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Y’all know me, I don’t do complicated. And usually things that require prep, I pin – and I don’t do! We’ve been going outside as much as possible, and before becoming a mom of a toddler – I thought that going outside itself is the activity.. but it’s NOT.
We have just a few staples in our house that we keep on hand . . all under $30! Here are our MUST HAVES for outdoor play!
Must Haves For Outside Play
Side Walk Chalk : Y’all, you can do so much with this stuff! Games, free play, notes.. all the things! Bonus – It is one outside staple that my teenager and toddler use equally!
Bubble Machine : This thing goes pretty much constantly! Sometimes we buy bubbles, sometimes I make bubbles – but I don’t blow bubbles. Because, if I blow bubbles the toddler wants to blow bubbles.. and when the toddler blows bubbles, he eats them. OR they get spilled – and there is crying over spilled bubbles. So bubble machine it is! This is the one we have, and we love it!
A Good Play Ground Ball : We have volleyballs, basketballs, footballs, golf balls – the list goes on.. But we use the playground balls most of all! With a toddler learning how to catch, throw, & kick these hold up the best.. and they are softer when the teenager forgets that his brother is two..
Sprinkler or Splash Mat : We don’t have a “pool” at home. Not even a blow up, partly because of my anxiety. Partly because of the fact that B won’t really sit in an inflatable pool.. but last year, we found these splash mats. It’s like a sprinkler and pool combo. It worked great for us!
Sand Toys : We switched our water table for sand last year. He just kept climbing into the water table and sitting (and yes I just said he wouldn’t sit in a pool, which is why this was so confusing). Sand is great for sensory – and – you can just sweep it away! We had to find a pack with a truck, because we like trucks!
So, now we have the staples.. what do we do with those! Again y’all prep isn’t my thing! But if I have a few things always on hand, I can do the activities!
I’ve put together a list of my 5 GO TO activities outside that require only you to go outside! You don’t even have to put on shoes if ya don’t want to.
5 No Prep Outside Activities to
Get Your Kids Moving
- Lilly Pad Hop : Draw out lilly pads with your sidewalk chalk up and down the driveway or sidewalk. Let the kiddos pretend to be frogs and hop down & back! Sometimes we practice our best ribbit, sometimes I number them and we practice counting. Either way, it gets them moving & I burn some calories!
- Beat the Bubbles : Set two of the playground balls down the yard to mark a finish line, turn on the bubble machine, and beat the bubbles to the line! If ya have to pop ’em to beat ’em, well then that’s just fine!
- I Spy With My Little Eye, a Red Ball : I will set all of the playground balls in a group.. then call out a color, B runs into the center to find that ball! Once he brings it back & I call another color.. I start rolling the ball to break up the group (think billiards), he has to chase to find the right color! He loves this & we perfect our colors!
- Sand Zoo : We have animal molds in our sand toys. We make each animal & set up our zoo. Then we take turns making their sounds, feeding them, and moving like them! Hopping like a frog, pouncing like a lion.. learning about animals has never been more fun!
- Yard Scavenger Hunt : I have a list that we use about every week to hunt in our yard! This is a great family activity! We collect all of our finds for the day!
Click here to get my scavenger hunt list!
Alright y’all, now I wanna hear what you do! If you have a NO PREP activity you can add to my list – share it with me on instagram! And don’t forget to tag me!! And when you give these a try – tag me too!
Until Next Time!
ALL THE MAGIC,
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