Being a parent is not an easy task. I remember my toddler kept on asking me to play with them. Sometimes it became difficult to keep them entertained. What I have learned from my experience, you got to channel thor energy to produce things. This is the prime time when their brains will be active, and the muscles grow properly. The best solution to this problem is to take them outdoors and enjoy these special activities listed out.
Outdoor Water Activities
Summers are the most difficult time to keep your toddler entertained. I found the best way to make use of this chance. I encouraged my toddler to use the pool and other water activities to keep them engaged and have a good time.
1. Swimming In Pools
The first thing that you might feel concerned about is taking your toddler to pools. They are too small for that. The best option is to buy the small inflatable pools. These are quite handy and easy to use. I would put them in the backyard and could go around and clean that area. This would allow me to get things done and also look after them. Few pools have opened for toddlers. Thus, this would make a good time that you can spend with your little ones. Take them to the swimming lessons or even swim with them!
This makes up for a perfect weekend.
2. Play With Water Squirters Or Bath Toys
If your toddler does not like to go to pools much, they will enjoy this activity. Take a bucket full of water, and fill it with bath toys or water squirters. The best thing to do with water squirters is to call your whole family to the backyard and have an amazing time. I asked my family to meet in the backyard one afternoon and had a water fight tournament. It was fun!
3. Get A Sprinkler Pad
If you have a sprinkler in your backyard, switch it on and have fun with your toddler. It helps me to even water the flowers. You don’t have to worry if you do not have a sprinkler. There are sprinkler pads available only for kids. These pads are inflatable and can be filled with water and re-used again. Put these pads randomly in the backyard and make your toddler run around. Whenever they activate the sprinkler, it is going to be a treat for them.
4. Water Painting
No, you are not teaching your toddler how to use water paints. You are going to teach them how to paint with water. Grab a paintbrush and take them to your sidewalk and teach them how to paint. The fun part? You don’t have to worry about them making a mess. You can also teach them to paint on a chalkboard stand. Any dry area which gets the watermarks will be a fun surface for them. Let them search for these types of surfaces and be engrossed in painting the world.
5. Play At A Water Table
This is one of the most interesting playsets I came across. This water table is a table that is filled with water and water toys. If your toddler can easily stand up, you will find this a good engagement for your kid. These playsets help to increase their thinking ability. It also puts their brains to the test. Hence, your toddler is not only enjoying and having a good time but also increasing their mental capacity.
Some Games To Play Outdoors
Now your toddler could be prone to getting cold easily. Hence, that won’t make it possible for your kid to play in the water for long hours. However, that is no excuse to ignore the physical exercise time outside. There are plenty of other activities that your toddler can enjoy in the background.
1. Obstacle Course
This is the most fun activity that your toddler can execute. I remember teaching my kid numbers while playing hopscotch. You can also add other obstacles that your kid has to complete through, at the end of which they get an award. Usually, I would treat them with their favorite snacks. This helps to develop their motor skills even.
You can place various types of blocks on the way. To cross, they might have to climb it up or crouch over. This would also help to perceive their surroundings better and increase their instant reaction. Overall, if you can make the obstacle course fun enough for your young one, this is one of the most interesting outdoor activities for one-year-olds.
2. Scavenger Hunt
Who said Scavenger Hunt is only for boring family parties? I tried to hold a few scavenger hunts with my kid and also invited their friends. It keeps getting better. Just gather some random objects from your household or garden. Spread them in the backyard. Leave a few clues here and there. See your kid using their brain and have a great time. This would increase their ability to think quickly and also give them physical exercise.
Also, this is a fun outdoor activity for two years old even. You can also increase the area and ask your neighbors to participate in it. This will give more area to the hunt and make it a great event for your kid to socialize.
3. Bubble Time
It’s one of the simplest of all the other activities. Once I went with my kid to the supermarket, got this huge bottle of bubble soaps, and spent the whole evening blowing off bubbles. However, you need not spend that much on this activity. You can easily make the bubbling water by adding soap/shampoo and water. Get a bubble wand and teach your toddler to blow bubbles. Make them run after the big ones. You can also get the shaped bubble wands. This would make this activity more fun and interesting for the toddler.
4. Sidewalk Art
Now, this is another interesting activity that your kid can partake. Get them a box of sidewalk chalks. Allow them to draw in your part of the sidewalk. This is how I found out that my kid was interested in painting. As they let their imagination run across the open canvas, you will find your kid more open-minded to ideas and unleashing their creative sides at a very young age. If your kid keeps up this hobby, you will soon find them exploring their other creative sides as well.
5. Activity Jar
Till now, you were gigging tasks for your kids to complete and enjoy. However, something that I have found out that excites the kids is if they get to choose their activity. Ask them to note down the activities they would like to cover in a week or month and put it inside a jar. Accordingly, draw a chit and follow the activity.
This would make the kid more interested in the activity. Also, this would help them overcome the “getting bored” mood. As they keep on trying to find out different activities to write down, they will gradually find ways to occupy themselves in something or the other.
6. Bug And Leaf Bingo
You might wonder that it might be a bit difficult to teach your toddler bingo. However, this is where the fun part comes in. You can make them learn about bingo and also nature in one sitting.
