• Bubbles – Measure out six cups of water and two cups of dish-washing liquid. Mix together in a bowl. Make a wand out of a pipe cleaner, piece of wire or a wire coat hanger. Get your child to dip the wand into the bubble mixture, then wave their arms in the air or blow gently at the wand. They will delight in seeing the stream of bubbles coming from the wand. They’ll also enjoy trying to catch the bubbles you create.

• Nature Bracelet – Wrap a piece of masking tape to your child’s wrist (sticky-side out) then head outdoors and have your child attach colorful leaves, bark or flowers to the bracelet. Then snip off the bracelet when you get back inside and display the bracelet on the fridge or a display board.

• Ball Play – Grab a large,soft ball and encourage your toddler to kick it, throw it up in the air and to even try to catch it. Sit opposite each other with your legs apart and roll the ball to each other. Take the ball to the playground and roll it down the slide.

• Rope Play – Get a long piece of rope and have your child lay down on the ground. Take the rope and trace it around the outline of your child’s body, then have them get up and see their shape. Lay down and have your child place the rope around your body. Another fun rope game is to lay the rope in a pattern on the ground and have your child jump over it.

• Playdough – Playdough recipe - Mix one cup of flour, one teaspoon of salt, one tablespoon of oil, one cup of water and form into a ball. Divide ball into two or three parts and add different food colors to each. Encourage your child to make shapes using cookie cutters, or have them press different household objects into the dough (for more see our tip on Playdough fun).

• Flour Drawing – Sprinkle flour in the bottom of a cookie sheet. Using your finger, show your child how to draw basic shapes. Have your child copy the same shape next to yours.

• Make A Book – Take photos of family members, the child’s bedroom, a favorite playground, the family pet etc and paste them onto paper and form into a book. Your child will love looking through the book and recognizing some of their favorite things.

• Outdoor Bowling – Get four or five empty soda bottles and place a small amount of water in each (so they don’t blow over).  Get a lightweight plastic ball and have your toddler roll the ball from a short distance to knock the bottles down.

Next: Outdoor Play and Learning Opportunities for Toddlers

By Anne Oxenreider