After the summer months, many children might find themselves feeling nervous about going back to school after months of building their confidence through various activities they usually don’t attend during term time. They’ve made new friends and learned new skills at exciting summer clubs, and have not seen their class and teachers for a while. The benefits of outdoor play for kids are many and undeniable. Understandably, it is easier to motivate children to spend time outside during the warm summer months. Still, we are here to help you with confidence-building toys for children to support their development when school returns after the break.
Building Independence & Problem-Solving
You might have heard of the “Helicopter Parent”, the parents who are over-protective of their kids, fixated with the notion of making sure they don’t experience disappointment of any kind, never allowing them to take risks in case they end up hurt. Of course, it is essential to ensure our kids are safe and protected, but sometimes this can be taken too far. Many kids today are constantly being corrected instead of allowed to learn from their mistakes. They are not allowed to test and expand their own limits, and therefore, their personal growth is slow, leading to low self-esteem and the feeling of being unable to do anything correctly.
Part of children's development is learning and testing boundaries. Learning to solve problems on their own, building confidence, and a sense of accomplishment are all very crucial aspects of growing up. Surveys today are showing that 77% of Generation Z have brought their parents to a job interview at least once. Although it is essential that children and young adults feel supported and can rely on their parents, we should also help them from an early age to trust in their own capabilities and grow their independence safely.
So how can we support young kids in finding their confidence? Take a step back, let them explore the world with you, watching from the sidelines without having to hold their hands. If they are playing on a wooden swing set with a climbing wall, they will move up the wall step by step if it frightens them. On the first day, they may explore the climbing rocks, learn how they feel, and gradually start climbing higher as they become more confident. This is part of their journey, and if you are there watching them, you’ll see their pride when they reach the top on their own.
If your little ones are interested in kids' ride-on cars, you can introduce them to driving while at first using the parent remote control. Still, they will love the opportunity to learn how to manoeuvre the electric car themselves. Just find a safe, open space where they can explore freely.
As they get more confident in driving, you may expand on their driving skills using a drift go-kart for kids. They are slightly faster with a 24v battery, and the driving becomes more thrilling, but with more skills needed to drift around cones, for example.
We grow as we learn from mistakes. If we are not getting the chance to make them, we lose the chance to problem-solve and become better versions of ourselves.
Growing Social Confidence
The summer is an excellent opportunity for children to establish new friendships while travelling with the family or simply spending extra time in the swing park. It is what the summer is for—taking advantage of the dry, light and warm days by spending as much time outdoors as possible. It is excellent for our mental health through vitamin D and fresh air, but you are also much more likely to bump into people, both friends and like-minded individuals, than if you are sitting inside your own house.
When kids meet up to play outdoors, they often develop teamwork skills through the different games they might come up with. There are usually a large number of children of various ages and capabilities, learning to play and share a space.
If you are looking for outdoor play benefits after summer holidays, consider a garden trampoline for your kids to share. Even better, invite the neighbours' kids in for a bounce! As the recommendations for trampoline jumping are one-at-a-time, this is an excellent opportunity for kids to work on their social confidence through turn-taking. Or why not a 2-seater ride-on car where they take turns being the driver and passenger, and together they can build on a roleplay scenario where, for example, they are doing the school drop off together.
Physical achievements boost self-esteem.
As mentioned earlier, kids thrive from achievement, and learning new skills helps them grow, allowing them to feel a strong sense of pride. Outdoor play helps with child development physically by improving skills such as strength through activities like climbing and swinging, using wooden swing sets with slides and climbing walls. Toys that boost children’s confidence are essential as they grow. They all help them mentally to believe in themselves and their capabilities.
Suppose we allow them to take risks while learning new skills. In that case, they will build resilience and grow up being able to handle disappointment and mistakes more effectively – A way of preparing them for the real world. In this world, we will not always be able to protect them from failure, no matter how much we would like to. Kids might struggle to swing on their own, but with practice, they will eventually learn the skill. However, they will never know if we never allow them to try.
Creating Family Bonding Moments
You have probably heard it time and time again: children won’t necessarily remember specific toys they got growing up; they will remember special moments with their family. More than anything, they cherish the times their parents spend quality time with them.
Although I just said they prefer time spent over toys given, you can always utilise garden toys for kids to maximise the fun during your quality time! If they are struggling to settle back into school after the summer holidays, they might really benefit from family time on garden trampolines for kids. Take turns creating challenges for each other, bounce away the worries, and watch them get emotionally regulated while getting exercise and fresh air.
Or have them just lying, swinging on an XL nest swing while talking through their school and emotions around it. Some other practical tips for parents include ensuring that any mobile devices are switched off and allowing your children to feel heard and seen. Even if it is just 10-15 minutes before the mad rush with dinners, clubs, and bedtimes starting, they will benefit massively from the time you spend with them. If you struggle to come up with outdoor play ideas for children, I’m sure that your kids will be happy for you to follow their lead!
Conclusion
It is our job to support our kids in building confidence and believing in their own capabilities, enabling them to grow. The fastest way to do this is by allowing them to make mistakes, as this is how we can improve. By letting them explore outdoor toys, such as swinging higher, climbing faster, taking more accurate bends when driving, and landing more difficult tricks on the trampoline, they will build their confidence and feel a stronger sense of pride if they manage to do it independently. The best outdoor toys for kids in 2025 can be found here on our website, featuring a range of different types of cars for kids of various ages and abilities, as well as other shapes and sizes of trampolines and high-quality wooden swing sets to spend quality family time on for years to come. The best UK outdoor toys for active kids are the ones you can use at any time in your own garden!
