Play is not only fun but is an essential part of learning, and playing picnics and tea parties can teach a child colours (what’s that cake colour?), counting (set up four plates and 8 cups!) and sharing too! You don’t need to be out and about on a picnic either – our recommended best kids picnic toys are perfect for the garden or even indoors if the weather isn’t great.
As a kid I was a huge fan of the teddy bears picnic and learnt so much from playing tea parties with my dolls and little friends. So here are my best kids picnic toys for inspiring imaginative play and learning through having fun.
My favourite kids picnic bench has to be this colourful and practical option from Costaway. It’s collapsable for easy storage, and has a parasol to protect delicate skin from the sun. The rainbow colours are sure to appeal to your little one, and it looks cute and colourful in any garden! Of course, not everyone likes wood, and for a more durable option this Oylpa children’s picnic bench is just as colourful, but make of resilient and easily wipeable waterproof plastic – again it has a handy parasol!
If you’ve already got a shady area and are just looking for a kids picnic bench on its own they you really can’t go wrong with this Marko Outdoor children’s picnic table. It’s sturdy, bright, and receives consistent 5 star reviews! There are handy little containers in the side perfect for pens or small toys if your children want to draw or play outdoors, and a pre-cut home for a parasol if you want to add one at a later date.
Looking for a multi-purpose kid’s picnic table? This great kids picnic table from renowned outdoor toy and equipment brand Plum has a hidden compartment that can be used as a sandpit, or as storage!
If you’re looking for an all in one play and picnic table solution then I’d also like to throw the Smoby playhouse and Fun Centre into the mix! For ages two and up this is a kids picnic bench, playhouse, climbing frame and slide all rolled into one – and it even comes with a football goal and a basketball hoop.
Of course, there are times where it would be great to have a kids picnic table that you can take along on picnics with you too! Depending on the size of your car you might be able to get away with this sturdy plastic collapsible bench from Lifetime, available in three great (and bright!) colourways! It’s lightweight, easy to clean and collapses flat for transport or storage.
Oh – and just a final mention as I absolutely can’t resist! Bringing back nostalgic feelings of my dolls and teddy bear picnics is this (as I call it) Teddy Bears’ Picnic Bench from BigJigs Toys. Do you remember the Teddy Bears’ Picnic rhyme? All together now…”Today’s the day the teddy bears have their picnic!”
Best Kids Picnic Chair
Gary’s car has a good bit of boot room, but mine not so much as it’s a small hatchback! So what I normally do is throw the collapsible chairs we usually take camping with us into the car.
When it comes to the best kids picnic chairs I recommend the Mountain Warehouse children’s picnic chairs, they’re an excellent balance of quality and value! Emily (of course!) has the pink version with unicorns, and as Gary’s a bit of a VW fan he picked up this cute retro VW camper version to have as a spare, so there’s always a kids’ picnic chair on hand for Emily’s friends.
Best Kids Picnic Toys
Keeping with the theme of the Teddy Bears’ Picnic how adorable is this teddy bear tea set from Tobar? With 17 pieces it comes in a cute mini wicker picnic basket. It’s not suitable for smaller children as the pieces are quite small, but for the slightly older ones it’s a delightful addition to their doll or teddy bear picnic or tea party!
When it comes to toddler picnic toys I heartily recommend the Leapfrog Shapes and Sharing Picnic Basket. It comes in pink or yellow, and is suitable for six months and up. Emily got so much fun out of her one! As you’d expect from Leapfrog it’s interactive and educational, helping teach colours, shape-sorting, manners and turn taking and lots more.
I have to say though I do love a good old traditional tin toy picnic set! I’ve been trying to find a similar one to Emily to the one I had as a child and the closest I’ve seen is this Vintage Rose kids tea set from the fabulous Sass and Belle. The problem you’ll have here is choosing which one to buy, as there are some super-cute designs on offer – the Sloth and Friends or Farmyard Friends design to name but two! The company also do a sweet little bear-themed camping cooking toy set which is a great add-on!
Best Kids Play Food
Of course no teddy bears picnic or dolls tea party would be complete without some fun plastic picnic food to serve up. I ADORE the 71pcs TEMI Pretend Play Food for Kids. This includes a birthday cake and candles, fruits and sweets to eat or decorate the cake with and cutlery. And for more fun playtime picnic food I think the Buyger Pretend Play Food Set with Tray Hamburger Hotdog Fries is a super buy. It also adds another playtime scenario for running a fast food shop etc.
More Fun Kids Picnic Toys
Lastly, I’d like to share some of my favourite kids picnic toys that the whole family can enjoy! I absolutely have to mentions the Twister Picnic Blanket – I wrote about it not too long ago in my article about my favourite quirky picnic blankets! The Twister Picnic Blanket is fully functioning picnic blanket with the iconic game board printed on it, and a miniature Twister key-ring spinner. PS…there’s also a great blanket for a teddy bear’s picnic mentioned in the article!
I’m a big fan of traditional outdoor games and when I saw this Tin Can Alley game I knew I had to get it for our picnics. Combining two games in one, it’s simple, fun and comes with its own cotton carry bag – it fairly brings out the friendly competition in me and Gary when we play!
You also can’t beat a good old game of frisbee – we’ve always got an Aerobie Sprint Ring (and more lately the Aerobie Orbiter Boomerang) in our picnic and camping gear. Just a word of warning, watch out for friendly and over-enthusiastic doggies in the vicinity – they’re just as much fun for dogs as they are for humans!
I hope this has helped give you a few ideas for the best kids’ picnic toys and best kids’ picnic furniture. And I’ll just apologise before I sign off if you’ve got the Teddy Bears’ Picnic lyrics stuck in your head for the rest of the day!
Last update on 2024-12-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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