The kids have been back to school for about two and a half weeks. I’m exhausted, frankly, and so is the toddler that’s not yet in school. But the kids that ARE in school? They’ve got energy.

I don’t know where it comes from. They work hard all day, they have two recesses in the heat, they learn and play and learn some more. So why is it that at bedtime, it’s like pulling teeth to get them to settle down and go to sleep?!

I have to get them outside. Even though they’ve been outside probably more than I have during the mornings and afternoons, they’ve also been sitting in a classroom, working on projects, talking with their friends and sitting still. If they don’t run around before bedtime and work off some energy, they’ll be talking to each other and playing with LEGOs in their beds an hour after they should’ve been asleep. Then they’re exhausted the next day and can’t focus on all of the fun things they’re supposed to be learning at school.

They go through phases playing outside, just like everything else. For weeks, they’ll do nothing but jump on the trampoline. Then they’ll want nothing to do with that and will only swing. Or jump rope. Or dig in the sand box. Or draw on the sidewalk with chalk.

An awesome bonus is that the puppy goes out to play with them, too, and the more she runs around, the better she sleeps at night. And we all know that puppies are like babies when it comes to sleeping (or not) at night.

We’ve got an arsenal of outside toys now, thanks to KaBOOM!, the company that makes it a blast to get outside AND gives back to make sure kids everywhere can play, too.

KaBOOM!’s philosophy is this: Play Matters. Play can transform children – from sedentary to physically active, bored to mentally active and solitary to socially active. When we make sure that our children’s lives are filled with play, we all benefit: our communities will be healthier and happier today, and our society will be stronger and more resilient tomorrow. 

I couldn’t agree more, and I am crazy about all of the super cool toys on the Imagine Toys website, including the Go Out and Play Collection from the non-profit KaBOOM!*. Like the Essentials Kit full of, well….outdoor play essentials in a durable, roomy backpack, perfect for keeping in the car or next the door and grabbing when the mood strikes or the energy overflows out of their little pores.

How do your kids like to burn off their crazy back to school energy?

*KaBOOM! is a national non-profit dedicated to ensuring that all children get the balance of active play they need to grow into successful, healthy adults. 

I recieved a Kaboom essentials kit to review, but all opinions are 100% my own.