Ten Easy Outdoors Activities for Toddlers

OutGrown Blog Ten Easy Outdoors Activities for Toddlers
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Jun 8, 2022

This post (Activities for Toddlers) is a continuation of our Outdoor Activities series. Our goal with this series is to provide you with a resource of simple activities to do with your little ones. Check out the other post in our series: Infants. Next month we'll bring you ideas for Preschoolers.

Here are some fun ideas to get outside with your 1-3 year old and enjoy the beautiful summer days to the fullest.

Hike/Explore/Immerse

The easiest and arguably best option for an outdoors activity with your toddler is to take them somewhere in nature and let them find their own activities. Find a safe hike and let them take the lead on their wobbly little legs and see what interests them most along the way. Take note of some of their favorites. (Do they always carry around rocks or would they rather watch birds?) When you get home, make a nature play area in your own backyard out of whatever is most exciting to them. Bonus: by letting them choose the activity you can avoid the infamous toddler meltdown

Sensory Bins

Toddlers still learn a lot through experiential learning with their senses, but it is fun to provide a little bit of extra imagination aspect to sensory bins for them. Create a beach at home with a small tub, sand, and seashells. Next, add a bucket of water and shovels. Fill a bin with rocks and give them small trucks and excavation tools. Add pretend animals to a bin of mud to stimulate imaginary play.

Water/Ice Play

Most kids seem to love water and adding ice to water play is a fun twist. There are tons of ideas that range from as simple as giving them a bucket of ice and some cups and spoons or those that require more preparation. You can freeze toys or fruit into ice, make colored ice for painting, or create ice boats. Here are some examples and tutorials from Happy Toddler Playtime. These are perfect for a hot day!

Nature Rubbings

All you need is paper and crayons and random items in nature and you can discover what patterns they make. Leaves, bark, flowers, grass, or even hard-packed dirt make simple and interesting rub patterns. This is a great way to practice Leave No Trace, since the item can stay in nature, and the rubbing can come home with you!

Animal Tracks

You can get an online guide or pamphlet (often found at your local nature center) and go searching for animal tracks. Since toddlers are low to the ground they are actually some of the best spotters of animal tracks around! If you don’t have access to an area where you can see the real thing, you can make your own with stamps or drawings. Hannah Pruitt from HiB Birmingham came up with stamping animal prints in clay or modeling dough. A great homemade dough recipe can be found here. For those avoiding gluten, try this one. Hannah recommends the Terra Animals for footprints.

Story Time Outside

Bring reading outside. Whether the story is nature related or just any favorite book, bringing books outside allows you and your little one to enjoy nature and stories together. You could even bring a smaller book along on hikes for a fun break when those little legs need to sit down. Need ideas for a book? Check out our book reviews!

Movement Games

Get a group of friends together. This can be at a local park, trail, or someone’s backyard and have everyone come prepared with a simple and active game or dance. It doesn’t have to be fancy at all – Simon Says, Hokey Pokey, or “racing” from one spot to another are all a blast for little toddlers. An added bonus is that everyone has some of their favorites and then you get to learn more ideas to get the wiggles out when your child tires of just running around in circles. Guaranteed that this activity can be just as entertaining for the adults as well! 10 Outdoor Activities for Your Toddler by Kirby Crawford for Hike it Baby

Bubbles

There are so many ways to play with them – make your own, bubble machines, wands, sock contraptions, and giant ones. There's no denying the fact that toddlers just love bubbles. Bring some to a local playground and you are sure to make friends fast!

Arts and Crafts

We tend to think that arts and crafts can be messy, require lots of materials, and lots of preparation. Try adding a nature aspect to your crafts. It makes them more fun and manageable.

Buy some contact paper and collect small leaves and flowers and then stick them together to create cool window hangings.
Bring out the washable paint and paint rocks, sticks, or pinecones to keep the mess outside and limit what supplies you need.
You can use these items as stamps on a large sheet of paper to make a nature mural.
Give your kiddo a paintbrush, water, and some stones and let them discover how they change when they get wet.

Family Outside Time

Finally, taking your toddler outdoors doesn’t have to be all about them all the time. Sometimes just bringing them along for the ride for whatever you want to do or older kids happen to be doing can be the most fun and open them up to new experiences. Don't underestimate your toddler's ability to participate in family activities! Do you have an activity your toddler loves to do outside? Share with us below! And check back next month for Preschool ideas.

