Playing outdoors is so good for our toddlers! It promotes healthy cognitive, social, and physical development, and the mental health benefits are vast. From engaging in exploration to inspiring creativity to fostering relaxation, outdoor play is crucial.
Here are 40 fun outdoor activities and play ideas for you and your toddler.
40 Fun Outdoor Activities And Play Ideas For Toddlers
1) Outdoor Mural
If your toddler is beginning to hone their fine motor skills, making an outdoor mural is a great way to practice. Roll out some butcher paper and give them crayons or markers, or paint.
2) Sidewalk Painting
You can create a simple, homemade chalk mixture with equal parts cornstarch and water. Add a few drops of food coloring, find a paved space, and you’ve got an instant art project.
3) Rainbow Collage
Colors abound in nature! Go on a hunt to collect an assortment of colors, and then your toddler can glue them on a piece of paper in the shape of a rainbow.
4) Fairy House
Build a fairy house with found objects. It's fun to tuck them between the roots of trees or hide them under a canopy of leaves. Check back the next day to see if you can spot any secret visitors.
5) Stick Painting
Collect a variety of sticks from around your house. Set up an art station with paints and paper, and ask your child to use the sticks as paintbrushes.
6) Rock Painting
Painted rocks make beautiful decorations for gardens, lawn edges, or around a mailbox. Go on a rock hunt with your toddler and pick a few to paint.
7) Pine Cone Animals
Pick up some pine cones on a walk and use them in an animal art project. You’ll need scissors, colored paper, and pipe cleaners…and, of course, pine cones!
8) Leaf And Twig Weaving
Help your child practice focusing attention by doing this fun weaving project. You’ll need string, scissors, and four small sticks. Tie their ends together to create a square. Then make a checkerboard, tying string both across and up and down. Weave leaves into the grid.
9) Nature Puzzles
Go on an outside hunt with your little one for natural objects. Then draw a shape on a piece of paper and challenge your child to fill in the shape with their treasures.
10) Bird Feeder
A classic art project, the pine cone bird feeder is fun for your kid to make and then fun to observe. Take a pine cone, add some peanut butter, and roll it in bird seed. Hang it up and then hang out to bird watch!
11) Bug Observation
What toddler doesn’t love searching for squirmy bugs? Give your child the opportunity to get up close and personal (and dirty!) observing bugs.
12) Gardening
If you’ve got a flower or vegetable garden, you’ve got a great activity for your little outdoor enthusiast. They can help you water, weed, and pick vegetables.
13) Scavenger Hunt
Make a list of nature items and send your toddler out to find them. If your scavenger hunt is spur-of-the-moment, let your child search for whatever interests them.
14) Nature Identification
Find a field guide online or at the library and try to identify different plants, flowers, and those bugs your toddler was busy finding in the Bug Observation activity above!
15) Berry Picking
Your toddler may eat more than they save, but berry picking is a rewarding experience. Once you’ve gotten your haul of delicious berries, you have an instant rainy day activity: baking a pie!
16) Animal Tracking
Go on a hunt for animal tracks. Bring along a footprint guide to see if you can identify the animals whose paths you cross.
17) Star Gazing
Give your child that awesome feeling of the vastness of the universe by going stargazing. Bring some warm cider or milk, lie on a blanket, and look up at the sky.
18) Chalk Obstacle Course
Make a silly obstacle course for your kid to try. Draw squares they need to hop on, spirals where they spin, and other fun (and funny!) challenges.
19) Yard Work
You might be surprised by your little one’s excitement at doing some yard work around your home. See what interests them the most: pulling weeds, raking leaves, or collecting fallen branches.
20) Kite Flying
If you look out your window and the wind is blowing, grab a kite and go!
21) Picnic
Pack a picnic for an outside meal under the sun.
22) Dog Walk
If you’ve got a dog, take your toddler on a dog walk. Ask them to imagine what it’s like to rely on their nose for important information.
23) Family Jogging Club
A great way to use up toddler energy and instill the benefits of an active lifestyle is by starting a family jogging club. Let your little one decide where and how far to go.
