Choose active play toys with the child's age, size and abilities in mind, and look for products that are rustproof, smoothly finished, sturdy and well-balanced. For toys that are especially effective in sparking all three areas of development, you might want to look at the growing number of plastic play equipment sets marketed by toy manufacturers. These brightly coloured units are tough enough to withstand every bit of the active and imaginative play they invite, from one child alone or a group of kids together. No anchorage of any type is required to ensure their stability, and this factor, coupled with their lightweight modular plastic construction, makes them extremely portable. In most cases, the kids themselves can shift the unit from place to place outside.
Chlorine bleach rids plastic of unpleasant odours.
If you decide to move a large piece of play equipment indoors for the winter, make sure you have an even larger play space available, with adequate head room and a carpeted floor surface, several layers thick if possible. Expect to supervise play even more closely indoors than you do outside to ensure safe fun. We're sure you'll be pleased with the way in which these large play units provide an outlet not only for excess physical energy but for flights of imaginative fancy as well. Other toys encourage active indoor play for older children. And, once spring rolls around again, remember to reintroduce those traditional items that are available year after year - skipping ropes, marbles, jacks, and sidewalk chalk for hopscotch.