Looking for simple summer activities for toddlers? I’ve got them! This collection of summer activities for toddlers and preschoolers is exactly what you need this summer to inspire lots of independent play! Check out these 30+ low prep summer activities that are guaranteed to keep your kids busy and cool everyone off in the summer heat.
RELATED: Don’t miss my list of favorite outdoor activities for even more super fun ideas this summer!
What are the best types of summer toddler activities?
The best summer activities inspire movement, explore texture, and encourage creativity. Toddlers and preschoolers crave the type of learning experience that allows them to learn information about the world around them. Begin entertaining your 2 and 3-year-olds during those hot summer months by keeping them cool. Water play, outdoor games, and easy crafts are all must-do summer activities.
Offer opportunities for your toddler to revisit ideas they enjoy. Understanding play schemas and the importance of repetitive play will help you better understand how fun and interesting repetitive patterns benefit your toddler’s brain development.
Toddlers learn SO many skills through play:
- Cognitive development
- Critical thinking
- Fine motor skills
- Gross-motor skills
- Hand-eye coordination
- Imaginative play
- Language development
- Problem-solving skills
- Self-knowledge
- Self-regulation
- Self-esteem
- Self-expression through the arts
- Social skills
RELATED: My toys for toddlers list includes lots of open-ended and simple items that inspire independent play.
What will your kids DO this summer?
Take the guesswork out of your days with the Summertime Bundle.
- Startup Guide creates your summer routine.
- Activity cards have easy activities.
- The PDF calendar puts your plan in place.
30+ summer activities for toddlers and preschoolers
Toddlers love to be busy, especially outside during the summer! To keep this list of fun activities for toddlers during summer easy to navigate, I broke it down into three categories of outdoor summer activities:
- Arts and crafts for toddlers and preschoolers
- Ice and water play ideas
- Outdoor games & activities
RELATED: Summer activities always include water — these are the BEST Water Games for Kids!
Arts & crafts for toddlers and preschoolers
Toddlers love to do art outdoors! And summer is the perfect time to get messy and creative – outside! If you are just getting started, here is my guide on how to paint with kids. These art and craft ideas are the perfect way to welcome easy art ideas into your day with or without a little mess. You’ll see from the pictures which art idea for your toddler feels just right.
Book Craft The Watermelon Seed
Have your toddler paint a watermelon after reading this super fun book for summer.
Magic Chalk Paint
This takes a few steps, but your toddler will be wowed as the different colors mix and blend!
DIY Chalk Paint
Don’t want to squirt the chalk paint? Try using a paintbrush instead!
Rainbow Sea Shells
Summer is a great time to go find that collection of seashells and get your toddler painting to pass some time.
Easy Finger Paint Ideas
Curious how to make your own fingerpaints? Follow these steps for your toddler to dive in and get messy.
Fish Art
Who has paper rolls? Here, your toddler bends and dips them into blue paint to make little fish.
Spray Art
Pass me all the squirt bottles! One of the best ways for little hands and minds to create is by practicing fine motor skills using spray bottles.
Tissue Paper Sun Catchers
I am making these tissue paper sun catchers ASAP with my toddler. I have the perfect window for us to watch how the light hits them in the early morning.
Graffiti Art for Kids
Paint dripping and a toddler. This is the winning activity combination to look back and smile at the fun had.
Summer ice and water play ideas
Water games and water tables are a blast with young toddlers and preschoolers. Endless amounts of playtime. Stay close to supervise and keep the water level low. Use this list of water games for kids to inspire even more creative ways to play to cool down this summer.
PRO TIP: Don’t get intimidated by sensory play. Use this parent’s guide on how to introduce sensory play to get your ideas flowing.
Scoop the Limes
One day I had too many limes. Guess what I did with them? Yep, this toddler sensory bin is a great way to build arm muscles.
Bear Soup
These colored bears give us life. Toss them in a sensory water bin, and now your toddler has bear soup to scoop, stir, and pour.
Summer Fun Colored Ice Play
Colored ice is so simple! Have your toddler add a few squirts of food coloring into an ice tray and wait for it to freeze. Instant fun activity!
