First Time Mom - Abington,PA

Sidewalk chalk
Sand and Water Table
Plastic golf clubs
Balls
Big Wheels/trikes
Any of the Step 2 outside toys (slides, sandbox, sink (the kids LOVE the sink)
Child Size gardening tools (hey, put him to work!)
Plant a garden
Watering can
Sprinkler (Target has a really neat sprinkler ball)
Baby pool

The outside toys can be pretty cheap on Craig's List.

I'm not a big fan of sandboxes since the sand gets EVERYWHERE. But I am going to get my son a water table where it has room for sand, but i'm going to put rice or beans. Probably beans so that I can just scoop up the beans into a bucket and then take them inside so they wont get bugs and the elements get to it.

I was just looking for things like this too, especially things we can do inside AND outside on the days when weather doesn't cooperate. Here are some of the ideas that I found online.

Bean bag toss - you can make your own bean bags with kid socks that you fill with beans and tie off at the end and you can use a laundry basket to toss them in. You can also draw a tic-tac-toe board on the ground and use two different colors of bean bags to play tic-tac-toe with him using the bean bags to toss in the different squares.

Use duck tape taped to the sidewalk , patio or driveway to make a "balance beam" so that he can practice balance by walking it, skipping it, hopping it, and so forth.

Cut off the bottoms of liquid laundry jugs to make scoops with a handle and throw and catch a ball back and forth using only the scoops. Tennis balls are perfect for this.

Use sidewalk chalk and make a four-square or two-square court and play using a beach ball.

String up a line between two trees or two chairs and play a toddler version of volleyball. You can use a beach ball or balloons.

Go on a walk with the intent of collect things like rocks and leaves. Take a camera and go on an animal safari in your own neighborhood, taking pictures of the neighborhood animals and local "wildlife."

Let him "paint" the house with a bucket of water and a paintbrush.

Help him pick out and plant a couple of flowering plants that are his to take care of and let him pull weeds, water the beds, deadhead the flowers and so on.

I agree with one nice poster about sand, in that it can be a total nightmare. It gets everywhere and you can't seem to completely make it go away. But in that sand table you can put pasta, gravel, beans as many different things as you can imagine along with scoops, bucket shovels and such. You can even put treasures or fossils that you draw on bigger rocks and let him be a treasure hunter or paleontologist (sp?).

The large motor play and the outside play is so important for development and I think it's great that you are trying to meet those needs for him. The key is to change it up so that he gets to do something a little different from time to time and then you can save the park for days off and he won't feel like he's missing a thing.

Good luck and congrats on that baby!!

L.

Here's a recent link to a similar topic:

http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/17929539318003597313

Maybe get a ball to kick/toss with him, chalk to drawl on the drive/sidewalk with, a small pool to get wet in (when the weather is nicer), a sandbox to build castles in or just drive cars around in, or a swingset if you have the funds for one.

Set up a sprinkler, get a little soccer goal for him, or a small trampoline, sidewalk chalk, sandbox, tire swing, give him a box and teach a little lesson on insects and let him go bug hunting, make a mini garden and he can help dig holes, pull weeds, water his flowers, send him on a scavenger hunt, play red light green light...

more ideas here:
http://health.kaboose.com/active-kids/summer-backyard-gam...

A sandbox! Get a sandbox, some trucks, plastic lizards, shovels and pails. This should keep him entertained for a good period of time. I know my kids ages 4 and 6 still love to play in the sandbox. So it is something he and your new little one can play with for years to come. If you can get or build a larger one. You can build your own. Landscaping ties positioned over a weed barrier and then filled with sand. I built my own last summer. Obviously you can't do that being pregnant, but maybe your husband can. That way they will not outgrow it like they can the small plastic ones.

Sidewalk chalk is super cheap-- and you can have fun, use up energy/get exercise, and do educational stuff all rolled up together! (If you don't have a sidewalk to write on, you can do some of this by just writing on sheets of paper and placing them in the grass)....
write the alphabet and have him jump from one letter to another--do the same with numbers
draw shapes and call them out one at a time to run over and stand inside the shape as fast as he can
let him draw with the chalk
....lots of other things you can do with sidewalk chalk if you think about it

Chasing bubbles is a great way to get out their energy, and if you have one of those huge bubble wands that you just wave instead of blowing, you'll save more of your energy too. With my daughter who just turned 3 we play the "Find Me" game. For example: It goes like this, "Find me one of something" - she runs and brings one acorn. "Find me two of something" - she runs and finds me two rocks. We count them together and talk about them. "Find me three of something" - she runs and finds three leaves - we count them together and talk about them. "Find me four of something" Etc. You don't have to move, they get to run around, search for things, practice counting, play show and tell. It's a good game for inside too.

