Picnic Table Talk this week is all about physical activities and outdoor games. We are really fortunate to have a lovely yard for the kids to play in, and when the weather is nice they will spend most of the day outdoors. I wrote a post back in February on keeping toddlers active indoors, so here are a few of our favorite things to do outdoors:
- Exploring: Both kids love exploring the yard and neighborhood – finding plants, flowers, birds, and other animals. We sort of live in the middle of nowhere, which means we get lots of animals: deer, groundhogs, and wild turkey in addition to the more common squirrels and birds.
- Outdoor toys: This summer we made a thrifty sandbox using an underbed storage bin. We have a couple Little Tikes climbing toys, one inherited from a friend and one that I picked up for $5 at a yard sale. We also have a trike and a ride-on toy, also picked up at yard sales for $3 apiece.
- Art: My kids love homemade sidewalk paint as well as chalk. Not exactly active, but a fun outdoor activity.
- Picnics: It’s always a treat for my kids to eat on a blanket outside, and I love the minimal cleanup. Also not that active, but picnics are always preceded and/or followed by active outdoor play.
- Walks: Emma and Johnny love to wander around our neighborhood.
- Water: Our town regulates summer water usage pretty heavily (even during super wet summers like we’ve had this year), so this is somewhat limited at our house, but both kids are happy to engage in any water-related activity.
- Balls: Throw them, kick them, chase them – endless fun!
What are your favorite ways to stay active indoors and outdoors?
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
A wonderful outdoor list!
Great ideas, I love being thrifty too :D most of our outdoor toys have also been free or very cheap!
We love having a sand box that someone gave to us otherwise the idea of the storage bin is AWESOME! I can't BELIEVE you found those things so cheap and garage sales! I am not a GS kind of person I always feel weird going to them. LOL
I'm going to check out some more posts. Thanks for the INFO!
I couldn't agree with you more on water. I sometimes just put a bucket of water outside and let Anna go to town with it. So many different ideas. Not necessarily all active, but a lot of fun.
I loved your thrifty sandbox! That is so clever! Emily loves bean bag games, and we've made several different versions together. For some reason, they never seem to get old. We are also huge fans of sidewalk chalk!
My daughter also loves to play ball. She throws pretty well. Chalk is a favorite too. I'll even play chalk if it's not too hot out :)
I really like your sandbox idea. My girls would love it. Also great ways to keep them moving and entertained.
My kids also love to just explore the yard.
I can't seem to keep my 3 yr old inside. He loves it outside. Love your blog. I read it all the time b/c you have such great ideas.
your sandbox sounds like a great idea… we don't have one currently and it sounds easy and simple to make! FYI August 11th is National Play in Sand Day!! :)
Ingrid loves to wander around and pick up sticks and rocks. I can't wait to do sidewalk chalk with her! By the way, I've left you an award on my blog :)