Tweet
My house is small, my backyard is huge. I want to keep the kids outside for as much as possible but they get bored with it. What are your kids favorite things in your yards that they spend a lot of time doing? I just got a new child so I have some extra money to invest right now. I'm thinking about adding a sand box. I might also get a few big bags of dirt and make a digging pile. Any other ideas? Opinions?
-
-
Here the big thing is Cozy Coupe Cars, swings are always a hit, discovery table (which could be your sand area) and balls -
balls, climbing structures, sand table, water table, discovery table, picnic table, cars.
I know that some people on here have beautiful outdoor set ups. Mud tables, water catchers, teepee's.
outside things to do, bubbles, paint, chalk.
I find kids get bored no matter what- Kids today live in an "instant gratification" world. We have worked so hard as a society to make everything so simple and easy that the discovery part of all that has sizzled. Less use of an imagination and more use of, Give it to me now.
Anyway- I also, would love some ideas on more creative things to do outside or have ready available outdoors to play.Comment
-
We have a nice sized playhouse that has a kitchen inside and a sandbox. Those are the two main things they play with. We live near a park but if we didn't I would likely get a swing and slide as well. We also have balls and ride on toys.
In the summer I bring out tents and tunnels, table top toys and my water table.Comment
-
I have a large play structure, 2 sand boxes (cement mixing pans on a low table), a water table with boats, ride on toys, razor scooters, and bikes.Comment
-
I have the same "problem"...
little house, big yard. We spend 3+ hours outside on a good weather day. I have a large grass area and also an area of blacktop. The kids like to ride trikes and ride-ons on the black top.
They also love:
sandbox
water table
basketball hoop (Little Tykes variety)
bubbles
sidewalk chalk
hula-hoops
balls
wagon
Sometimes I use clothespins to pin paper to the fence and we paint outside.
We also have a few little picnic tables were I can set-up other materials.
I also have two of the cube climbers that I bought off of Craig's List. The kids love these not only for climbing but also pretend they are their house, the store, a castle, etc.There is so much you can do outside we never get bored outdoors: garden, go on a bug hunt, have a scavenger hunt, do leaf or bark rubbings, etc.
I LOVE your idea of a dirt digging area. Some providers also have a mud kitchen - your kids might like that too.Comment
-
What's a mud kitchen?Comment
-
For my dc kids, it's ALL about the sand and water. I have a Dirt Pie Kitchen (not brave enough to start the mud thing yet!) in our sand pit. The "Dirt Pie Kitchen" is basically a little table with second-hand pots & pans, muffin tins, and about a billion metal serving spoons, ice cream scoops, etc. The playhouse is accessible through the sand pit, so they take the kitchen stuff in there and serve dinner to one another. Last year that and the water table kept them busy all summer. It's too cold for water right now, so they've been using the sand pit non-stop for the past couple of months.
I used to have a ton of climbers, playhouses, and ride-ons (it was my backyard homage to Little Tikes :
, but all of that would only keep the kids busy for 30 or 40 minutes. Now, I have to drag them inside at lunch 
!
Comment
-
Yes, I'm trying to get away from play specific toys. I want to bring more imagination into my yard cause the specific toys seem to be such temporary sources of enjoyment. I think the sand area and dirt pit will help a lot. I have a water table but I'm so paranoid about licensing walking in and me not being right next to the water that I barely put any water in it.Comment
-
At the college preschool in my area, they literally do everything outside, if it is done inside then they do it outside. They spend a big part of their day outside. They have a little covered area with a shelf that has blocks, puzzles and other fine motor and activities, their outdoors tables are used for drawing painting, ect.Comment
Comment