Summer with toddlers: it’s sticky, it’s noisy, and it’s absolutely bursting with opportunity! Whether you’re a parent or a daycare professional, you’re likely looking for new toddler summer activities to try. So how can you keep these tiny humans busy, safe, and learning without losing your mind?
Here’s your answer. This list is packed with summer-friendly activities that are easy to set up, fun for little ones, and sneak in a bit of learning along the way. Most are outdoor-ready, some are indoor-friendly, and all are toddler-approved.
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Water Play
Science Tub
Give those tiny hands something to scoop, pour, or splash. Think kiddie pools, sprinklers, and a sponge toss. Fill an old plastic bin with water, cups, and floating toys. This can be done outside or inside – if you have enough towels. Water activities boost gross motor skills and cause-and-effect thinking.
I used bins of water as an opportunity to play the sink-or-float game with my toddlers! Once they get the hang of it, they love guessing what new items will do in the water. On particularly hot days I would add a bunch of ice cubes to the water that kept them cool and allowed them to see how they melt into water.
Frozen Toy Rescue
For a fun STEM game, freeze small toys in ice blocks using a muffin tin. Let your toddler rescue with warm water and droppers. Throw in some safe tools they can chip away with, too, like spoons. This teaches melting, temperature, and patience. Sort of.
Please know that if the cube seems small enough, your toddler WILL try to put it in their mouth. Mine did, anyway. This is actually a really effective method to get the toy out of the ice – just make sure they don’t choke on it in the process.
Car Wash Station
Line up the Big Wheels and tricycles! Add buckets of soapy water and sponges. Your toddler will scrub, splash, and learn practical life skills without realizing it. Once everything is squeaky clean, have fun with the hose to rinse off the soap.
When I was very little, my mom even had me scrubbing the tires on her car – and it’s actually a fond memory now! There’s something satisfying about digging the dirt and pebbles out of the grooves of big tires.
Splash Pad
If you’ve got a local splash pad, go. If not, create one at home with sprinklers, buckets, and water guns. Did you know water play is instant mood therapy? Just bring bug spray and sunblock.
At our local splash pads, they are often weirdly quiet except for the sound of water hitting concrete. I highly recommend taking a portable speaker for some fun music. The other parents will probably be grateful you thought of it!
Water Painting
Hand your toddler an old paintbrush and a cup of water. They’ll paint fences, sidewalks, and everything else in sight. Bonus: no cleanup! On hot summer days, this becomes a STEM activity as your toddler realizes their artwork is evaporating as they go.
Nature & Outdoor Exploration
Park Scavenger Hunt
Print a visual scavenger list like the one I have for FREE below! Look for flowers, bugs, and other things found in nature. Let your toddler try out a magnifying glass – it was the tool that really got my son excited about this kind of activity! They learn observation; you get them to nap early once they’re worn out.
Gardening Station
Let them dig, dump, water, and plant using “toy” gardening tools! See if your little one can actually grow sunflowers or cherry tomatoes. This teaches responsibility and sensory awareness – and little kids tend to love getting dirty.
Nature Collage
Collect leaves, twigs, and flowers from your local park (or even your backyard) to attach to construction paper at home. You can either give your toddler a glue stick for practicing fine motor skills, or place some double-sided tape on the paper so all they have to do is arrange their found items into a work of art.
Mud Kitchen Magic
Set up an outdoor “kitchen” with old bowls, spoons, and dirt. Let them cook up mud pies and soup! Just… make sure they don’t actually try to eat any of it. I saved this kind of activity for particularly hot days, because the mud helps keep them cool AND they’ll appreciate being hosed down before they’re allowed back in the house.
Sidewalk Chalk
Draw shapes, trace shadows, create hopscotch paths. Make it educational: count steps, name colors, copy letters. Your sidewalk just became a classroom!
Unfortunately, if your toddlers are like my son was, seeing their art being hosed away might break their little hearts. Whatever you draw might have to stay put until the next rain!
Sensory & Fine Motor Fun
Foam Play
Two parts water to one part baby shampoo can make a TON of foam when whipped with an electric mixer! You can even make multiple batches with food coloring added for extra fun. Add plastic animals or cups to play with in the foam. This is perfect for sensory-seeking toddlers. It can be done in the bathtub or fully clothed in the backyard!
Lemonade Stand
Set up a table or DIY cardboard stand with cups and a pitcher. Add real or pretend lemonade (I always just added a couple drops of yellow food coloring to plain water). Use play money and act out making a purchase! It’s great for early math, pouring, and dramatic play. Add a few slices of lemon to the stand to see if your toddler is brave enough to taste it.
Pool Noodle Building
Cut foam noodles into pieces. Build towers, make tunnels, or toss the rings – they don’t hurt! They’re lightweight and safe, and surprisingly engaging.
