5 Outdoor Summer Activities for Toddlers

Now that summer is officially here (it’s even the last day of school in our area today), it’s time to start taking advantage of the longer days and warmer weather.  Here are a few ideas you can use to keep your little ones entertained and enjoy a little sunshine yourself:

Get Wet

With hot summer days, there is nothing like a little water play to cool off.  If you have a kiddie pool and/or a sprinkler, you can set something up in your own backyard!  Here is a little video of our most recent set-up.  The pool is about $20 at target, and the slide was a gift from a good friend (yes, she always closes the door behind her).

 

Most cities also have public pools, or maybe your local neighborhood or apartment complex maintains a pool.  We are fortunate to have two pools that have kid-friendly activity pools.  Abby actually is less than thrilled to have water shot at her, but I think as she gets older and a little more fearless she will really enjoy it.

Plant Something

Gardening is a great teaching tool.  Kids get the satisfaction of getting down and dirty in the soil and also learn about the lifecycle of plants.  You can either start a backyard garden, or get a small pot and plant 1-2 seeds and watch them grow.  They can also participate in taking responsibility for remembering to water and fertilize as necessary.  Some plants, such as radishes, sprout really fast.  Radishes are usually ready to harvest within a few weeks so those are great starter plant to keep younger kids engaged.  Marigolds and Sunflowers are good flowers to grow with kids as well.

Watch Wildlife

Every time we are outside for even a minute, Abby will shout “Look Mommy!  Birds!”  We also have lizards, squirrels, and even snakes that we can see just around the house.  You could also go to a local park or nature preserve in order to observe animals that you may not get to see in your own backyard.  If you live near a lake, river, or the ocean, you can go observe aquatic wildlife as well.  My daughter gets a kick out of watching turtles and fish swim around, and also to watch ducks dive under the water and pop back up a few feet away.  Easy toddler entertainment!

Get Messy

Do lots and lots and lots of outdoor crafts!  Whole body “finger” painting, shaving cream fun, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, etc are fun ways to entertain those toddlers while also getting some fresh air and sunshine (yay Vitamin D!).  Here are a few links that will get you started:

Sidewalk Chalk Paint

Spray Painting Fun

Shaving Cream Paint
 

Have a Picnic

We are fortunate enough to have several wonderful public greenways very near us.  It is the perfect place to stock up the picnic supplies and a few outdoor toys (balls, bubbles, whatever you can think of) and run around.  Eating outdoors is always a fun novelty for kids.  They can even help you prepare for the event by packing the cooler and picking out what type of food they would like to bring to the picnic.  Picnics are also a great opportunity to meet up with other families for both adult and child play dates.  The last time we had a picnic at the greenway there were 3 families total.  The kids had a blast playing with each other and the parents sat and relaxed and chatted while the kids ran around.  As you can see from the photos, it was tons of fun!

There you have it.  Five simple and fun ideas for you to take advantage of this summer.  What kind of activities do you enjoy doing outdoors with your children?