Squirt the Numbers
Do you have these plastic cookies with numbers? Add them to your toddler’s water bin and get squirting!
Ocean Summer Sensory Bin
No vacation? Bring the ocean to your toddler. This is a simple setup and so much fun.
Nature Soup
Place a few flower petals in a muffin tin and water. Freeze, and the next day your toddler has an epic sensory bin.
Jello Wash Dragons Love Tacos
Are you ready for a new texture? Try this gelatin hunt with your toddler.
Splash the Alphabet
Splashing the alphabet reinforces letter names and sounds the fun way! Grab your squirt bottles and add this idea to your list of summer activities.
Ice Boat Racing
How cute are these little boats? Another fun use for pool noodles I am not skipping past.
Colored Ice Play
Colored ice play for my toddler on a hot day? Sign me up! Simple and low-prep fun I am looking for.
Muddy Water Messy Play
Regarding toddler play, I am all for using our environment. Here, your child plays with a little muddy water while exploring outdoor sensory supplies such as squirt bottles and funnels.
Easy outdoor games & activities
What is summer without a few games and excitement? Toddlers learn how to use their bodies when following directions through cause and effect. Games and easy activity ideas are great ways for toddlers to explore the world around them.
Outdoor Name Maze
Let’s get moving! This alphabet maze is a fun and easy way for toddlers to learn using gross motor skills.
Musical Color Hunt
This is a great activity for both toddlers and preschoolers! Cue up the music. When it stops, have your toddler find something to match the colored space.
Beach and Ocean Sensory Squish
Have you made a squish bag? This is a simple sensory activity for young children.
Sticky Scavenger Hunt
Head outside for a sticky nature hunt. Toddlers will sharpen their matching skills through creative play.
Giant Bubble Recipe
Use this DIY bubble recipe to spark curiosity and play with your toddler.
Outdoor Maze Walk
Grab the chalk! Head outside for some fresh air and teach your toddler how to move on swirls, lines, zig-zags, and turns.
Jello Sensory Play
Jello inside? You may want to try this ambitious move with your toddler to really let them explore all their senses!
Alphabet Stones
Hide the alphabet stones around your yard for a simple toddler scavenger hunt.
Movement Cube
Use a movement cube inside or outside with your toddler.
Shaving Cream Block Play
I like to take these foam blocks outside and add a little shaving cream to stick them together. When finished building, head straight to the hose to shower off.
Run and Sort
Grab those pom poms you have stuffed in your drawer (just me?) and put them on one side of the yard. Invite your toddler to run back and forth, matching in the correct colored spot in the bin.
Sweet and Tasty Sensory Play
Are you picking strawberries this summer? Have your toddler head into a sensory bin when finished to squeeze and taste test.
Dry Noodle Outdoor Sensory Play
This is a simple tutorial how to color dried noodles to inspire more toddler outdoor play.
I get it….with those long (HOT) open-ended days around the corner, parenting can feel overwhelming. But with this list of easy, low prep, and fun summer activity ideas for toddlers and preschoolers, your kids will now be ready to play all day. And most importantly, you can sit back and sip your cold beverage with your feet up!
Frequently Asked Questions
My favorite outdoor activity for toddlers and preschoolers is sensory play – 100%! And there’s no better place to explore and get messy with sensory play than outside! Keep in mind sensory experiences are not limited to a traditional bin filled with rice. Sensory play can be in a bin or in the backyard. Use this list of 40 sensory bins at home to inspire more play.
Creating a predictable schedule that benefits you and your toddler will help you better enjoy your days. Keeping a toddler or preschooler entertained for the day is not an easy task. Experiment with daily routines that include outdoor play, water table time, sensory activities, and day trips to the park!
Two-year-old toddlers are little sponges. Offer all sorts of sensory play, especially outside, to allow them to practice important developmental skills through play. I love using a water table for open-ended play that encourages independence and creative learning opportunities.
These are some really interesting and fun backyard activity ideas for kids. You have explained them so well and these games would also help them to develop skills as they grow. Thanks for sharing!