The Best Backyard Activities For Toddlers To Help Them Grow A Love Of The Outdoors
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Backyard activities for toddlers so you can keep them busy and have yourself a nice cup of coffee while they play.
Today’s world is one of indoor living and computer games. Kids spend so much time stuck inside watching videos or playing video games that their fear of the outdoors is referred to as “the Computer-age Blues.”
Fortunately, there are simple ways to help your toddler overcome this fear and develop an appreciation for the great outdoors. The easiest way? Get them outside!
In this article, we’ll discuss some of the best backyard activities for toddlers that will help them grow a love of the outdoors. Doing these activities with your little one will not only help them gain a stronger connection to nature, but also spark creativity and improve their motor skills.
Backyard Activities For Toddlers
Water Table Play
Water play is my #1 toddler activity. Here are some fun water table activities if you need ideas, and my favorite water tables for kids. Water table play is an easy way to get those sensory needs addressed and obviously it’s so much fun. My 8 year old still loves our toddler water table!
If you don’t want to buy a water table, you can use a large plastic container filled with warm water as a fun outdoor activity. Remember that you can add toy cars, soap, sidewalk chalk paint or whatever else you want to in your water table!
Water Wall
For youngsters who have outgrown their water table days, a water wall is a terrific and inexpensive DIY outdoor play area concept. With a few two-by-fours, chicken wire, and plastic pipes, you can make your own DIY water wall.
Ride Balance Bike
Does your toddler have a balance bike? It’s a great way to teach balance and keep your little one occupied in a fenced area.
Play In Sandbox
Sandboxes in your own backyard may be enjoyed by children as young as one year old. Sand play, in fact, can benefit children’s growth. They learn critical motor and muscular skills, as well as hand-eye coordination, by excavating, filling, pouring, and moving sand using scoops and buckets.
Make a Bird Feeder
Make an easy bird feeder with messy little monster. This keeps the mess outside, and gives a little snack for the birds that visit your yard!
Small Splash Pad and Umbrella
What could be better for a child than outdoor water fun? A splash pad is fantastic since it is easy to maintain and is less expensive than a pool. The addition of a great stand-alone umbrella is the icing on the cake.
Paint and Draw
Do you have an easel for your kids? Take it outside! The same toy from inside the home can be a lot of fun if brought into the backyard.
scavenger hunt
With this Colors of Nature Scavenger Hunt, go on a stroll (or into your yard or garden) and encourage youngsters to identify and match colours. It’s a great method to improve colour awareness while getting some exercise.
Squirt Gun Painting
This Squirt Gun Painting activity is a lot of fun for the kids. Each painting will be one-of-a-kind, and who doesn’t like the chance to use a squirt gun?
Mud Kitchen
Mud pies are a popular kid’s activity that has been passed down through the centuries. You should also try it with your children! Set up a Mud Kitchen project for your kids outside with some old pots, pans, and dishes. They can make mud pies, swirl flowers and leaves in water, and do a variety of other activities.
Make An Obstacle Course
Use hula hoops, skipping ropes, cardboard boxes, balls, and kiddie pools to create an obstacle course in your garden.
Nature Painting
Make some art with Nature Paintbrushes fashioned from flowers, leaves, grass, and other found objects. It’ll be fun to experiment with different textures and patterns.
Giant Water Beads
You may use standard or large water beads like these to play with. They’re both a lot of fun. For a fun sensory experience, place them in a water table or a kiddie pool.
bubbles
This is an obvious choice. For most kids, bubbles are wonderful and entertaining. They also offer the best value for money when it comes to establishing a kid-friendly backyard.
We’ve tried a variety of wands, machines, and bubbles, and they’re all incredibly popular. Even our own beaded bubble wands have been manufactured!
Larger multi-bubble wands and an endless supply of homemade bubble solution in a pie dish or shallow bowl (making a huge batch is simple and inexpensive) are our favourites.
Get Slimy Outside with Oobleck
Oobleck is the most fantastic, magnificent thing, and it only requires TWO components to manufacture. And I’m sure you have them already.
Cornstarch and water are mixed to make oobleck, a non-Newtonian material. It’s quite solid. It’s like a liquid. And really fantastic.
Rock Climbing Wall
Climbing walls are a fantastic method for older kids to strengthen their upper bodies while also letting off steam. You may buy a ready-made rock wall or build your own, but always make sure your kids have a secure place to fall.
