As the warm breeze of summer stretches before us, I know that we, mothers, are facing a familiar challenge – giving the best summer activities for toddlers! As much as possible, we wanted them to stay entertained, engaged, and learning during long, sunny days.
I love summer because it allows my little one to do fun activities like water play and indoor activities. Thinking of easy summer activities that will stay in the bank can be challenging.
Don’t worry, I got you!
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How to Keep a Toddler Busy and Engaged in Summer?
Keeping toddlers engaged during long summer days can be challenging, but with a bit of creativity, we can turn everyday moments into opportunities for learning and fun.
To me, giving my 20-month-old fun summer activities is all about simplicity. I love searching through everyday household items and turning them into a fun summer activity to enhance her cognitive development, hand-eye coordination, and sensory exploration.
What Are the Best Summer Activities for a 2-Year-Old?
The best summer activities for toddlers aged two years old are safe, stimulating, and age-appropriate.
Since Zaya is 20 months old, I always search for fun summer activities that promote exploration and physical development and foster creativity. Water play activities, simple arts and crafts, and sensory experiences are all excellent choices for this age group.
What Are Good Outdoor Activities for a Toddler?
Now I know when we hear the word “outdoor,” it sounds complicated, but you know what? You don’t need to do strenuous activities to make outdoor activities fun. Outdoor activities are essential for your toddler’s gross motor skill development, sensory exploration, and connection with nature.
Here are some easy summer activities you can do with your toddler outdoors:
- Water Play Activities: Set up a kiddie pool, sprinkler, or water table for refreshing fun! You can also fill buckets with water and provide cups for pouring and splashing. This will help toddlers with hand-eye coordination and learn the concept of volume and cause-and-effect.
- Nature Walks and Scavenger Hunt: Take your toddlers on a short nature walk in your backyard or local park. Make a simple scavenger hunt by asking them to find items like a smooth rock, a yellow flower, or a big leaf. These kinds of activities encourage observation skills and teach them about their environment.
- Sandbox Play: This is a fun, easy summer activity that is easily set up with sensory bins. Provide scoops, buckets, and molds for endless creative play. Sandbox and other sensory bin activities can help your toddler’s fine motor skills and introduce concepts like full, empty, and texture.
Outdoor play provides physical benefits and helps your little ones develop a sense of wonder about the world around them. It offers opportunities for unstructured play, which is essential for their creativity and problem-solving skills.
15 Easy & Fun Summer Activities for Toddlers to Keep Them Engaged
Easy Summer Activities for Cognitive Development
Adventure Toilet Paper Roll Binoculars
Credits: Fox Farm Home
Do you think your toilet paper rolls are no longer in use? Then, it’s time to transform them into exciting binoculars for your little explorer! This fun summer activity encourages imaginative play and helps develop observational skills. As your toddler peers through handmade binoculars, they’ll learn to focus on details in their environment, boosting their cognitive abilities.
Shape and Color Aliens
Credits: Laura Kelly
Make colorful aliens using various shapes and colors. This fun indoor activity helps toddlers recognize and name different shapes and colors. It also enhances their vocabulary skills! They’ll also exercise their imagination and decision-making abilities as they design their unique aliens.
Homemade Playdough
Credits: Twin Cities Frugal Mom
Making playdough together is not only a fun indoor activity but also educational. When you mix different ingredients and watch the dough form, your toddler learns cause and effect, measurement concepts, and color mixing. Playdough is an excellent opportunity for imaginative play and learning.
Sidewalk Chalk Paint
Credits: The Best Ideas for Kids
Chalk drawing is an easy summer activity that creates vibrant masterpieces on the sidewalk. Doing this activity can develop their artistic skills and imagination. You can take this activity to the next level with homemade sidewalk chalk paint! Combine science and art.
Cardboard Coloring
Credits: Homan at Home
Turn household items like cardboard boxes into canvases for your toddler’s creativity. These fun indoor activities encourage free expression and develop color recognition and early writing skills. It’s also an ideal activity to motivate toddlers to follow simple instructions and spatial awareness as they fill different areas of the cardboard.
Fun Summer Activities for Hand-Eye Development
Lemonade Sensory Bin
Credits: The Mindful Toddler
Create a refreshing sensory bin inspired by our all-time summer’s favorite drink. This is very easy to do. Fill a container with lemon-scented water beads, toy lemons, and scooping tools! This sensory bin activity helps toddlers refine their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination as they scoop, pour, and explore the bin’s contents.
Toilet Paper Seedling Pots
Combine gardening and recycling by creating seedling pots from toilet paper. These eco-friendly, fun summer activities for toddlers develop hand-eye coordination as they fill the pots with soil and carefully plant seeds. It’s also a great opportunity to teach them about plant growth, patience, and responsibility.
Tissue Paper Mosaic Turtle
Credits: The Forked Spoon
Use your household item in a work of art! Create a colorful turtle using tissue paper squares. This fun indoor activity can help toddlers practice their pincer grasp when they pick up and place small pieces of paper. This activity encourages color recognition and pattern making, enhancing fine motor skills and cognitive development.
Rainbow Nature Weaving
Credits: Fox Farm Home
Collect colorful items from nature and weave them into a rainbow pattern. These easy summer activities improve your toddler’s hand-eye coordination as toddlers carefully place items in the weaving frame. It also teaches color recognition and sorting skills while fostering a connection with nature.
Frosting Playdough
Credits: Conserva Mom
Make edible playdough using two household items that you can easily have in your pantry – powdered sugar and frosting! These easy summer activities are a safe, taste-friendly alternative to regular playdough. It allows toddlers to knead, roll, and shape the dough, exercising their hand strength and agility.
Fun Indoor Activities for Sensory Exploration
Bug and Free Insect Extension Sensory Bin
Credits: Crafty Kids Play
Create a bug-themed sensory bin filled with materials of various textures. Add toy insects, magnifying glasses, and tweezers for exploration. This activity stimulates multiple senses and teaches toddlers about different insects and their habitats.
Ice Cream Sensory Bin
Credits: The Mindful Toddler
Set up an ice cream-themed sensory bin using materials that mimic different flavors and toppings. These cool, fun indoor activities allow toddlers to explore various textures and temperatures while playing pretend.
Flower Sensory Soup
Credits: Living Life & Learning
Set up a sensory bin with water and add flowers, leaves, and petals to create a fragrant “soup.” This summer activity engages multiple senses – touch, smell, and sight – as toddlers mix and explore the natural materials. It’s also a great way to introduce them to different plants and their properties.
Water Wall Summer STEM
Credits: Little Bins, Little Hands
Build a vertical water play activity station using recycled materials from household items. This activity is a combination of sensory exploration with early STEM concepts. As toddlers pour water and watch it flow through different pathways, they learn about gravity, cause and effect, and problem-solving.
Bubble Foam Sensory Play
Credits: Mama of Minis
Create a mountain of bubble foam for messy, sensory fun! This activity stimulates the sense of touch and encourages exploratory play. When toddlers squish, scoop, and shape the foam, they enhance their sensory processing skills.
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FAQs
Q: Is outdoor play good for toddlers?
Absolutely! Outdoor play is essential for toddlers’ physical, cognitive, and emotional development. It is a great opportunity for gross motor skill development, encourages natural world exploration, and helps build a strong immune system.
Just remember to provide adequate sun protection and supervision.
Q: Where can I buy toddler summer crafts?
While many of the activities in this blog use everyday household items, you can find additional toddler-friendly craft supplies at local craft stores, department stores, or online retailers.
Remember to check the label. Look for non-toxic, age-appropriate materials that are safe for your little one under supervision.