Watch craigslist and get a swingset. I've even seen them for FREE on there!

At 3 1/2 lots of things will entertain him. Get some balls. (Tennis, beach, big balls from Walmart for like $2). Our almost 3 year old son loves to play with balls. Catch, hitting with a bat, kicking, etc.

Get a cheap plastic pool and fill it with sand! My kids spend hours in our sandbox! Go to a couple garage sales to find toys for it. Even little cars, happy meal toys, spoons, cool whip bowls, etc work! Then you can just sit next to him while he plays.

J.,

Congrats on your pregnancy!

My children have the same age span that your kids will have. When my daughter was little and I was pregnant and exhausted and needed naps to function, I would either have a friend take her for an hour or two, or I would hire a mother's helper/sitter. If you have a sitter whom you trust, perhaps splurge twice a week and have the sitter take your son to the playground. There are so many things you can do in your own yard, and other responders have listed many. Maybe have a friend over for your son so you can at least sit and rest and just watch some days. My second child was born in February. (I also paid the teenager across the street (who also babysat occasionally) to take my 3 1/2 year old to play in the snow in our yard on some weekday snow days.)

Good luck and enjoy!

Slide/climber is a big thing. As it gets warmer you can get a tiny kiddie pool and sprinkler. Big bouncy ball if you have a fence. A plastic rocker/seesaw. Go for walks with his tricycle.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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events and chat within 2 hour radius

Hi, J.:

This is in reference to the playground request from your son.
Is there any family member that you trust that can take your son
to the playground on a routine basis?
Others I am sure have suggestions for the backyard games.

Good luck. D.

What about a sandbox? It sounds like something a little boy would love. :)

You might want to check out freecycle. Freecycle.org. You might be able to find some new FREE things that you could play with outside. It is a great website.

A water table is very popular with kids! You can make one or buy one, fill with cups/bath toys, boats, etc....hours of enjoyment and keeps them cool on a hot day!

My son is 27mths and he got a small play tent for Christmas. He loves playing in it and we even pack a lunch and have lunch in it. He has so much fun doing that. He loves his turtle sandbox and he has a big tonka dump truck he loves to haul stuff in. You could just get some cheap outside toys like that?? Hope this helps some.

My parents made me amazing castles and forts with the free cardboard boxes they'd find. Appliance boxes make the biggest forts, using a box cutter and some tape and glue and miscellaneous other cardboard arranged creatively.

They also made me a sandbox. They built one out of wood, but you can just get a cheap kiddie pool. You have to get the right kind of sterilized sand though– it'll be called "sandbox sand". (Sand is liable to have parasites and kids are always eating sand or sticking their hands in their mouths.) And you HAVE to make a cover for the sandbox because cats and other animals love to get in there and use it as a giant litter box.

We also made a children's garden for me, with bean pole teepees for me to hide in, mammoth sunflowers, cherry tomatoes and other things. Seeds are cheap, and we grew some things in paper cups to transplant. We read the Frog & Toad story about being patient with the seeds.

Also, check the Craigslist for free stuff people are giving away, but really, they get bored with toys. Toddlers prefer busy hands-on activities like dirt digging and building.

i S. the sandbox idea! also let him take trucks and cars outside, my son loves playing with his dumptrucks etc out on the porch (also great in the sandbox). -actually any toys you can find in his room that won't get hurt if they get a little dirty or wet, let him take them outside. also do you have a swingset? you should be able to find one fairly cheap on craigslist if you don't - he will love it. even if it's just two swings and a slide. does he have a bike? my 3 1/2 year old stays on the porch and still loves riding his bike.

Sandbox and dump trucks - keeps my son busy for quite a while.

This is my worst fear with having a second child. I TOTALLY can understand! Maybe your son would enjoy one of those new 'water play' tables they have. Or- a sandbox....? Also- this isn't an outdoor thing, but lots of kids love the Wii. (even big kids) :)