Try to collect different types of leaves, flowers, or even bugs. Arrange them in the bingo sequence and cross them off the list as your kid tries to identify them. In this way, you are not only making it fun for them but also started teaching them.
This is a fun outdoor activity for 1 and 2 years old. As they grow up, you can keep on adding different objects. This will help them to widen their knowledge about their surroundings. This is also a very fun group activity.
Other Outdoor Activities
I have listed out some of the outdoor activities based on the type they are. However, the list doesn’t end here. There are plenty of things that you can do with your toddler that will keep them engaged throughout their “I am bored” phase.
1. Playing With SandBox
This is more like a beach activity. However, it isn’t bad for your backyard too. Just put on a lot of sunscreen on your kid, take them out in the backyard, and put them in the sandbox. There are a lot of toys available with individual sandboxes. This makes the experience more fun.
There are certain sandboxes available that have proper boundaries which don’t allow the sand to go out of the box. This means you can even set this up on the balcony of your apartment. You need not have a large space to keep your child entertained.
2. Gardening
I found this to be another interesting activity to introduce to my toddler. She loved it! You can separate a small section in your background and ask your kid to help around in the garden. You can even plant flowers or plants of their choice. The best thing to do is to ask them to plant their seeds and take care of them. This will teach them to take responsibility from an early age. This would also make them help you around the house with various other things.
Gardening also increases their concentration and the ability to focus on things for a long time. This will be a great help to them as it would help them to concentrate in school better from the very start.
3. Practice Cycling
Cycling is one of the best physical exercises that you can give your kids. I had started teaching my kids to cycle from a very young age. It gives them that physical flexibility and helps them to grow faster. Cycling could be categorized into outdoor activities for two-year-olds mostly. However, you can get those mini practicing bikes and allow your kid to go around the backyard.
Teaching them to cycle at a young age also comes with other advantages. If they get into cycling daily, you need not worry about their physical exercise anymore. You can even have a day out on your cycles and ride around the town. This would encourage your kid more to explore the whole world through pedaling.
4. Playhouse
Playing in a playhouse might not exactly fall into the category of outdoor activities. However, if you have a massive backyard, you can easily set up a nice playhouse for your toddler. Playhouse will be able to hold your kids’ attention for the longest period. I am sure they are barely going to leave the playhouse. Just give them a few necessities and find them having the most fun life with their other toys.
Playing in a playhouse also helps them to understand things better. They will see the world through their own eyes and will be able to boost their imagination. Hence, let them spend as much time as possible with their toys inside the playhouse. You won’t have to worry about them getting bored.
5. Climbing Toys
Another productive activity that you can make your toddler carry out is climbing. Now climbing, in general, can be a fun activity. However, you can teach your toddlers to climb. There are plenty of climbing toys that will help them to crawl and climb. This is known to increase the motor skills of your toddler.
I had got a small climbing playset for my toddler. She enjoyed it immensely. There are a lot of climbing toys that allow you to rearrange the blocks. Hence, you can keep rearranging them or even ask your kid to rearrange them. This will help them to increase their thinking abilities.
6. Let Them Run
It’s common to worry about your kids running around the park and getting themselves dirty. The most tricky part comes when you have to clean their muddy shoes. It seems like your workload just increased. I used to get quite frustrated over cleaning their shoes over the weekend. However, I came across this amazing product. It is washable warm-weather shoes.
These shoes are quite easy to wash off and even protects your kids’ feet from getting dirty or wet. They are extremely easy to wash off, and cleaning them is easy and fast. The kids can also do it themselves. Hence, get a pair of these and send your toddlers to the nearby park and allow them to get in as much mess as they want to.
7. Mini Trampoline
Personally, this is something that I have always loved. If you have some space in your backyard, you can go for the mini-trampolines. You can even find foldable ones that will help you to save space. Just set this up in your space, and you are going to find your kid there most of the time.
This is more useful for those kids who are hyper-energetic and get bored easily. You won’t find them running around the house anymore. You will be able to channel their energy through the trampoline. It’s a great physical exercise for toddlers too!
8. Splashing In The Rain
This might worry you a bit about the kid catching a cold. Well, you need not take them out when it is heavily raining. The best time is after the rain, dress them up in a raincoat and boots, and allow them to run around the backyard and splashing the pools of mud around. I am pretty sure, after a while, you will join them too. Also, you can take them out on a little walk while it’s drizzling outside. This would give them a different feeling which they would keep being nostalgic.
Also, you can have an amazing photography session with your kids. Dress them up in cute raincoats and make them pose in front of the camera. I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed with the result.
9. Tunnels Of Different Shapes
Now you might not be comfortable with your kid climbing blocks that are too high. If you find that the maximum blocks that come with “Climbing Toys” are a bit too big for your toddler, you can go for tunnels. These tunnels are more helpful as they are of small height and allow your kid to crawl down. You can also help them climb at the top of the tunnel.
Not only this, you can get tunnels that come in different shapes and sizes. There is a variety of them. So you can ask your kid which one appeals to them the most. You can go for something that will allow your kid to have their overall physical exercise.
