5 Fun Outdoor Play Ideas For Toddlers
When I was a kid all I wanted to do was be outside. It didn't matter whether I was shooting basketball, riding my bicycle, or chasing the dog. I lived for the sunshine.
Today, there are so many more distractions that make it easier for kids to stay glued to the tv rather than opting for outdoor adventures. It’s your job to inspire your kids to get outside where they belong, and away from those screens.
Need a few ideas? No problem! Here are 5 fun outdoor play ideas for toddlers that’ll bring out the kid in you.
1. Break Out The Chalk
One of my favorite things to do outside with my kids is to draw with chalk. If you have a paved driveway, or a sidewalk this is an inexpensive activity where you can get really creative.
Unleash Your Inner Artist
Something that my kids really enjoy is when I draw for them. Admittedly, I’m not much of an artist myself, but it's pretty easy to just pull out your phone, take a peek at google, and find just about anything to copy.
I like to let my kids pick what they’d like to see me attempt to draw. Then I find a picture that is just the right combination of interesting enough for the kids and easy enough for dad. Finally, it’s time to draw.
Remember, the goal isn’t to get it perfect. You’re just aiming to have fun with your kids and be present in the moment. They’ll enjoy the finished product whether they can easily tell what it is, or not.
Chalk Relay Exercise
As a dad of young children, it can be extremely difficult to find time to exercise. It becomes even more difficult to try and concoct some type of mildly structured physical activity that will also interest my kids.
One of the best outdoor play ideas for getting toddlers excited about exercise is drawing out a fun chalk relay course that you can do with them.
It isn’t necessary, but a little more space for this one definitely helps. I like to get really into it and draw all sorts of shapes and arrows for the kids to follow. They’re directed to do a mix of things like push ups, jumping jacks and bear crawls.
Add in some fun kid things like pretending to swim as a mako (my son’s idea), singing a silly song, doing the crab walk, or telling a joke and you’re sure to make some seriously fun memories. Bonus, your kids might even start to enjoy exercising.
2. Tag You're It
One of the most classic kid’s games you can play is tag. Sure, tag is pretty fun already, but you can add in your own twists to jazz it up a bit.
Freeze Tag
This is another slightly different version that can be easy to forget. Freeze tag requires more than two people. In case you aren’t sure how to play I included a loose summary of the guidelines below.
Choose someone to be “it” (the tagger)
When the tagger tags someone else that person has to “freeze” until somebody can touch them to “unfreeze” them.
The process starts all over
Hide and Seek Tag
This one came right from the imagination of my own kids.
Combine two of the most well-known outdoor play ideas for toddlers and what you’re left with is a game your kids will love. Here’s how it works.
Choose a seeker that is going to find and then tag all of the hiders.
The seeker counts to 10
When the seeker finds someone that “hider” will also need to be tagged before their turn is over
Monster Tag
My kids always love to play monster when we’re stuck inside. When the weather gets warmer the monster (me) makes his way outside.
How do you play?
I basically just chase them around the yard and try to catch them all while making monster sounds and grunts (this part is key). Then I carry them back to my “lair” where they always manage to escape. The process then gets repeated.
The monster usually gets tired much faster than his victims do.
Animal Tag
It's always a win when I can work animals into any of the outdoor play activities I engage in with my kids. This one is a lot of fun. As a dad, it requires you to put on your imagination hat.
What you want to do here is pretend to be an animal, particularly an animal that has an affinity for chasing down other animals (played by your kids).
My go-to choice is to imagine myself as a Cheetah chasing down gazelles. I mean who wouldn’t want to pretend they had the world-class speed of a cheetah?
Make sure to make lots of ridiculous sounds and really get into it. Your kids will love it!
3. Walk It Out
Walking doesn’t sound that exciting, but if you add in a few of the tweaks below it’s a fun activity the whole family can do together.
Snack Time
Allowing your kids to munch on a healthy snack while you walk around the neighborhood is a great way to disguise what is essentially exercise. Sometimes I’ll even make a dinner that the kids can eat with their hands and we’ll go on a “dinner walk.”
Walk to the Beat
Kids love music. There are more than a few options you have for jamming out to your favorite songs. You might even choose to let your kids pick the song, but be ready to listen to things like the baby shark tune…Doo Da Doo Da Doo.
You can use your phone for this, or do what I do. I’ll bring my Bluetooth speaker along. I even let each kids pick a song to listen to, and when its their turn they get to hold the speaker.
Be sure to include mom and dad in the rotation too, but I’d suggest picking something appealing to your kids, so they don’t lose interest.
Scavenger Hunt
Another fun outdoor play idea is to create a scavenger hunt. This one’s pretty simple.
