Favorite Outdoor Toddler Activities

August 13, 2020 in Baby

There’s nothing revolutionary about these toddler activities or this post for that matter, but in an attempt to publish more motherhood and baby/kid posts as requested, I thought I would share how we spend the majority of our summer evenings. Although these activities definitely aren’t limited to the evenings, that is when we usually go out to play. For one, it’s really hot during the day and, two, playing outside at the end of the day is a great way for Bodie to get out the rest of his energy before going to bed.

We have a neighborhood pool but, because of Covid, it didn’t open this year which is such a bummer. Luke’s parents have a pool but they live about an hour away so it’s not somewhere we are going to head each afternoon. I’m sure not everyone has access to a pool, so I hope these activities will inspire some of your outdoor play if you fall into that category. We have a really nice patio in our backyard which has been the perfect spot for Bodie and I to go play in the evenings. Here are some of my non-original favorite outdoor evening toddler activities.

Sidewalk Chalk: I honestly find that I enjoy playing with the chalk just about as much as Bodie does haha. He has learned to spell his name, so I’ll write it out and we will say the letters together. I’ll also draw pictures of objects out in nature that he has been learning about to he can work on identifying the picture and real thing. He likes to scribble and organize the chalk, but he does participate in my little games too. This huge box of Crayola chalk is a great assortment of colors and has been holding up really well.

Bubbles/Bubble Mower: Most kiddos love bubbles and mine is no exception. When I worked as a speech therapist in the school system, I always had bubbles on hand to use as a reward… it almost never fails. We will play with the wand and I’ll just blow them for Bodie to run around and pop. He hasn’t quite learned how to blow them himself yet. We also got him a bubble mower that he loves. He actually really enjoys watching Luke and I mow the yard (it’s seriously one of his favorite things), so we wanted to get him a little mower of his own. When I saw the one that incorporated bubbles as well, I absolutely couldn’t pass it up. He’s busy and likes to be on the move, so the bubble mower is seriously the best of both worlds. They also make them in colors that are more geared toward little girls… so cute!!

Water Table: Have water tables always been a big deal or am I just now aware of that because I’m a parent? Bodie loves water (baths, showers, playing with the hose, the pool once he actually gets in it…) so a water table is a fun activity to do in the evenings. Sometimes he does get distracted by other things outside and carries off the water toys to the yard, but will always end up back at the table.

Trike and Cozy Coupe: Bodie has a Cozy Coupe and a little ride on trike. It’s honestly hit or miss with whether he is going to prefer to push them around from behind or actually ride in/on them. We’re still working on him understanding how to ride the little giraffe trike because he typically prefers to push it, but we’re getting there. Whenever we’re playing with these toys, I take the opportunity for us to work on certain action words and phrasing. For example, “Ready, Set, Go!”, “Stop and Go”, “Push”, “Use Your Feet”, etc.

Strolling/Wagon Ride: We are fortunate to have a fantastic neighborhood for walking. On top of that, our neighborhood has a green space and a couple of nature trails. Almost every evening, weather permitting, we will go outside for usually about a two mile stroll. I enjoy it because pushing the stroller at a moderate pace is a great, little quarantine workout. Bodie enjoys it because we always see tons of animals (bunnies, turkeys, dogs, birds, etc.), planes, and cars/trucks. I was nervous that once he started walking he wouldn’t like riding in the stroller as much, but that hasn’t been the case for us at all and I’m so thankful. We have the Nuna Tavo for our “out and about” stroller, but use a Graco Jogging Stroller that my mother-in-law got for us around the neighborhood or if we’re on rougher terrain and it has been wonderful!! My sister-in-law and brother-in-law gave us a great wagon for Christmas and it’s perfect for pulling him through the green space trail.