I found SO MANY great back to school outfits for my kids this year at Walmart so when they reached out to see if I wanted to partner again to share my kids’ current favorite toys I didn’t hesitate. Some of the toys I’m sharing are old favorites and others are new to our crew. I always find it helpful to hear from other moms what toys actually get a lot of reuse – not just tossed into a corner after a few days.
For reference my boys are 6 (almost 7) and 4. We spend a lot of time at home and they’re not very interested in organized sports yet. So I’m highlighting the toys they’ve enjoyed the most inside and outside the house this summer.
Rather than purchasing a lot of little trinket type toys in dollar bins when we run errands this summer, we invested in a couple higher priced toys that our kids will use regularly for YEARS. I didn’t sign the kids up for camps or activities this summer so instead we put most of our childcare budget towards things that would occupy them at home.
Walmart has toys for every age and price point, but I’m not big on clutter, so I try to be conscious of buying things that will withstand the test of time. We have been blessed with lots of hand me downs so when we do buy new I want it to be things we can pass to other kids when we outgrow the toy. Check out all of Walmart’s newest toys here.
Legos
I much prefer the a Lego “creativity set” to the specific character or vehicle buildings sets. My kids love both. The reason I prefer the loose variety of Legos is that we tend to lose pieces for the character building sets so my kids only end up using those Legos a couple times. They use the creativity set several days a week and build all sorts of habitats and vehicles with the same blocks.
Cam used to be more into Paw Patrol toys but this summer he shifted to liking Legos a bit more often.
Water Bounce House
You might be thinking “summer is over, why would I need a water bounce house” but my kids used their water bounce house even more without water than with it. I had worried it would not dry out well and get covered with mildew. In order to avoid this, after we dump the water out we reinflate the bounce house in the sun and it dries out perfectly. If you have high ceilings this is something you can use indoors in the winter too! I love that the “water” bounce house gives you the option to use it both wet and dry.
I bought our exact bounce house from Walmart.com because they had the lowest price I could find it for online. It’s out of stock at the moment but here are two others:
Bikes
Both of my kids’ bikes are from Walmart. They were very affordable and have held up great to the wear and tear of young boys. Mac (who is 6) recently learned to ride a two-wheeler on this bike, and Cam has this Spiderman bike.
Swing Set
We practically live on top of our neighbors and they have a swing set similar to this one and my kids have been using it for YEARS!! If you have younger kids and don’t have easy access to a swing set I think they’re a great investment. I love that this one doesn’t have a sand box because the neighborhood cat mistakes the sandbox portion of the swing set for his litter box on occasion.
Games
Since Cam is only 4 we choose a lot of our games around him so he can feel included. He loves this Toy Story themed KerPlunk game. It is under $20 so if you’re heading on a vacation consider sending it to yourself at the place you’re going. It occupies the kids for quite awhile.
They also love to play Uno. Uno just came out with a newer version called “Uno Flip” that includes a new twist in the rules. Mac understands how to play Uno but Cam isn’t quite there yet.
As for adults games – Chris and I played recently played “Charty Party” at a friend’s house and it was SO FUN! It’s like a PG-13 version of “Cards Against Humanity”. We filtered out several cards that were more “adult” humor because Mac really wanted to play and he loved it too.
Ride On Toys
Saved the best for last!! Like I said, I prefer to save up for larger items rather than buy lots of little character toys along the way. Our neighborhood is over the moon about the addition of this ride-on tank (150 lb. weight limit). You see my kids are still in pajamas because they woke up at 6:30 today (Saturday) to ride this tank which is exclusive to Walmart.
This tank has a working cannon and multiple speeds! My kids love that they can ride in it together. I love that this tank only hits 5 mph so when they hit the pedal, I don’t hit the panic button.
Toys My Kids Purchased With Their Money
We let our kids earn money through various chores and jobs and here are the things they purchased with their own money. Cam in particular is your typical 4 year old impulse buyer.
Mac – Magic Tracks, Chenille Knitting Yarn (not a toy, but he wanted to learn how to hand knit this summer)
Cam – Treasure X Dig Toys, Joker Figure
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I’d love to hear what toys have remained popular in your house!
Thank you to Walmart for sponsoring this post.
