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Summertime is the best when you have toddlers because there are so many fun things to do outside with them that you’ll both enjoy! Sunshine is good for everyone and spending time outdoors is great for giving little ones a chance to move their bodies and burn off some energy- great for bedtime later too!
It’s easy to fall into a monotonous routine in the house day to day so having some outdoor activities in your back pocket are great for mixing things up. We try to get outside every day and it used to feel like a chore until we realized how many fun things we could do in our backyard! It can be a great opportunity for connection with your little one but also a good time to give them some independent play while you read a book or scroll your phone- win win!
Add some of these playful and easy activities to your summer for some memorable and fun times!
Fun Activities to Try
Have a Picnic
Bring out beach towels or a large blanket and have lunch on the grass. You can even just shift your meal to a table but it’s a fun switch for your kids to sit down and have a spread of finger foods to eat. Also a great chance to serve a messy meal because the cleanup is way easier outside.
Play with Bubbles
Honestly, who doesn’t love bubbles?? It’s so cheap and easy to find a bottle of bubbles and they make non-spill bottles now too. You can even invest in a bubble machine if you want to buy yourself some time to sit back and chill and watch the kids play!
Make Popsicles or Smoothies
Definitely something that works much better outside- haha. We make popsicles in our cute little kid-sized popsicle mold and we often just use whatever we have on hand like diluted fruit juice but sometimes we make smoothies and fill the popsicle molds with it and it works great! Just remember to fill it the night before so that it’s ready for the next day. Or we make a big smoothie and share it with fun straws outside. Both of these are great ways to keep cool during a hot day outside.
Play with the Water Table
Our toddler and baby both have a great time with the water table! It has a waterfall feature and comes with lots of toys and cups to play with that entertains them for hours. You wouldn’t believe how long a kid will spend transferring water from one cup to another….
Fun with Big Blowup Balls
We got an expensive blowup ball for our son as a prize for doing well with his recent potty training and it’s been his latest favorite thing to play with out back! He loves to throw it and chase it and is now practicing kicking it and it’s a great workout for mom and dad too!
Reusable Water Balloons
I just learned that reusable water balloons exist not too long ago and my interest was immediately piqued! I love finding ways to be sustainable but to be honest this was more about the idea of playing with water balloons and NOT having to pick up all the little busted balloon pieces all over the yard! I didn’t want that task and I didn’t want my one year old trying to eat them so these reusable water balloons just made perfect sense to me and they are so much fun to play with, even for adults!
Play on the Play Structure
Our son got this as a birthday gift when he turned two and I don’t think a day of outdoor play goes by without him climbing up and going down the slide at least a dozen times. We hose down the slide to cool it off before he plays on it and sometimes he wants us to spray him with the hose on his way down too!
Go Crazy with Spray Bottles
Spraying the bushes. The flowers. The slide. The toys. The ground. Oh, and me.
Paint the Patio
I don’t mean literally, of course. Just grab some old (but clean) paintbrushes or foam brushes and a cup of water and let your kid become an artist outside! It’s the most perfect mess-less painting activity!
Creative Play with Water Tub and Toys
This activity is SO versatile. If you fill up a shallow tub or a bucket with water from the hose and drop in a few toys, that is a setup for endless fun. You can put in toys that are meant for water that float or squirt or any regular plastic toys, cups, pom poms, balls, action figures, the options go on and on. You don’t have to give any guidance to activities like this because they are great for letting their imagination run wild and learn so much through independent play!
Splash Pad
If your local community has a splash pad you are so lucky! My kids love going to the parks nearby that have them and it’s one of the best ways to tire them out before naptime. My advice is to get there earlier in the day if it’s warm enough out because then you can hopefully beat the crowd. We try to go right after breakfast so I liked to be packed up beforehand with towels, sunscreen, water shoes, extra clothes, sunglasses, water bottles and snacks. This can definitely become a weekly thing in your schedule and you won’t hear any complaints from your little ones.
Your little one’s lifelong fun memories of outdoor play start here! And yours too!