Top 10 Fun Basketball Hoops for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Buying a toddler basketball hoop for your child means fun and games plus developing skills! My kids love playing with our hoop in our backyard. When they have friends over, they play with it even more. We purchased it when my son was two-years old. Now he and his little sister like playing with it together. It’s fun to have a toddler basketball hoop that adjusts for their ages and has lasted this long.

Basketball can be a great way for toddlers to improve dexterity and hand-eye coordination. It can also help them learn social skills when they play with others. Playing basketball is a great activity for kids to have fun while learning physical and social skills. There are plenty of toddler basketball hoops available for your kids to start playing and having fun! Below, we’ve reviewed 10 products, giving you the clear pros and cons so you can find one that fits what you’re looking for, within the budget that you have. Get your kids running around and playing, whether it’s indoors or outdoors, with one of these options down below!

While shopping, we suggest considering these three things: longevity, safety, and fun.

How to Choose A Basketball Hoop for A Toddler or Preschooler

Longevity

When buying a toddler basketball hoop, take into consideration both how well it’s made and whether it will be a toy your child can use for very many years. Kids grow quickly. You may want to buy one that adjusts so your kids can play with it for years, or purchase a cheaper, small one then plan on buying another one when they outgrow that.

Safety

When buying products for your preschooler or older kid, your first concern is typically safety. With a basketball hoop, you want one that’s made of durable materials and can be stabilized. Look for strong materials and the ability to add sand or water to the base.

Fun

If you want your kid to be interested in basketball, make it fun. They won’t enjoy a toy they can’t play with, so picking the right height matters. Colorful products make an impact and as they age, they will want something that gets challenging. Find a toddler basketball hoop that will keep your kids engaged.

Top 10 Fun Basketball Hoops for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Fisher-Price Grow-to-Pro Junior Basketball
Little Tikes EasyScore Basketball Set
Step2 Shootin’ Hoops Junior Basketball Set
Step2 Game Time Sports Climber and Slide
Costzon Folding Slide and Basketball Stand Set
InnoFun Ball Pit with Basketball Hoop
GoBroBrand Adjustable Basketball Hoop
VTech Smart Shots Sports Center
3 Bees & Me Bath Toy Basketball Hoop
Best Choice Products Portable Basketball Hoop with Wheels

1. Fisher-Price Grow-to-Pro Junior Basketball

Pros:

Wide hoop with “sure score” rim
Adjustable height
Includes ball
Can fill base with water or sand for stability

Cons:

Not sturdy when adjusted to a taller height without weight in the base
Easy for kids to remove the “sure score” rim which may become annoying

Our Recommended Ages: 12 months to 5 years old

For an adjustable hoop, Fisher-Price has this option that includes a rim attachment to help little kids get the ball in the net. It’s removable so you can take it off when they no longer need it, but that also means some little kids may take it off themselves. Whether or not this is annoying is up to you! You can fill the base with water or sand so it’s more stable, which is a must if you’re going to play with it at a taller height. Sometimes it has trouble staying at the taller heights when adjusted and falls back down to the basic height easily. This is a great option with the fun colors, a large rim, and a sturdy backboard. It can be used inside or outside.

2. Little Tikes EasyScore Basketball Set

Pros:

Indoor and outdoor adjustable height
Oversized rim
Three basketballs included
Can add water or sand to base for stability
Best seller
Easy to assemble and adjust
Sturdy backboard

Cons:

Doesn’t adjust very tall
If kids pull on the rim, it pops down or even falls off, no dunking!

Our Recommended Ages: 18 months to 4 years old

One of the sturdiest options for indoor or outdoor use is this Little Tikes toddler basketball hoop. This is what we’ve had in our backyard and it’s still holding up well after four years (including three cold, snowy winters). We’ve filled the base with both water and sand and found that sand works the best. It comes with basketballs, all of which we’ve lost, but the hoop is wide enough that a variety of other balls also work, including soccer balls. It’s easy to adjust the height, although it doesn’t go very tall. However, it’s a great short size to start with. Adjusting from a height low enough to toddlers to something that would be appropriate for an older child might not be a very stable design.

3. Step2 Shootin’ Hoops Junior Basketball Set

Pros:

Adjustable height from 30” to 48”
Large backboard
Woven net
Drink holders in the base
Can add water or sand to base for stability
Easy assembly

Cons:

Balls deflate easily
Piece that holds the pole up when adjusted taller slips out, causing the hoop to drop down

Our Recommended Ages: 18 months to 5 years old

Step2’s adjustable hoop, which competes against the Little Tikes in similarities, has a different adjusting system, which they say means kids can adjust it themselves. Drink holders in the base are an interesting addition, which probably wouldn’t be used much and instead mean you have two circles in the base that will collect water, dirt, dust, and other debris. Like most Step2 products, it’s made of durable material.

4. Step2 Game Time Sports Climber and Slide

Pros:

Includes basketball hoop, slide, soccer goal, and score keeper
Comes with multi-purpose sports ball
Indoor or outdoor fun
Easy to climb stairs
Crawl through space or soccer goal

Cons:

Great for toddlers, but not bigger kids
Small hoop

Our Recommended Ages: 1-5 years old

If you’d like your child to shoot hoops from up above, here’s an option! This hoop is built for little kids, but provides more options than simply shooting hoops. Kids can climb up and slide down, crawl through the bottom, or kick the ball through it like a soccer goal. The basketball hoop is small so it’s a good starter option. It’s a safe and easy challenge for little kids to play on this.

