The warm weather has been a welcomed change over the past few weeks and we’ve found ourselves outside in the backyard more often than not! While thinking of different ways to entertain the kids outside, I came up with this list. It’s been a huge hit among our friends who are looking for ways to entertain their toddles, so I wanted to share on here too! Here are 10 ways to entertain your toddlers in the backyard!
Hide & Seek
Everyone knows this classic game! The kids have been loving playing Hide & Seek lately and especially in the backyard. They’ve been able to count 1-10 (with some help) and have been really creative in their hiding spots. We sometimes switch it up and play Hide & Seek Tag where the kids can run to a “home base” after being found to avoid getting tagged out!
Hop Scotch
The kids love playing with chalk so I set up a little Hop Scotch Course for them! We play two different versions: ABC’s and 123’s. Both of these versions help the kids to memorize their letters and numbers. To get them more excited about it, I let them decide which version they want to play! If you have colored chalk, try to do Rainbow Hop Scotch where each square is a different color and the kids yell out each color as they jump!
Red Light Green Light
I don’t know a single kid who doesn’t love running around and Red Light Green Light is the perfect game to tire out your little toddlers! This game promotes listening and following directions which are two major things my kids need to work on. Plus the fact that they can run around and tire themselves out is a huge bonus for me! Sometimes we switch it up and have the kids crawl, jump, or dance instead of walking/running. They love picking the version they want to play and gets them way more excited about playing!
Go Exploring
Whether you have a big yard or a small yard, going on a little exploration is a great way to entertain the kids outside! They’ll love exploring the backyard looking for different bugs, rocks, plants, etc. Sometimes I let them go out by themselves without any direction and other times I prompt them to find different things to bring back to me or even a simple game of eye spy to get them interested in different things back there!
Kickball
My brothers and I loved playing kickball as kids so I figured why not introduce the game to the kids! It was a hit from the start! They are both in a soccer program so they really had fun showing off some of their kicking skills they had picked up over the past couple weeks. Its a simple enough game where they are easily able to understand the rules but it also pushes them to listen and follow directions. Plus its a great way to promote coordination through kicking, catching, and running. For those who aren’t familiar with the game, it’s pretty much baseball with a big rubber ball that you kick instead of hit!
Obstacle Course
Obstacle Courses are fun for all ages and a fun way to play with the kids! Set up all different challenges for them to complete and tire each other out. The kids love when we bring out these blocks, make a balance beam out of rope, have dance or tumbling challenges, jump over rocks we’ve found around the yard, and even crawling through different tunnels! Use your imagination and let your creativity go wild! They’ll love whatever you come up with!
Chalk
Who doesn’t love playing with chalk? Its an easy way to entertain the kids for a while, promote their imagination and creativity, encourage their hand eye coordination, and so much more! We love this chalk set from Amazon. The colors are bright and it lasts for a while considering how often we use it!
Freeze Dance
We are all about a good dance party, so Freeze Dance is a great way to work through all the kids energy and keep them entertained for a while! It also encourages listening to directions, following rules and patters, and helps them to understand how to control their bodies through stopping/starting/different moves. Put together a playlist of all their favorite songs and have fun watching them shake out their sillies!
Scavenger Hunt
This is one of our favorite things to do outside, and not just in the backyard! Check out these awesome Scavenger Hunt Cards on Amazon and read more about why we love them here! The kids love challenging each other to find all of the fun objects on each of the cards.
Nature Soup
Oliver loves to cook. So to incorporate his love of cooking into backyard and outside play, we make Nature Soup! I send the kids out to find whatever they can around the yard. A cup of dirt, some leaves, a stick or two, some rocks, grass, flowers, etc. Then they take turns chopping and cutting all their ingredients up and throwing each ingredient into a big pot with some water to mix it all up! It’s hands on, messy, fun, and the perfect entertainment for when they’re bouncing off the walls!
Embrace the Chaos 
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