Outdoor play for babies and toddlers

25 ideas

• Leaf shadows5 min · you need a blanket, a shady tree · Moving light and shadow give your baby something calm and interesting to watch.
• Stroller stop-and-show10 min · you need a stroller or baby carrier · A walk becomes a string of new sights, each with its own word.
• Listen outside10 min · you need a stroller or baby carrier · The world outside is full of sounds, and each one can come with a word.
• Kicks on a blanket outside5 min · you need a blanket, a shady spot · A change of place gives your baby new things to see, hear and feel while they kick.
• Feel the grass5 min · you need a blanket, a patch of grass · New textures underfoot are a whole new thing to explore.
• Follow their gaze10 min · you need a stroller or carrier · Naming what your baby is already looking at links the word to the thing.
• Touch the tree8 min · nothing to get · Outdoor textures are new and interesting, and each one comes with a word.
• Ring Around the Rosie4 min · nothing to get · Falling down at the end is the best part, and your toddler learns to wait for it.
• Stop-and-go walk8 min · nothing to get · Starting and stopping on a word is early practice in listening and self-control.
• Scoop and pour in the dirt10 min · you need a patch of dirt or sand, old cups and spoons · Scooping and pouring take careful hands, and dirt is endlessly interesting.
• Paint with water8 min · you need a paintbrush, a cup of water · Painting with water is all the fun of painting with nothing to clean up.
• Nature bag walk15 min · you need a paper bag · Collecting turns a walk into a hunt, with a word for every find.
• Puddle stomp10 min · you need rain boots or old shoes · Stomping in a puddle is pure joy, and a rainy day turns into an adventure.
• Run to the tree8 min · nothing to get · Running to a goal and back is great practice for strong legs.
• Chalk roads15 min · you need sidewalk chalk, toy cars · Following a road with a car takes careful hands, and drawing roads is the start of map-making.
• Color match outside10 min · you need three crayons or scraps of colored paper · Matching colors outside teaches looking closely at the world.
• Hop and count6 min · nothing to get · Matching a jump to each number joins counting to something real.
• Red light, green light10 min · nothing to get · Stopping and going on a word is practice in listening and self-control.
• Picture-list nature hunt15 min · you need paper, a crayon · A picture list teaches your child that marks on paper can stand for things.
• Chalk hopscotch15 min · you need sidewalk chalk · Jumping and saying numbers in order joins counting and balance.
• Letter walk15 min · nothing to get · Finding letters out in the world shows children that print is everywhere.
• Bug safari15 min · you need paper, a pencil · Looking closely at living things is how young scientists start.
• Backyard games day20 min · you need a bucket, sock balls, chalk or sticks for lines · Events with turns teach waiting, trying hard and being a good sport.
• Leaf and stick pictures20 min · you need leaves and sticks you collect, paper, glue or tape · Making art from nature means looking closely at shapes and colors.
• Cloud pictures10 min · you need a blanket · Seeing shapes and telling stories about them stretches imagination and language.