5. Costzon Folding Slide and Basketball Stand Set

Pros:

Buy a slide and basketball hoop together
Slide is easy to move as it folds easily
Small slide and hoop are great for indoor use as well as outdoor

Cons:

Steps are slippery for little kids
Doesn’t come with balls

Our Recommended Ages: 18 months to 8 years old

You may be interested in buying a first hoop and slide at the same time as your child learns the mobility skills to play with both about the same time. This can be a good option to combine your purchase. The slide folds for storage, which is a nice feature. Both are great, bright colors. You’ll need to buy basketballs separately. For ages 1.5-8 years. If you’re more interested in buying a slide on its own, check out our reviews for helpful tips, pros and cons: Best Indoor Slides for Toddlers and Preschoolers 2018.

6. InnoFun Ball Pit with Basketball Hoop

Pros:

It’s a ball pit, too!
Can be a play area for crawling babies
Folds up for storage
Can hold over 900 balls
Not sturdy enough for outdoor use

Cons:

Need to purchase balls separately
Folding up for storage is a little difficult
Sides are flimsy so not good for a rough toddler

Our Recommended Ages: 12 months to 4 years old

This ball pit/basketball hoop is a fun option. It’s bigger than expected so you’ll want to buy lots of balls to fill it up (It doesn’t come with any balls). This can be a fun, indoor toy for younger kids where they’ll be engaged with all of the balls to play in. This may get more play time than simply a basketball hoop because kids will want to play in it even when they’re not interested in trying to get the balls in the hoop. If you feel like your kid won’t be initially interested in shooting hoops, try this out, and see how long it takes before they develop that interest!

7. GoBroBrand Adjustable Basketball Hoop

Pros:

Great for indoors or outdoors
Big rim
Six adjustable heights from 32.2” to 46.4”
Three balls included with a pump
Money back guarantee

Con:

Not strong enough for rough play

Our Recommended Ages: 2-5 years old

If you’re looking for an affordable option to get your kid interested in basketball without having to invest too much, this could be it! The product comes with three balls for plenty of play. Consider this as a good starting basketball hoop at a reasonable price. It is a small hoop, but you can fill the base with water for stability.

8. VTech Smart Shots Sports Center

Pros:

Basketball and soccer activity center
Includes light up LED scoreboard that counts up to 10 scores
Fun lever for kids to reset the score count
Includes early learning center with shapes, numbers, sounds, and songs
Includes basketball and soccer ball
Fun indoor play for rainy and cold days

Cons:

Requires 3 AA batteries
Very small
Indoor only

Our Recommended Ages: 12 months to 3 years old

Another hoop combination option, this set includes electronics for added fun and engagement. Of course, that means you’ll need batteries, too! There are some fun features on this one that will be very engaging for little kids including shape buttons, bright colors, sounds and the light-up score display. The lever to reset the score is large enough for kids to do it themselves. While it’s good quality and stable so it won’t fall over, it’s also small so best for the younger toddlers.

9. 3 Bees & Me Bath Toy Basketball Hoop

Pros:

Fun in the bathtub
Hooks over the top of the bath faucet
Doesn’t fall off or tip over like suction-cup hoops
Designed to keep mold out
Certified BPA free and phthalate free and lead free
Foam balls so they don’t get mold inside

Cons:

Foam balls so little kids might take a bite out of them
Balls become waterlogged easily

Our Recommended Ages: 2-5 years old

This hoop is a great design, snugly fitting over a bathtub faucet with straps that tighten it. You can find other places to put it as well, such as in the car. The balls are made of foam. Sure, they don’t grow mold inside of them, but they do fill up with water easily and little kids may bite pieces out of them.

10. Best Choice Products Portable Basketball Hoop with Wheels

Pros:

Constructed of heavy-duty steel
Sturdy hoop will withstand outdoor weather
Movable with wheels in the stand
Good option for a hoop that’s in between the baby size and a regulation size hoop

Cons:

Misleading description about height adjusting to 8-feet, but that’s the top of the backboard, not the hoop
Requires at least two people to put it together
Not strong enough for a kid to dunk on it (better for smaller kids)
When extended to full height, backboard sways when the ball hits it

Our Recommended Ages: 4-9 years old

For a sturdier option that works great for older toddlers to young kids, there’s the Best Choice Products Hoop. It’s on wheels, making it easier to move around after you’ve filled the base with water or sand. The shortest setting puts the rim about five feet off of the ground and it adjust up to about six feet. The seller describes the hoop as adjusting up to 8 feet, but that’s the height of the backboard, not the rim; it’s simply something to be aware of. Filling with sand is easier with a funnel and dry sand (play sand is often a bit wet and would take longer to fill up). Filling with water may freeze if you have cold winters so be aware of expansion in the base!

Our Recommended Toddler Basketball Hoop

Now that we’ve reviewed ten of the best toddler basketball hoop options out there, you should be able to find the one that works for your budget and preference. There are some really fun combination options that I would have considered purchasing when my kids were little if I’d known about them then! But, our Little Tikes hoop has stood the test of time and we highly recommend it. It’s a classic and still going strong! Just remember that a great basketball hoop is the one that will be fun for you and your kids. Have fun playing together!