Let’s face it. Toddlers are constantly on the go and finding enough activities to keep them busy can be a bit of a challenge. So, when the sun is shining, it’s a good idea to organize a few outdoor activities for toddlers that’ll give their minds and bodies a workout. And, it doesn’t matter if your outside space is a balcony, a sidewalk, a lawn, or a park; these fun outdoor activities for toddlers and babies are easy for parents to handle on their own—making them perfect for the days when a playdate isn’t possible but everyone in your crew needs some good ol’ Vitamin D.
If you’re looking for other activities for toddlers, check out our favorite crafts, the best sensory projects, and easy games for toddlers.
1. Go on a rainbow scavenger hunt.
Take your child around your yard or neighborhood and look for items that are the color of the rainbow. From a red stop sign to a yellow leaf to a purple flower, spotting items and learning color names can be a fun activity for you both. With younger babies, carry them to each item and let them explore its color and texture before moving on.
2. Set up a treasure hunt.
Fill some bags, boxes, or those plastic Easter eggs with kid-friendly treasures (like stickers or fuzzy pom poms) and hide them in plain sight in your yard for your child to find. This also works great indoors. For crawlers, spread them out on a picnic blank
3. Make Ice Boats
Ice cubes are a great way to stay cool on a hot summer day. These colorful ice boats from Busy Toddler are easy to make and will capture your toddler’s attention—at least for a few minutes. Prep the boats ahead of time (think nap time!), then let sail them in an outdoor water table, bucket, or inflatable backyard pool. Kids can move them across the water and watch the colored cubes melt.
4. Mess-Free Painting
Giving a baby a paintbrush can mean a big, old mess—unless you let them paint with water. On a sunny day, hand your child a paintbrush and a small cup of water and let them paint the steps, driveway, or fence. You’ll be surprised at how much kids love this simple task. Check out some of our other art projects that are easy to clean up here.
5. Shaving Cream = Sensory Fun
We love this idea from Fantastic Fun and Learning. Put the shaving cream into a squirt bottle and mix in some food coloring, then let kids squeeze it onto contact paper and explore with their fingers. This activity is great for little ones learning to sit and crawlers who won’t go slip-sliding anywhere too fast. Just keep a close eye on them so they don’t try to taste the foam or smear it on their clothes.
6. Set up a nature jam session.
It can be headache-inducing when little ones bang on pots and pans indoors, so take all that noise and energy outside. Donna Bozzo, author of What the Fun?! 427 Simple Ways To Have Fantastic Family Fun Play, suggests pulling loud kitchen tools and utensils outdoors and letting your baby make music. Attach the makeshift instruments to a fence, tree, or other stationary object so they don’t disappear. Or, lay them down in the grass for a different sound.
7. Set up a splatter paint art project.
This outdoor activity for toddlers from A Crafty Living is worth the mess it makes. Squirt washable paint in large blobs on a big sheet of paper and then cover each with a cotton round (the paint blob should be slightly smaller than the cotton round). Strip your toddler down to their diaper and help them smack each white round with their feet or a rubber mallet to discover which bold color will burst out. When you’re done, you’re left with a museum-worthy piece of modern art… and a happy child in need of a bath.
8. Make a backyard sensory barn.
Babies love to engage their senses, and this sandbox sensory play activity by Click Pray Love allows your mini-me to have all kinds of tactile adventures. Fill a plastic container, plastic kiddie pool, or other large, low container with sand or rice and some barn- or farm-themed toys. Watch as your child digs through the sand to discover hidden treasures. Switch out the farm theme for a dinosaur dig, car and truck rally, or seashells and sand dollars, whatever you have on hand, and whatever your kid loves.
9. Make nature bottles.
All you need is a clear water bottle and a curious baby to make these DIY nature bottles. Help your child collect objects from your yard or a local park and place them in the bottle. Look for dirt, grass, flowers, sand, stones, sticks, acorns, and other small items that fit in the bottle (As always, keep a close watch so baby doesn’t put their finds in their mouth.). Then seal the cap on the bottle and let your child turn and shake it to their heart’s content.
10. Have a nature storytime.
Take your favorite book outdoors to really bring the story to life. Choose a book with nature themes and point out the sun, wind, leaves, or whatever you see when you read about it.