Photos Courtesy of Kirby Crawford, Hannah Pruitt, and Ali Chandra

ABOUT OUTGROWN

OutGrown is a 501(c)(3) nonproﬁt that works to create a world where everyone can enjoy the physical and mental beneﬁts of spending time outside. We are focused on creating opportunities and removing barriers to access so families with babies and young children can take their ﬁrst steps outside. We believe all families have the right to connect with nature, beneﬁt from spending time outdoors and be inspired to a lifelong love of nature. Since its grassroots inception in 2013, OutGrown is a growing community of 280,000 families and over 300 volunteer Branch Ambassadors. More information on all of our programs can be found at WeAreOutGrown.org

EDITORS NOTE:

We hope you enjoyed reading this article from OutGrown. We’re working hard to provide our community with content and resources that inform, inspire, and entertain you.

But content is not free. It’s built on the hard work and dedication of writers, editors, and volunteers. We make an investment in developing premium content to make it easier for families with young children to connect with nature and each other. We do not ask this lightly, but if you can, please make a contribution and help us extend our reach

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Have you heard about the 10 Minute Walk Initiative?! No? Well, if you think that increasing access to parks and green spaces can lead to better overall physical and mental health, especially during a health crisis, or that your overall quality of life would improve with close access to green space, then you’re already on board with this new program. Photo by Monique Vargas 10 Minute Walk Initiative The 10 Minute Walk Initiative aims to “...ensure that everyone in your city has safe, easy access to a quality park within a 10-minute walk of home by 2050.” That’s not just their mission for already more green-friendly places in the nation like California or Colorado, that’s their promise for the WHOLE COUNTRY. Check out their website to see if your mayor and your city are taking part and if you don’t see their name, do what I did and sign up to stay on top of how to get involved. Maybe you can even convince your mayor to take part. If you’re reading this you are already part of the growing Hike it Baby community and you know that a cornerstone of their mission is to Leave No Family Behind. If you’re changing a diaper, feeding your kid, having a meltdown (you or your kid!), if you can’t do the whole hike or if it’s your first hike we won’t leave you behind! This extends to race, sexual orientation, gender, disabilities, and language. This is of course still our mission but we have realized that many families are being left behind by default because they do not have access. This is unacceptable. We need to do better and that’s why Hike it Baby wholeheartedly supports the 10 Minute Walk Initiative. To ensure no family is left behind, we have to make sure that all families have easy access to safe parks and green spaces. OutGrown works to be the most effective hub of tools, information, and community inspiring all families with babies and young children to get outside and connect with nature. Learn more about OutGrown's mission and how you can get involved. ABOUT OUTGROWN OutGrown is a 501(c)(3) nonproﬁt that works to create a world where everyone can enjoy the physical and mental beneﬁts of spending time outside. We are focused on creating opportunities and removing barriers to access so families with babies and young children can take their ﬁrst steps outside. We believe all families have the right to connect with nature, beneﬁt from spending time outdoors and be inspired to a lifelong love of nature. Since its grassroots inception in 2013, OutGrown is a growing community of 280,000 families and over 300 volunteer Branch Ambassadors. More information on all of our programs can be found at WeAreOutGrown.org EDITOR’S NOTE: We hope you enjoyed reading this article from OutGrown. We’re working hard to provide our community with content and resources that inform, inspire, and entertain you. But content is not free. It’s built on the hard work and dedication of writers, editors, and volunteers. We make an investment in developing premium content to make it easier for families with young children to connect with nature and each other. We do not ask this lightly, but if you can, please make a contribution and help us extend our reach.