10. Playing With Teeter-tooter
It is not always possible to take your kid to the park. However, if you have a nice space in your backyard or garden, you can bring the park to your house. I had always wished to set up a nice teeter-tooter at my place. Lack of space made it impossible. However, your kids can enjoy this ride as much as they want.
Some of the teeter-tooter also support multiple-seaters. Hence, it’s not only for your toddler but also kids up to the age of 5. Thus, if you have other children within this age range, you will find them all playing peacefully.
11. Rock Climbing Wall
There are plenty of rock climbing walls for toddlers that are available in the market. You can teach your kid to rock climb from an early age. This would help them gain more experience, given that this is one of the best physical exercises that your kid can do at this age. Just set it up in your backyard wall and see your toddler trying to reach new heights with each day.
There are DIY rock climbing walls that are available. This makes it more fun for your kid. They can keep changing the arrangements whenever they want. You can also bring the set-up indoors once it’s winter. No matter what happens, your kid will get that daily dose of exercise to help their muscles grow stronger.
12. Ring Toss
Want to give your kids the carnival feel? Set up the Ring toss set and see them trying to ace in that game. If you search for it a bit, you will find that many ring tosses come with different toys and sets. Make sure to get one that has all these different types of toys. This would give your kids more time to be preoccupied.
I remember setting up a nice table out in my backyard, and we played “pretend.” The setting was decided as a carnival, and we had a great time together. Hence, I would recommend everyone to give this ring toss a try. This will surely keep your kid preoccupied most of the time.
13. Camping Set
This is one of my personal favorites among all the outdoor activities for one-year-olds. I would recommend this for even two years old or above. It is good to prepare your kid from an early age for all these adventures. This would give them the feeling of exploration, and when the time comes for camping in sites, you will never see them whining.
Different types of camping sets come with different things. Certain sets have a camping tent. Go for those sets that have tools that would make them feel like a real camping tour. Usually, most of the camping tents are enough for two kids. Hence, if you have multiple children, make sure to make the arrangements accordingly.
Asking them to camp for the evening or the morning outside will surely give them a sense of adventure that they will keep wanting forever. You can even make a bonfire outside if you have enough space. This would make the situation much more fun for your whole family.
14. Up And Down Roller Coaster
This roller coaster is sure to keep your kid engrossed. My sister got this roller coaster for her kid, and it was the most fun I had ever seen the children having. If you have a considerable amount of space in your backyard or in a room, you can set this up.
These roller coasters come in different shapes and sizes with attractive colors. Ask your kid for their preference, and get them one. If your kid is sad about not being able to ride the rollercoasters in the carnivals or theme parks, they are going to love this. Also, you can invite their friends and have a nice party for them.
You won’t have to worry about the kid at all. Also, these roller coasters come with various locks and boundaries that make sure the kid doesn’t fall off easily.
15. Outdoor Chair
If your toddler is not the kind to run around and jump about, then this is the best outdoor activity product that you can use. The outdoor chair is a secured chair where you can keep your toddler safe and secure. This comes in handy if you are on the beach or hosting a party at your place. You must take some rest, and you can’t keep running behind your kid every time. Hence, this product is the best to give you some rest.
I feel that this outdoor chair is another product that you must have. I had got one, and it saved a lot of hassle. I would make my kid sit inside and could go on doing my chores. This helped me a lot.
Where Can I Take My Kid To?
Till now, it was primarily about the outdoor activities that one could do within the boundaries of one’s home. However, it would be fun if you were to take your kid out sometimes. It would help them perceive the world correctly and get used to the different sounds and sensations on the street. This would allow them to develop their senses better. Here are some of the places that I visited with my family, and you can give them a go:
1. Outdoor Plays
A few cities have outdoor plays and puppet shows. Check out if any such event is happening and take your kid out for the day.
2. Gardens
This is one of the most peaceful spots you can take your kid to. Pack a nice picnic and take your whole family for a nice brunch.
3. Local Festival/Carnival
I remember my kid being extra excited for this one. The numerous rides, the smell of tasty food, and the beautiful lights are sure to attract any kid. Just find out the best festivals happening near you and take your whole family with you. It will be a fun day for everyone.
4. Beach
This is the most common place to visit with your kid. However, make sure to take them once they are a toddler to get used to the beach air.
5. Zoo
Another commonplace to take your toddler to. However, this can be a part of the picnic where you take your kid to see different animals.
6. Hiking
After all the climbing and crawling, you can put to the test your kid’s motor skills. Find the smalled hiking hill suitable for your kid and take them there. This will give them the strength to walk correctly and develop their muscles properly.
Conclusion
Outdoor activities are important to kids. They are learning things as they grow, and hence they need to go out and see things. It is a time of discovery, and this will enable them to learn things as they explore.
Outdoor play also creates an opportunity for social interaction. Kids learn to control their emotions, solve problems, take turns and even follow the rules. On the other hand, it promotes physical health hence reducing the chances of obesity.
Again, it promotes better sleep for the kids. Outdoor play unleashed a whole new experience and joy for your child.
