Ultimate Outdoor Activities for One-Year-Olds!

One-year-olds are all about exploring through sensory play and new experiences. The outdoors offers endless fun for young toddlers to enjoy. I have twin toddlers and am always looking for a fun way to engage them with outdoor play ideas. Here is a variety of outdoor activities for one-year-olds to do this summer!

Water Activities 

The easiest and best summer toddler activity will involve water, so let’s start there! Children of all ages love to play in the water. It is the perfect activity during warm weather to cool off. Here are some different ways to incorporate water play outside with your toddler. 

Water Table

A water table is my favorite water activity for younger children, especially the one-year-old range. It is engaging, simple, and safe. We have a water table on our patio and it is a fun outdoor activity that makes for happy toddlers who can splash and play as much as they want. Complete with scoops, water wheels, and many fun accessories to explore the water with. 

Transferring Water with a Sponge 

You could add a few sponges to your water table for some new ways to explore with water. Or you could set up a water-transferring activity. Fill a bucket of water and add a sponge to the water. Have a second bucket for your child to go to and squeeze the water out from the sponge. This activity could be done out in the yard with the buckets further away from each other to encourage your toddler to use whole body movements. Additionally, you could get larger sponges. 

Splash Pad

A splash pad is a great activity for toddlers who love to move around! They can run through the water and get in some physical activity. If you don’t want to invest in a splash pad for your home, take time to go and visit a local splash pad in your city. It is a good idea if you are concerned about water play in a larger swimming pool. 

Swimming

A great time for a child is often swimming! At this age, you will want to have a life jacket on your child or hold them. There are flotation devices that are great for little ones in the pool. A kiddie pool is perfect for a deck, patio, or backyard! Having a shallow pool your little one can sit in on their own and get in and out on their own. This is a great time to get those bath toys in the pool.

Outdoor Sensory Activities 

Filling a Bird Feeder

When it comes to outdoor-friendly activities, filling a bird feeder is a great one. The good news is it doesn’t matter if spills are made. Odds are the birds will find the food at some point. This activity provides opportunities for hand-eye coordination with scooping into the bird feeder. With my twins, this became more of a sensory expereince, which I was fine with. Be cautious of a toddler who is still putting everything into their mouth. Filling up a bird feeder is a practical activity for a young toddler. I like to set this activity up on a tray to help the clean up process go smoothly.

Ice Tray

On a hot day, one of the best activities is ice play. You could add fruit to your ice cube mold to make it more of a snack activity. You could also add small objects and add them to the water table. Your toddler will enjoy seeing them melt and watching the object appear. 

Sidewalk chalk

Sidewalk chalk is so much fun and one of my favorite outdoor activities. Around one year a child shows interest in making marks and drawing. Chalk is one of those outdoor activities that I like to use and play with right along with my children. Consider getting a small basket with a few pieces of chalk, around 4 to 8. A toddler doesn’t need the whole pack of 50 pieces of chalk. If you are looking for ways to set up an outdoor environment for your child, check out this blog post. 

Outdoor Activities

Numerous fantastic outdoor toys and activities are available to enhance your property and make it more fun for your one-year-old. These can be permanent structures or things you put out seasonally. Let’s look at some ways to enhance your outdoor space!

Swing

Installing a swing on your tree, under a deck, or on a swing set could be one of the best ideas you’ll have this year! Swinging is a great way for a child to get vestibular input, an important sensory system. Especially if you have a busy toddler, (let’s be honest, what toddler isn’t busy), then a swing will be a great outdoor activity. If you want to make the swing more accessible to your child, consider installing a low swing, I got this idea from Nicole Kavanaugh over at The Kavanaugh Report.

A swing can also be a great indoor activity! We installed an indoor swing in our kitchen so I could have the benefits of a swing indoors too! My sister had this amazing tree tent sensory swing in their yard and my boys had so much fun swinging and looking out the windows!

Sandbox 

I’m not sure there is anything more enjoyable for a toddler than a sandbox. My boys have spent so much time digging, scooping and just enjoying the sensory experience that a sandbox provides. Those little hands will find many creative ways to explore with sand. 

Balls

Get some balls for your outdoor environment. Balls are great toys to promote and encourage movement and the development of gross motor skills like kicking, throwing, tossing, and catching. 

​Balance Bike

Around 1 year old is the perfect time to introduce your child to a ride-on toy such as a balance bike. It has taken my twins quite a few opportunities to get on their balance bike until they figured out how to use their feet to move themselves forward. A balance bike is nice because it stays upright all the time and will help them to develop a stronger core. 

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Outdoor Practical Life Activities

As a Montessori mom, I love to find practical activities for my children to interact with their environment in a meaningful way. There are plenty of activities that provide that meaningful work to a child, here are some of my favorites. 

Watering plants

A young child can learn to water plants. Get a small watering can and model how to water plants. 

Sweeping the Patio 

With a child-size broom, your child could sweep the patio or outdoor space. Remember that at this age, tasks like this are just a fun activity and won’t have the most successful outcomes in terms of productivity. However, they will be successful in terms of meaningful work and self-satisfaction for your child.

Scrubbing

I love scrubbing work for toddlers. It supports their physical development and offers opportunities for repetition. Additionally, there is very little that can go wrong. The dollar store is a great place to pick up some bristle brushes for scrubbing work. We have some smaller vegetable bristle scrub brushes and pan scrub brushes that are great for scrubbing siding, decking, patio furniture, or concrete. 

Outdoor Experiences 

The summertime has no lack of outdoor adventures to be had. Here is a list of outdoor activities you could bring your little adventurers to in your local community this summer. 

​Local Park

Visit some local parks this summer. Parks offer many opportunities for gross motor movements, trying out new skills, and getting some fresh air. You could pack a picnic blanket and have a picnic lunch to enjoy. I love to meet up at local parks with friends and family. Starting with a walk is a great way to connect and do something for yourself before all the fun on the playground. One thing I keep in mind, especially with my one-year-old twins is not putting them on the playground equipment. It is important to allow them to do what they are comfortable with. A good rule of thumb to follow is, if they wouldn’t be able to get to that part of the park on their own, then they are not ready for you to put them on it. Naturally, a swing is an exception to this!

Local Festival  

A local festival or fair may be a fun opportunity to take your little one out into your community. There may be some games and activities that they would be able to participate in or some new foods they may enjoy trying. 

​Outdoor Music Concert

In our city, they have weekly live music in the park. There are food trucks, lots of families, and an amazing casual environment for relaxing on a picnic blanket and enjoying some live music. Venues like this are ideal because they are outside, allow for lots of movement, and offer something enjoyable for the whole family.