The Most Entertaining and Fun Toys to Keep Little Boys Occupied
In today’s world of technology, instant entertainment comes at the touch of a screen. While this is convenient, it can sometimes make it difficult to tear young children away from the screens for some hands-on-play. Experts tell us that while screen time has increased tremendously for all age groups in recent years, the age of usage has also dramatically decreased. Recent studies have shown that children at ages as young as two are watching screens for more than four times the AAP-recommended 1 hour per day and that higher averages of screen time were linked to poorer scores on developmental tests for children who were tested at 5 years old.
This underscores the importance of playing in ways that don’t involve screens. So what are the best toys for 5-year-old boys to lure them away from the screens?
Outside Toys to Take Away the Tablets
While in the past, children used to race out the door on weekends and after school to play, today’s children tend to race to their tablets, televisions, and smartphones. Kids’ programming and video games have taken the place of tree-climbing and exploring the outdoors.
Obstacle Courses for the Yard
One of the best types of toys for 5-year-old boys to induce them away from the tablet is outdoor obstacle courses. Not only do these provide a fun outdoor activity, but they are also great for improving or enhancing gross motor control. The obstacle course is simply strung between two trees or poles and includes seven obstacles, such as rope grips, monkey bars, climbing ropes with knotted footholds, spinning wheels and gymnastics-style rings. The height of the obstacles can often be adjusted as a child grows, making this a long-lasting outdoor toy to take 5-year-olds away from the tablets.
Handheld Radios
Handheld radios are also great for outdoor play for children. Young children will have fun using walkie-talkies to talk to each other while they play outside, while the simple back and forth technology inspires all sorts of creative games.
Stomp Rockets
Stomp rockets are another fun outdoor toy for 5-year-old boys—and girls won’t want to miss out on the fun either. These mini rockets are easily launched up to 100 feet in the air when children run and take a big jump on the launch pad. The rockets glow in the dark, so the fun can last into the evening. Not only are these rockets fun and as addictive as screens, but they also get young children running and jumping!
Indoor Toys to Peel Away the iPad
If you haven’t heard of a balance board, you don’t have young children. Or maybe you’ve heard of it, but had no idea that this simple toy is one of the best toys for 5-year-old boys to play with indoors. Balance boards are typically a non-slip board on a roller. Children attempt to balance by keeping a foot on each side of the board and balancing. Not only is this a fun and addictive challenge, but it also builds core muscle strength and improves coordination.
Nesting Toys
Nesting toys including items such as boxes, cups, and balls are great toys for encouraging some physical activity while toddlers and young children play indoors. You can find nice sets with real wood nesting boxes and multiple bouncy rubber balls. By following the setup suggestions on the boxes, a large variety of games can be created with the goal of bouncing the ball into boxes in various ways. The options are infinite, and the challenge is as addictive as a video game, but actually improves hand/eye coordination and cognitive skills.
Pretend Microscopes
Another one of the best toys for 5-year-old boys and girls is the toy microscope. Easy-to-use children's microscopes can be found that come with multiple pre-filled slides for children to examine. In some toys, when the slides are inserted, a voice narrates and delivers fun and engaging information about the slides. Children can learn and explore, and even quiz themselves while playing with this fun and educational microscope which brings out the budding scientist in every child.
Fort-Building Sets
Remember before there were video games, children entertained themselves indoors on rainy days by building forts? Well, one of the best toys for 5-year-old boys to tear them away from the TV is a modern take on a classic: the fort. You can purchase a collection of rods that are easily inserted into connecting balls to form structures. Then simply drape a bedsheet over the frame your child created and the result is instant fort-fun!
Experts in early childhood development tell us we can’t underestimate the importance of creative play and open-ended imaginative games for young children. This means that providing your 5-year-old boy with some of the best toys for 5-year-old boys to put a stop to the overuse of screens can significantly improve both cognition and motor skills—and show them the old-fashioned pleasures of play.
Resources— Thingamagift.com, Moms.com, WebMD
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