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Open-air adventures: 8 cool outdoor games for children and families

There’s nothing like going outside, running around and having plenty of fun throwing, catching and laughing. Playing outdoors strengthens our motor skills, self-confidence and a love of being active – be it at the park, out in the fields, in the garden or by the sea. But which outdoor games for children and families are really fun, long-lasting and resource-friendly?

IMAGY – wooden blocks game by Tim Fokker

What happens when 37 wooden blocks turn the joy of cloud-gazing into a game? With IMAGY, designer Tim Fokker brings pareidolia – the playful art of discovering figures, faces and stories in everyday shapes – into the hands of children and adults alike.

Imaginary Language – educational toy for children by Alessandra Romario

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How can a handful of wooden shapes become a language of its own? With “Imaginary Language”, Alessandra Romario transforms archetypal geometric forms into an open-ended educational toy that invites children to build, invent, name and reinvent their own worlds.

Imagix – construction toy by Işıl Barut

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What happens when wooden shapes, ropes and fabric pieces meet a child’s imagination? With ‘Imagix’ designer Işıl Barut has created an open-ended construction toy that invites children to build, bend, and invent freely.

Olabaa – architectural wooden building blocks by Adriana Salvat

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The inspiration for making small building blocks comes from the basic and important concepts in the field of architecture. The collection of play buildings wants to be a small reflection on the types of spaces that exist in the urban environment…

Alma Therapy Dolls – play therapy toys by Yaara Nusboim

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I did some research and was surprised to learn that to this day generic toys are being used for treatment of children with emotional problems, even though the therapist’s and the patient’s needs are very different from what regular toys can provide. This was my motivation for the project: to design therapeutic toys that are tailor-made for the treatment of children with emotional problems in order to make it easier for them to connect to their inner world and heal their soul.

TALKY – play therapy toys by Katalin Pataki

It was a thoughtful design step that my play therapy toy ”Talky” has simple formal appearance. It is more helpfull for the therapy, because children can see different meanings in the forms. And what the child imagines in the forms can be a telltale sign for the therapist.