Simple Toddler Play | Outdoor Art Ideas

Toddler Mania continues in full swing! Today, one of my long time friends is sharing some simple toddler play and I can’t wait to introduce you! Becca from Barefeet on the Dashboard has two little bitties and one of them is almost the exact same age as Super B. I love her love for nature and it shows in today’s post about easy outdoor art ideas you can do TODAY with your toddler!

easy outdoor art play ideas toddlers

Take it away, Becca… Share Your Awesome Simple Toddler Play for Outdoors

My name is Becca and I write about my frugal family, travel, creative pursuits, preschool activities, and parenting over at Bare Feet on the Dashboard. I’m so thrilled to be a part of the Hands On Play Party today here on Lemon Lime Adventures.

Dayna and I have been friends for over 20 years and it has been amazing to watch her build this incredible online community.  Encouraging my young children to explore their artistic side through art play is a passion of mine. When the weather is pleasant, I try to be outside with my kids as much as possible. Today I’m sharing three of my favorite ideas for easy outdoor art play with young children.

texture murals toddlers

As soon as you can keep a child from eating the materials, they are ready for art play. Even if they are still in the dreaded “put everything in their mouth” stage they can have fun with art play with direct supervision. In my experience these activities work well for babies as young as ten months through five year olds, but older kids might still enjoy them (I just haven’t tried it on any).

exploring texture through mural creation

Create a Texture Mural

Texture murals are super easy to set up and fun for individual kids or for a group.

Simply tape down a piece of paper over a textured surface and let kids color over the top.

If you don’t have a textured patio like we do, crunch leaves or lay beans or sand down under the paper to achieve the same effect. Kids love the way the crayons jump and skip over the bumps and the way the rough texture feels under their hands. The results look cool and there is no way to mess this up.

toddler outdoor art play

Use Sidewalk Chalk on Natural Elements

Drawing with sidewalk chalk on the sidewalk is so much fun, but what if you encouraged your children to color other things? When we created our DIY outdoor play table and play structure our kids began to draw on them, and loved it. We discovered they could draw as much as they wanted on the rocks and wood in our yard and we could hose it off easily. Whenever we host creative activity play dates this is everyone’s favorite activity. They love the different textures of the wood and stone and the way the chalk looks on it. My kids also love being able to climb while drawing. We are a busy crew. If you would like to know more about how we created our play table and log you can read more about it here.

use sidewalk chalk on natural elements

 

Painting Outside = Easy Clean Up

I introduced both kids to painting right around their first birthdays, and have had multiple people question my sanity for doing so.

When asked how I deal with the mess from toddler painting session in my house I quickly let them know we only paint outside. Painting outside with toddlers is a total blast and they love creating and mixing colors and exploring the feel of the paint and how it works on the paper.

After we are done I grab the hose and wash down the table (and the kids if it is warm enough) and give myself a gold star.

Washable finger paint is your BFF.

We do this a LOT, so you can read more about how to paint with toddlers stress free , with ideas from painting fireworks to how to paint pumpkins with toddlers and preschoolers here.

painting outside with toddlers

 

What is your favorite way to encourage art play outside? Be sure to find me on Facebook and Pinterest to follow along with Bare Feet on the Dashboard.

Thanks for having me, Dayna! {You are very welcome, Becca!}


Playing and learning with your toddler doesn’t have to be hard. It can be fun and memorable for both you and your toddler. One way to do that is with this new e-book, Every Parent Can Teach their Toddler! It is all about learning through play, encouraging independence, and providing a great environment for your toddler to naturally learn and thrive. The book is written by a team of teachers, former teacher, therapists, parents and more. It’s a resource you don’t want to miss! Totschool: Everyone can teach their toddlerBe sure to get your copy of the book while it’s still at it’s special launch price of $6.99! It is 135 pages full of activities, planning guides, home set-up ideas, printables and more. It is such a fabulous resource for anyone with children that are (or are almost) 10-36 months to help do simple tot-school activities and guide them through their child’s life overall until they reach preschool/homeschool preschool.


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3 thoughts on “Simple Toddler Play | Outdoor Art Ideas”

  1. Pingback: 10 Simple 2-Minute Toddler Activities - Lemon Lime Adventures

  2. Pingback: 9 Creative & Easy Clean-Up Outdoor Projects

  3. Pingback: Outdoor Art Kids Crafts and Activities - The Crafting Chicks

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