Sandpits are a perfect choice for toddlers kids. Almost any youngster can benefit from playing in a sandbox and additionally learn important motor skills as they scoop, construct or even just run their fingers through the sand. Clearly very small toddlers do have a tendency to want to place toys in their mouths so a watchful eye is vital in the early years. Sandboxes have also changed over the years from the ugly cheap plastic 'shell' shape popular in the eighties and you find a selection of products including quality wooden sandboxes, sandpit tables where kids can sit on a bench to play in the sand, and even moveable sandpits that can be stored in the garage or shed when not being used. One thing to watch when buying sand for your sandbox is to buy designated 'play sand' that has been washed and treated to remove staining clay components and to ensure it clean and gentle to a child's. One more benefit of selecting a wooden sandbox is that once the kids have outgrown it you can utilise it as an attractive raised flowerbed and reclaim your garden!

A new addition to the British outdoor toy range have been wooden climbing frames or 'Swingsets' from Northern America. These superb structures are normally constructed from redwood or cedar wood and range from simple slides and swings to multilevel play centres costing thousands of pounds. These timber climbing frames come in two varieties; modular or pre-boxed. Boxed climbing frames from manufacturers including Adventure Playsets provide a single climbing frame that will have everything you require to build it in the box and lets anybody with simple DIY skills to build a quality wooden climbing frame. Modular playcentres such as those from Rainbow Play Systems and Backyard Adventures empower the buyer to choose elements that fit together to create their exclusive custom set up. The main differences are quality and price. The boxed swingsets cost from three hundred pounds - three thousand pounds in contrast the modular swingsets are two thousand pounds - £25000+. The modular swingsets do tend to be of a superior standard and have wider ranging warranties. The other important thing is that boxed swingsets are designed to be installed by the parent whereas modular sets are normally erected by dedicated erection teams trained by the manufacturer. With ten or fifteen year warranties you can be sure that whichever type you choose your swingset will easily outlive your kid's childhood years.

If your finances are much more modest than that of a wooden climbing frame then don't worry there are outdoor toys that can have kids playing actively that cost less than a fiver. If the sun starts to shine a basic waterpistol is enough to encourage the kids charging about the garden after one another using up calories and producing strong bodies.

This is just the tip of the iceberg with many alternative toys to stimulate your kids to play actively outdoors that I don't have room to discuss. Hopefully though this feature will help to stimulate your desire in getting the youngsters off the Playstation and into the back garden and help make your kids future much healthier and happier