The best gifts for kids aren't the ones that are exciting on Christmas morning. They're the ones that are still being pulled out two, three, five years later — when the child who received them has grown into a teenager, and the game is just as good as it ever was.
Outdoor games have that quality. A game that gets played at every gathering, every backyard afternoon with friends, every visit to the grandparents — that's a different kind of gift. Not a Christmas present. A fixture.
These four games earn that status. They work at age five, they work at age fifteen, and they're still genuinely good when adults play them. That's the measure.
Backyard Cricket (ages 5+)
Cricket in the backyard is part of the fabric of summer for kids across NZ and Australia. The BYG Backyard Cricket Set is the premium version of that experience — solid wooden bat, proper wickets, canvas carry bag, and a semi-soft ball that makes it safe for any backyard, driveway, or beach.
The semi-soft ball is what parents appreciate most: no broken windows, no damage to fences, no concern about small kids wandering into the game. It's also the detail that keeps it playable into the teenage years — proper feel, proper play.
The dad who grew up playing backyard cricket has as much fun with it as the eight-year-old receiving it. And the fifteen-year-old who thinks they're too cool for family games is the first one to pick up the bat.
Giant Tumbling Tower (ages 3+)
The collective gasp when a Tumbling Tower falls is one of those sounds that's the same at every age. The Giant Tumbling Tower delivers that moment reliably — the growing tension, the held breath, the explosion when it finally goes.
Durable solid pine blocks, sized for outdoor play. Comes with a bag for storage. The kind of gift that's already set up in the backyard before Christmas Day is over — and still out there at every gathering years later.
Giant Connect Four (ages 4+)
Standing at 90cm, Giant Connect Four is visually striking in a way that draws people in. Young kids understand it immediately. Teenagers find genuine strategic depth in it. Adults play it just as seriously as anyone.
It's one of the few games where a genuinely mixed-age group can compete fairly and nobody feels like they've been given a handicap. Christmas Day afternoon with a Giant Connect Four in the backyard is a different afternoon to one without it — year after year.
Gutter Board (ages 5+)
This is the one parents and grandparents will recognise immediately. Gutter Board is a sliding disc game — players take turns sliding discs along a narrow wooden board, trying to land in the highest-scoring zone without going over the end. It's been a backyard and beach staple across Australia and NZ for decades.
The nostalgia factor is real. But the reason it keeps getting played is that it's genuinely skillful — there's a feel to the slide that takes time to develop, and kids get noticeably better with every game. That improvement curve is what keeps them coming back, whether they're seven or seventeen.
Compact enough to take anywhere. The kind of thing that ends up permanently in the car boot.
Get it there before Christmas
Order early enough to arrive well before December 25.