One time I sat my daughter in her booster chair with a couple noodle discs and some (cold) cooked pasta. I showed her how to thread the pasta through the noodle and challenged her to do the same. It turned into a great STEM activity!
Bubble Science
Blow bubbles, chase bubbles, pop bubbles. Then blow some more. Ask, “Why do they float?” That’s STEM, folks! My kids particularly loved the giant bubble rings. They could stand in the tub of solution and I’d pull a giant bubble column up around them. Instant giggles!
DIY Bird Feeder
Smear peanut butter around an empty paper towel roll and let your little one roll it around in bird seed until it’s covered. Hang it outside with some twine and talk about the birds that visit (plus the sneaky squirrels that inevitably find their way to it). Your toddler will get to see first-hand how their work helps another living creature!
Rainy Day/Indoor Actvities
Summer-Themed Play-Doh Mats
Get the printable mats above featuring ice cream cones, beach scenes, and summer fruits. I recommend laminating them so they can be reused over and over without getting icky!
Encourage your toddler to shape play dough to fit inside the colored areas. If you like to make your own dough, add lemon or coconut extract for a fun warm-weather scent to engage all their senses.
Indoor Beach Party
Gather towels, sunglasses, beach toys, and a fan. Play music fit for an afternoon of (couch) surfing or put Lilo & Stitch on TV. Blow up a beach ball and bounce it back and forth. Serve fruits like watermelon and cold strawberries. Instant vacation vibes, no sunscreen needed!
Ocean Sensory Bottle
Mix 3 parts water to 1 part clear glue in a large bottle, then help your toddler add blue food coloring. Leave some room for them to add objects like glitter, beads, resin shells, or miniature plastic sea animals. Seal it shut with super glue or E6000. It’s messy, yes. But it builds fine motor skills and keeps them busy!
Living Room Camping
Set up a tent or blanket fort right in the living room. Add flashlights, snacks, and their favorite stuffed animals. Build a “fire” with red and orange tissue paper! Stay up late singing silly songs and making up stories. There won’t be any mosquitoes ruining the vibe.
DIY Popsicles
We randomly stumbled across popsicle molds one year and they were a huge hit! Use blended fruit, yogurt, and/or juice. Let your toddler stir and help them do the pouring. It’s a sensory and fine motor experience. Bonus: snack time is solved.
On-the-Go Activities
Farmer’s Market
Teach your toddler about supporting local businesses – and how to pick the perfect tomato. Letting them choose the foods you prepare can also increase the likelihood that they’ll actually eat it!
Zoo or Aquarium Sketching
I almost regretted getting us annual passes to the aquarium when my son was really little, because looking at the same creatures every month starts to feel not-so-fun and exciting.
But if you bring paper and crayons to let your toddler try their hand at drawing what they see, suddenly it’s interesting again! It slows toddlers down and gets them really observing, even if they don’t yet have the skills for a recognizable sketch.
Library Story Time
Free, air-conditioned, and social. Many libraries offer themed summer toddler programs, but at the least, yours should have a monthly or weekly read-aloud for kids in general.
It’s probably been a while since you stepped foot in a library, so just remember that a library card is FREE and so are most of their activities! After story time, let your little one choose a few new books for you to read at bedtime.
Picnic in the Park
Let them pack their own snacks (with some help). Set up a blanket in the backyard or actually go to your local park. You can even use their toy dishes – because a little plastic plate holds a sandwich just as well as a paper one!
My toddlers loved a fake tea party with real food. There’d be no liquid in the pot, but they got to snack on golden Oreos and grapes during our picnics. This is a great family activity in the summer.
Transportation Adventure
Toddlers love riding in anything that’s not your car. Take a short, low-stakes ride on a ferry, bus, or train and narrate the journey like a travel guide. Even if you don’t have any public transportation in your town, you’re probably not far from one that does.
I’ve even hit up a local farmer who was a friend of my husband’s family to let us ride on a fenced-in trailer attached to his tractor!
Tips for Any Activity
- Rotate supplies to keep interest high.
- Narrate what’s happening to build language skills.
- Ask open-ended questions like “What do you think will happen if we pour this?”
- Involve them in setup and cleanup – it’s part of the learning!
- Sunblock is a must any time you’re outside.
- Pack snacks for even the shortest of journeys. My son could become hangry within 10 minutes of finishing lunch, and if I didn’t have food in my purse, excursions were often cut short.
Make it Fun
Toddlers don’t need perfection. They need connection, movement, and a little bit of magic. These activities deliver all three—with bonus developmental benefits built in. So grab your sunscreen, a snack, and your sense of humor. Summer with toddlers is wild. And wonderful.