Sponge Water Bombs
These Sponge Water Bombs are a simple and enjoyable way to cool yourself on hot summer days. It only takes a few minutes to build them, and then you can have a water battle with your family.
Bug Scavenger Hunt
This Bug Scavenger Hunt will be a hit with kids who enjoy all things creepy and crawly. Check off as many as you can on the list! This is a fantastic springtime exercise.
Painting with Water
Do you have a whiteboard on one side of your easel? Take it outside, cover it with chalk, and let the kids try their hand at Water Painting. If you don’t have a blackboard, let the kids use water to paint the fence, sidewalk, driveway, or porch. It’s a low-maintenance pastime that gives children plenty of fine motor work.
Play With Backyard Toys
Balls, hula hoops, frisbees, jump ropes, and stilts are all classic childhood toys that are wonderful for easy, athletic fun. However, one of our favourites is a set of activity cones, which are great for open-ended active play since they can be utilised in so many different ways. They’re ideal for constructing obstacle courses, make-believe games, and races.
You might also want to consider a trampoline for your backyard. We have a tiny trampoline that lives inside in the winter and outside in the summer! I wish we had space for a large trampoline, but alas, our small backyard simply doesn’t allow it.
Swing!
Swings are a terrific way to stay active while having fun and relaxing. They are also great for building equilibrium and balance. A swing set or a tree swing might be a great addition if you have the room.
Jumping Activities
If your front or backyard is big enough, you could turn it into a mini-trampoline park for your toddler! Kids love to jump – it’s one of the things that naturally comes when they’re little.
While jumping doesn’t seem like the most productive or educational activity, it actually can be! As your toddler is jumping, they’ll be able to develop their gross motor skills, which is the ability to control their muscles. As they jump, they’ll be learning about their center of gravity and be building up leg muscles.
This is important not just for jumping, but for other activities as well – having strong leg muscles will help your toddler be more coordinated and confident.
Plus, the more they jump, the more they can try out new moves and tricks – after all, some of the best athletes started out their careers in their backyards!
Games and Exercises
Games are a great way to spend time with your toddler and help them develop their motor skills – and they don’t have to be only indoors!
Outdoor games like soccer, basketball, or even badminton can help your toddler develop their motor skills, while also giving them a fun way to exercise. Plus, they might even make new friends along the way!
While many backyard activities are focused on physical activities, don’t forget about the importance of mental stimulation! While all the physical activities are great for your toddler’s development, they may not be enough to keep them interested for long.
In order to keep things fresh, try to incorporate some games that stimulate your toddler’s mind – this will help them stay engaged and prevent boredom.
Another important thing to remember is to make sure that you’re modifying games and exercises as your toddler grows. You might have loved playing badminton when you were younger, but as you get older it gets harder and harder to play. Not only can this be frustrating, but it can also be discouraging and lead to your toddler becoming bored with the game.
Gardening Activities
Gardening is a great way to get your toddler outside and in touch with nature – they’ll be able to see how things grow and what it takes to make plants healthy.
Not only that, but gardening is one of the best ways to connect with nature – it’s a meditative and calming activity that often leads to a more relaxed state of mind. Plus, your toddler will be able to have their own fresh fruits and vegetables, which will encourage them to eat healthier and learn about nutrition at a young age.
Not to mention, gardening is a very cost-effective hobby, and it can be done year-round in most parts of the world. You and your toddler can start small with a potted plant or seed – most common plants are easy to take care of and are great for beginners.
Backyard Play For Toddlers Bottom Line
A toddler’s world is very small – they spend most of their time around one or two people (usually their parents), and in a small area.
They can’t venture very far, can’t go very long without needing sleep, and can’t do very many things on their own. Babies and toddlers are still growing and developing, so they require regular care from those around them.
They need food, water, rest, and love on a regular basis to thrive. While it can be tiresome to be around a toddler all the time, it is critical to their growth and development. Spending time with toddlers can be fun and fulfilling, but it can also be trying at times.
Babies and toddlers are very curious – they want to know how everything works, what everything is, and who everyone is.
They want to play and be active, and they want to be loved. You can help your toddler grow and develop by spending time with them regularly, and engaging in activities that help them learn and be active.
