Outdoor Toddler Play Ideas

Whoa, this summer has flown by!

I can't believe it's already the last week of July.

It's been a fun one--with lots of time spent playing outside with Noah.    

When the Karreman family visited us in June, I snapped this shot of Courtney, Sammy and Noah drawing with chalk on our driveway.  Wetting the asphalt with water prior to applying the chalk  makes the colors so much more vivid.  Love it!

In addition to chalk play, here's what we've been up to outside:

• "Painting" with water | I bought a pack of four cheap paintbrushes at Michael's.  Noah loves "painting" the house, the rocks, the chairs with water.  Thanks, Aunt Susie, for this great idea!

• Blowing bubbles | Always a winner in Noah's book. 
  

• Playing in the sandbox | I also keep a set of sand toys in the car for trips to the park.

• Splashing in the kiddie pool | I threw a couple of plastic cups in the pool, so Noah can scoop up the water and pour it out, usually on himself. 

• Playing with sponge balls | They are super easy to make.  I bought the sponges at Dollar Tree, cut them into thirds and fastened them together with a zip tie.  Here's a short video about how to create your own sponge balls.

• Coloring on grocery bags with crayons

• Watching lizards do push-ups

• Throwing and hitting balls

• Walking to the mailbox and newspaper bin.

• Swinging 

• Playing with the hose | Noah likes it when I spray the hose, so he can run underneath the water. 

• Riding a trike or bike

• Reading in the hammock | Bath books work great for outdoor reading.  I found a handful of bath books in the $1 bins at Target.   
  

• Making music with wind chimes | We visited Grandma Harless earlier this month, and Noah loved playing with her large wind chimes.  Seeing Noah enjoying the wind chimes, reminded me that we have a few wind chimes hanging from our deck.         

• Running through the sprinklers

• Hiking

• Watering the plants with a watering can

• Playing a "guitar" | It's easy to make your own guitar.  You just need a box.  A shoebox works well, but if you don't have one, pick one up at Dollar Tree like I did. 

Remove the top and add some rubber bands.  Voila, you have a guitar.


And, of course, we couldn't leave Dollar Tree without a new car and truck.  Vroom, vroom! 

Parents of Toddlers: What other outdoor activities would you add to the list?