It’s a rainy Sunday afternoon, and you’re curled up on the sofa with your arm around your two-year-old. Today would usually be a playgroup day, but it’s the Easter holidays, so you have some quality time to spend together.

Hours of fun pass by, as you both pour over different board games, puzzles, and run around playing hide-and-seek. But as the afternoon draws to a close, they crawl up to the window and stare outside, before saying:

“Mummy, when will the rain stop so I can go outside and play?”

As parents to tiny little toddlers, there are so many games and activities we can engage them in within the four walls of our own home. But the call of the outdoors and of nature is great for little children. After all, there’s so much to discover out there! Nature also has the ability to calm your child, and connect them with beauty, the Earth, and the environment.

So, although we understand that you may not want your little one to play outside during the more rainy days, it’s good to collect some ideas for outdoor activities for when the sun decides to come back out.

But before looking into some inspiration for ideas, let’s find out more about why it’s so important to engage your child in the great outdoors.

Why is it important to engage my toddler in outdoor activities?

Children are sensorial learners. When children are very young, one of the main ways they learn is through their senses. The experiences they gain during this age will contribute to the way they see the world and the skills they attain as they grow older. Even as adults, the memories of walking through the grass as children will still be very profound and will evoke emotion.

Children need to feel free. Being outdoors is one of the ways a child can feel truly free. When children are inside all the time, they don’t have a real opportunity to run around, stretch their legs, see, smell, and hear new surroundings.

Now that we’ve explored a bit more about why it’s important to engage your toddler in outdoor activities, let’s dive into some you can try!

What outdoor activities can my toddler do?

Here are some outdoor activities to try with your little one:

Seasonal activities.

There is so much beauty to be found in each and every season, and giving your child a chance to appreciate this beauty is a wonderful way to interest them in outdoor activities. Engage them in seasonal activities such as taking a basket to your local park or a nearby forest to collect acorns, shells, sticks, rocks, leaves or stones, depending on the season.

Grow vegetables.

Growing vegetables with your little one will give them a great sense of achievement, since they will have had the opportunity to create something new all by themselves. You don’t have to have a garden to do this either. All you need is a potting station! Set this up by gathering some soil, a scoop, some seeds, and a watering can. In relation to this area, you can help your child learn about the food cycle and returning nutrients to the soil by encouraging them to add food waste from the kitchen into a compost bin.

Movement opportunities.

The great thing about the outdoors is it gives little children a lot of opportunities for movement and adventure. For example, climbing trees, balancing along tree stumps, walls or logs, hanging from branches, riding a bike, swinging from a tire, jumping with a jump rope, chasing each other, and so on.

Appreciate the beauty of the outdoors.

There’s so much natural beauty outdoors that we’re often too busy to notice. But when you have some free time, why not spend it appreciating this with your little one? For example, you could help them appreciate the little things like droplets on leaves, insects at work, the colour of the sunset, or the movement of the ocean. You’ll be surprised how much they can take from these experiences!

Find moments of quiet.

There’s nothing quite like having a few quiet moments to just sit and take in your surroundings. Doing this with your child is a wonderful way to help them appreciate the natural beauty around them.

Make treasure hunts.

Children find treasure hunts exciting, so definitely find time to create one for your toddler. You can do this by making a list of pictures and working together to find all the items on your list. It could be in the forest, the park, the garden, or any other outdoor place.

Make outdoor art.

Engaging children in art is one of the best ways to open them up to their creative side, and the outdoors can provide great tools in order to do this. Encourage your child to collect leaves, flowers, soil, water, and any other natural treasures. Then, you can both get creative together! Try making them into shapes, or laying them into patterns.

Make a musical wall.

Another way to get creative in the outdoors is to make a musical wall. To do this, hang some old pots and pans, bells, and any objects you can find that make a sound when bagged. Then, collect some sticks or twigs and give your child a chance to experiment with seeing what sounds each item makes.

What outdoor activities can my toddler do?

Get your toddler exploring the great outdoors with Unii's tips.