Even the most outdoorsy kids sometimes need suggestions for new ways to enjoy being outside. The next time boredom strikes when you are playing outside with your toddler, suggest one of these fun activities. You may just discover a new favorite outdoor activity.
Sometimes, the best way to mix things up outside is to do things outdoors that you would normally do indoors. If it is lunch time, why not spread out a blanket and enjoy a picnic on the lawn. Reading is another great indoor activity that can easily be enjoyed outdoors. If your child enjoys having tea parties with dolls and stuffed animals, why not bring their fuzzy friends and the tea set out for a tea party al fresco.
Let your imaginations run wild and build some little fairy houses in the yard. Find sticks, leaves, rocks, and other natural objects and use them to make tiny shelters. Use your imagination to make up stories about the sprites that will come to visit the fairy houses, and the things that they will do there. Let some energy loose with a brisk game of tag. If your child seems apprehensive about being chased around, lighten things up by giving them a hug or a tickle if you are able to catch them. I have found that young children love it when adults pretend that they can not catch up to their little playmates. I sometimes tell Dylan that I will race him to get to a ball in the yard. Nothing makes him squeal with laughter more than when I pretend to run really fast yet somehow he gets to the ball before I do.
You may even be able to disguise yard chores as fun and games – at least for a while. Things like collecting sticks or pulling weeds can seem like a game if you count how many you can pick up or pull up, or if you see how big of a pile of weeds or sticks you can make.