24) Sound Hunt
How about a sound hunt? An introduction to meditation, this activity can be done anywhere outside. Find a fun location and sit quietly with your little nature lover. Make a list of the sounds you hear.
25) Nature Journaling
Give your toddler a notebook to draw what they experience while they’re out observing in nature. You can begin with the sound hunt activity, but you can expand in a ton of different ways.
26) Tree Bark Rubbings
Take a piece of paper and place it on the trunk of a tree. Then rub over the paper with a crayon. (Pro tip: remove the paper wrapping so you can roll the whole crayon.)
27) Sand Play
Find a beach or fill a small kiddie pool with sand for hours of fun! Try making sand castles with buckets and shovels or creating a construction site with cars and trucks.
28) Mud Kitchen
Making mud pies is always a hit with kids. Set up a mud kitchen anywhere outside by adding pie plates and utensils to a pile of mud. (You can make your own with some water and dirt, too.)
29) Sensory Walk
First making sure the ground is free of debris or sharp objects, take a sensory walk with bare feet. Talk with your little one about the different sensations you feel on your feet as you move between terrains.
30) Fort Building
Building a fort is so much fun. Stack sticks, hang a blanket over a tree branch, and build walls with stones. The possibilities are endless!
31) Outdoor Tea Party
This one’s a favorite! Take a tea set outside and have a party. Your toddler can bring some simple snacks and invite a few stuffies to join in the fun.
32) Movie Making
Give your budding nature documentarian a chance to make a movie about the great outdoors. Let them use your phone or camera and see what they can do!
33) Nature Storytime
Reading a book plus being outside equals instant relaxation!
34) Sand Volcanoes
A little bit of baking soda and vinegar makes a whole lot of fun! Find a sandy spot (a big bucket filled with sand will do) and build a volcano. Pour in a mixture of the baking soda and vinegar and watch it erupt.
35) Water Table
If you’re able to get your hands on a water table, your toddler will have hours of fun. Place pom poms in the water. Try bubbles or toy boats. Or how about adding ice cubes? Get creative!
36) Sprinkler Play
Running through the sprinkler is always a hit when the weather gets hot. But keeping your little one’s skin soft and soothed after all that water play can be difficult!
First, apply an emollient product like Mustela’s Stelatopia Emollient Cream, Stelatopia Emollient Face Cream, or Stelatopia Emollient Balm. Then, when your child is finished playing, bathe them in fresh water and use Stelatopia Cleansing Cream and Stelatopia Foam Shampoo.
37) Car Wash
Have your kid help you wash the car or create a mini car wash station near you while you work. They can clean their own toy cars or real bikes.
38) Dishwashing Station
An outdoor dishwashing station helps your child develop independence and foster practical life skills. It can also expand their concentration and attention span. Plus, it’s fun!
39) Water Painting
On a hot day, put on some SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen Spray and Mosquito Repellent Lotion, grab a bucket, paint brushes, and sponges, and do some water painting. Your toddler can paint a picture with water, watch it disappear, and then do it again!
40) Leaf Boat Racing
Making leaf boats encourages your child’s creativity while sharpening their fine motor skills. Set them to sail in a pond, a stream, a lake, or even a puddle!
Explore The Great Outdoors With Mustela
Outdoor activities are a critical part of toddlers’ development, so try to get your little one outside every day. Pick any nature activity, small or large, and have fun together!
Just don’t forget to put on one of Mustela’s SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreens and Mosquito Repellent Lotion before you head out.
Frequently Asked Questions
What outdoor activities develop cognitive skills in toddlers?
Any kind of outdoor play helps develop important cognitive skills like sharpening attention span, improving executive function, and building problem-solving abilities.
Do I need to do anything special when I take my toddler outside in the wintertime?
According to the CDC, your toddler can go outside in winter weather unless temperatures drop below 20 degrees.Dressing in layers is key to being comfortable in cold weather. Make sure your child has mittens, a hat, and waterproof boots before going outside.
How do I keep outdoor play safe for my toddler?
Make sure your little one wears sunscreen and hydrates. Ensure their play space is free of debris and broken equipment. And remind them about safety rules and boundaries.