10 Super Fun Ways to Keep Cool This Summer

You wake up in the morning and go through your normal routine. It’s going to be a good day- you’re ready to adventure and explore with the kids and enjoy all the beauty that the summer has to offer. Before you get dressed, you decide to check the weather: “Alexa, what’s the weather today?” “Today, there will be sunny weather with a high of 90 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 72 degrees.” WHAM- suddenly all your hopes and dreams of taking your family on a fun outdoor adventure seem to come to a screeching halt. But, never fear! While hot and sticky weather can put a damper on the plans you had for outdoor exploring with the family, as long as you plan your day appropriately, it will all be ok. One key to a successful outing in the heat is to set your sights on locations where you will have lots of opportunities to cool down. Then there’s no need to shut the door on family adventuring because of the heat (unless it becomes an unsafe level of heat). Other things to consider to help you have a more enjoyable experience are to time your outing during the coolest time of the day, pack lots of water, and wear hats and light clothing. Here are some additional tips on how to keep your kiddos cool while hiking during the summer. Photo Credit: Monique Vargas Incorporating water in your outdoor summer adventures is a great way to keep cool and have fun on those really hot summer days. Here are 10 super fun ways that you and your family can incorporate water fun to help keep cool while adventuring out and about during the summer: 1. Splash and wade hike: Choose a hike or location for your family that includes a clear stream or lake where you can put your feet in a refresh yourselves in cool water along the way (clear running water is the best for wading because it is more likely to be clean and safe). Make sure you have appropriate footwear figured out before the hike to help things run a bit more smoothly once you reach the water. 2. Waterfall hikes: Find a waterfall hike in your area and enjoy the sights, sounds, and perhaps even a little mist here and there to help cool you off. Some waterfall hikes may offer opportunities for wading or swimming as well. 3. Beach exploration: Plan a trip to a local beach and explore the surrounding area on foot with your family to get a little extra exercise and adventuring in. 4. Splash pad fun: Check out your local parks and see if any of them include a splash pad during the summer season. The kids will love running through the cool spray on a hot day and moms and dads can cool off a bit too by standing nearby and enjoying some of the accompanying mist. *Be aware of fees, as some splash pads do charge for entry. Photo Credit: Anna North 5. Backyard water adventuring: All you need is a hose and something to hold water and you are all set for a fun time in the backyard with the kiddos. If you don’t have a pool or water table, grab an empty tote or bucket. You can have the kids test different items to see if they will float or not. Maybe use some aluminum foil, or use sticks and string to build your own boats. Or, you can even give the kids some kitchen utensils to play with if you don’t have any toys specifically made for the water. Play with water balloons or grab the hose and (on a low-pressure setting) take turns spraying each other. 6. Splash pad at home: Turn on the sprinkler and just let the kids run through and around it (or splash through the puddles, as my youngest prefers to do). To add a little extra fun, you can find creative and fun places to put the hose or sprinkler to change the height of the spray (make sure it is safe and secure) or even use it to make a water slide with one of your outdoor slides (test the bottom to be sure that it doesn’t get too slippery). 7. Neighborhood sprinkler hunt: Take a walk with the family with the intention of seeking out active sprinklers in the area and, perhaps, spending a little time in the spray. This might not work out timing-wise, but if that’s the case you’ll at least have had a lovely family walk around the neighborhood together. 8. Stone skipping: Find a local pond or lake where you can skip stones together. 9. Learning with water: Fill some cups with a little bit of water and add a couple of drops of various colors of food coloring. Let your little one explore how different colors combine with other ones to make new colors. Talk about it with them. 10. Puddle jumping: Just after the rainfall, take the kids out to search for puddles in the area to jump and splash in (rain boots and rain suits are helpful to keep the kids from getting too dirty and wet). Photo Credit: Anna North Let’s all get on our swimming gear and keep to good times rolling despite the heat in order to make summer memories with our kids that will last a lifetime! Do you have any tips for beating the heat in the final days of summer? Let us know in the comments below! ABOUT OUTGROWN OutGrown is a 501(c)(3) nonproﬁt that works to create a world where everyone can enjoy the physical and mental beneﬁts of spending time outside. We are focused on creating opportunities and removing barriers to access so families with babies and young children can take their ﬁrst steps outside. We believe all families have the right to connect with nature, beneﬁt from spending time outdoors and be inspired to a lifelong love of nature. Since its grassroots inception in 2013, OutGrown is a growing community of 280,000 families and over 300 volunteer Branch Ambassadors. More information on all of our programs can be found at WeAreOutGrown.org EDITORS NOTE: We hope you enjoyed reading this article from OutGrown. We’re working hard to provide our community with content and resources that inform, inspire, and entertain you. But content is not free. It’s built on the hard work and dedication of writers, editors, and volunteers. We make an investment in developing premium content to make it easier for families with young children to connect with nature and each other. We do not ask this lightly, but if you can, please make a contribution and help us extend our reach.