We’ll just walk around the neighborhood and use either a template we found online, or just create one for ourselves.
I like to have them find things in nature like pinecones, flowers (which are really weeds) leaves, rocks, or dandelions. They love the challenge that “the hunt” provides. It’s really fulfilling to see their feelings of accomplishment when they’ve found something on the list too.
I Spy With My Little Eye
Try making a game out of it. Play “I Spy” with your kids as you walk.
Let each kid take a turn and make sure you play with them. My kids get a kick out of seeing me guess the wrong things.
If you aren’t sure how to play “I Spy” here’s how it works.
Choose someone to be the “spier”
The “spier” then gets to choose an item.
The “spier” will then describe the item’s color to the rest of the players. It's typically said this way during the game. “I spy with my little eye something __________”Then everybody else who’s playing gets a chance to guess the item the “spier” picked.
Whoever guesses the right item becomes the new “spier"
4. Wet And Wild
Once summer is in full swing all of the best outdoor play ideas for toddlers should incorporate water. If the temperature is scorching and your kids aren’t exactly itching to get outside try enticing them with some fun water games.
Squirt Gun Battle
Jump into the action yourself either by running away from your kids as they try to soak you, or join in and try to do a little soaking of your own.
There are an infinite amount of squirt gun options to choose from. I prefer the smaller ones.
They won’t get you too wet and they’re easier for the kids to handle.
Water Balloons
Another great option on a blazing hot day is to fill up a bucket of water balloons.
Have a water balloon battle. A word to the wise, make sure your kids know to toss at the feet instead of throwing directly at someone. This will save you a lot of potential tears later on.
You could also make it a game.
Stand close to each other and throw the water balloon back and forth.
Every time you catch it you take a step backward.
See how far apart you can get before the water balloon breaks.
Include mom and your other kids and make it a competition.
Baby Pool
If you have an actual pool, then you can skip over this one.
For those that still have to go through the work of loading your kids up in those pesky car seats to visit a pool, this will be more enticing.
An easy way for your kids to cool off is to play in one of those blue baby pools. They’re very inexpensive and extremely easy to maintain.
We add a little plastic slide to use with it too and then the kids have their very own mini-water park. When they’re done just dump the water out and store the pool away for the next time.
Sprinkler
I grew up running through the sprinkler on hot days and this is something my kids enjoy too.
I’ll often take a break from whatever to-do list item I’m working on and join in with them.
I like to get a bit more creative and add the sprinkler to other interesting places, like underneath the trampoline, near the swing set, or incorporated into some sort of backyard obstacle course.
5. Do Your Chores
What you may consider chores can be great outdoor play ideas for your toddlers.
Need to get some mulching done, trim the tree, or paint the shutters? No problem. Invite your kids to help you.
You can make great memories with your kids just by embracing these moments. You’d be surprised how much they might enjoy helping with the chores.
Make sure to teach them how to get the job done the right way, and don’t forget to have some fun while you’re at it.
Don’t be afraid to throw some challenges their way.
Set a timer and see how many weeds they can pull in 5 minutes.
Tell them to count how many tree branches they carry away and put on their discard pile.
It doesn’t take much to make this fun, you just need to think outside the box a little. One thing you will need though, is patience.
Including your kids will likely extend the time it takes to complete the task you’re working on. Still, adding in a bit of extra time to get your work done so you can spend more time with your kids seems like a pretty good trade-off to me.
Make sure to provide encouragement and praise for the work they’re doing. They might not accomplish much, but hearing those words of affirmation from you means the world to them.
Do it right and you’ll have them wanting to help you with more to-do list items down the road.
Conclusion
It can be a real challenge to pry your child away from addictive and unhealthy indoor habits like playing games on a tablet or watching the latest episode of Bluey.
You should want your child to be more than just distracted. What you want is for them to be creative, learn new things and make memories.
Watching tv, playing video games, or knocking around on an ipad isn’t going to be memorable.
As their dad, it’s your responsibility to get them outside. Show them how to use their imagination, let them get messy, and teach them how to enjoy the sunshine.
Review this list and pick a few of your favorite outdoor play ideas and try them out on your toddler. Don’t be afraid to jump in with them. One of the best parts about being a dad is having the excuse to act like a kid yourself sometimes.
Leave me a comment and let me which activity you tried with your kids. How’d it go? Do you have any ideas to add to this list? Drop them in the comments too.
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Shane Achey | Hero Dad Mission
Shane Achey, founder of the Hero Dad Mission blog, is a devoted husband of nearly 10 years. He is also a father to 4 kids, twin 4 year old boys, a 3 year old little girl and his newborn daughter. Shane’s vision is to walk alongside other men, helping them become the heroes they’re meant to be.
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