Summer is almost here! As a toddler mom I’m on the lookout for summer activity toys to keep my toddler entertained while outside.
While I love pushing my toddler on his swing set, it does get boring after a while.
I want outdoor toys that are fun, but also keep my son’s attention for long spans of time.
If you’re a toddler mom like me you need toys that will help burn off lots of energy!
Here’s 20 summertime outdoor activity toys for toddlers guaranteed to burn energy and entertain for hours!
Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you click on them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
Bubbles
Bubbles are all the rage around my house! My toddler’s obsessed with them.
One day I spent an hour and a half outside watching my son push his bubble mower and chase bubbles throughout our yard.
After this, he took an amazingly long nap!
Blowing bubbles have come a long way! No longer do moms have to blow into a tiny bubble wand till they go blue in the face to satisfy their toddler.
Although you could always get a battery powered stationary bubble machine, there are many bubble toys that can be completely controlled by a toddler.
Here’s some entertaining bubble toys:
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Sandbox/Dirt box
If they is one things toddlers love… It’s to make a mess.
Why not have your toddler that participate in a messy, but creative activity?
How about a sandbox!? (As long as your toddler’s past the eating sand phase).
The Step2 Naturally Playful Sand Table is perfect for a toddler who doesn’t like to sit down and play.
The sand table stands off the ground to meet your toddlers height and comes with a cover for containing sand and sandbox toys.
If you don’t want sand, you can always substitute it with dirt.
Either way your toddler will love creating and getting messy!
Giant Outdoor Bowling Set
Instead of regular sized bowling pins, why not go bigger?
A giant outdoor bowling set is fun for both toddlers and the whole family.
Sure you could keep score, but your toddler will probably be more excited about setting up and knocking down bowling pins then actual counting!
Sensory & Discovery Boxes
Ok, this one comes with a little bit of prep work.
You can always head over to a store and grab a bunch of small toys, a container and a filler…
Or you could purchase a complete sensory box kit to take the prep work out of it!
They are the perfect summer activity toys for toddlers to foster discovery and learning.
Sidewalk Chalk
I have to admit sidewalk chalk is a bit messy. My son always manages to wipe the chalk all over his clothes. But he loves it!
Sidewalk chalk comes in variety of shapes and colors making art time extra fun while stilling being outside.
The best thing about sidewalk chalk… It can be used indoors on rainy days if you have a chalk board easel or wall.
Small Pool
Once temperatures start soaring in the summer, it’s time to slather on some sunscreen and jump in a pool.
Although toddlers don’t need much water to play in, you could always go for a full size easy set up pool or an inflatable water play center.
A water play center is essentially a low water pool, but it’s built for toddlers!
These have built in activities like a ring toss and a small slide.
There’s a variety of options when it comes to small pools for the best summer activity toys for toddlers.
T-Ball Set
I am all for a t-ball set for my son since we’re a baseball family. Got to start them young!
A t-ball set is perfect for helping toddlers with motor skills and coordination, along with a little patience.
Thankfully, the ball, bat and stand are made of plastic so no one gets hurt!
Splash Table
If you don’t want a small pool taking up space in your back yard, another options for water play is a splash table.
Similar to a sand or dirt box, a splash table is filled with water and comes with many fun activities to entertain your toddler.
Plus, certain splash tables like the Little Tykes Spiralin’ Seas Waterpark Play Table helps toddlers develop the “put and take” with other motor skills.
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Roller Coaster Ride On
First off, this roller coaster ride on needs to come in adult size! It looks like so much fun.
Unfortunately, I don’t think it will hold my weight.
However, if your toddler has good control over their body and an ability to hang on tight, then a roller coaster ride on is a perfect addition to your summer activity toys!
The best part about it, the roller coaster ride on is an easy snap assembly that can be used in the house or outside!
Golf Set
My son and a golf set that comes with a rolling caddy, four clubs, two balls and two t’s. He loves it.
It took a while to get enough concentration to actually hit the ball with a golf club.
But now that he can, we’re golfing all the time!
Bean Bag Toss
Normally, I consider a bean bag toss game kind of boring. But as a mom of a toddler, games are a lot more fun than they use to be!
Melissa and Doug have a self-sticking bean bag toss game in the shape of a turtle. Not as much skill is needed for this game.
Unlike a traditional bean bag toss, you don’t need to throw the bean bags through holes.
Instead, just throw the bean bags at the turtle shell and they stick! It’s perfect for toddlers!
Kids Seesaw
If you have two or more children, this is great to help them burn off energy.
While there are children’s seesaws that only accommodate one child, but the Pure Fun Rocker Kids Seesaw accommodates two children.
Although it occupies both children, it allows for a weight up to 75 pounds with its sturdy frame.
Outdoor balls
My toddler has three toy obsessions right now… Bubbles, blankets and balls.
One of the easiest and funniest summer activity toys is an outdoor ball.
They come in all sizes from huge to small golf balls. Plus, inflatable outdoor balls are pretty inexpensive.
Any kind of outdoor ball like soccer balls, footballs or kickballs are amazing for tiring out energetic toddlers while helping develop gross motor skills.
Velcro Toss & Grip Catching Game
This was one of my favorite games to play as a kid! I don’t know about your toddler, but mine is still learning how to catch a ball.
Instead of catching a ball he would rather let the ball hit him and laugh about it….
But with a Velcro toss and grip catching game even my son can catch a ball easily.
All your child has to do is move the Velcro paddle and the ball sticks!
Sprinkler
It’s amazing how much fun kids have running through a sprinkler.
Before you know it, they’ve been running for hours and are (hopefully) exhausted.
A kids sprinkler is by far one of the best summer activity toys I’ve bought for my toddler!
Stand Up Swing
This is something that requires you to have a sturdy tree or a swing set.
Also, your toddler has to have good body control in order to stand and hold onto.
Once a toddler’s figured out how to use a stand up swing, it will build strength and coordination along with tons of fun!
Magnetic Fishing Game Set
If you don’t want to actually go fishing, why not give your toddler the experience of fishing without metal hooks?
A magnetic fishing game set provides your child with fishing poles and colorful sea animals to teach your toddler…
- Coordination
- Fine motor skills
- Color recognition
- Counting
- Pretend play
The best part about this game is it can be played in or outdoors and with or without water!
Warning: There are many pieces to this magnetic fishing set so it may become frustrating when trying to keep the pieces from being lost!
Kite
Why not take advantage of a windy summer day? Take your toddler outside and teach them to fly a kite!
There are a million different kite designs to match any toddler’s personality. You can find a multitude kids kites HERE.
Toss & Catch Shark Net
The Melissa & Doug Shark Toss and Net Game is great for helping toddlers with hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills.
The net game is suppose to be used in a pool, but it could still be used outside the pool during outside summer activities.
Toddler Bike
Although my son’s only two and a half, he loves bikes! So much so that we bought him a bike for Easter.
(Yes, this mama went beyond the typical stuffed Easter eggs, but we did hunt for Easter eggs too).
While my son is young and doesn’t understand how to peddle yet, he still loves learning!
If your child does know how to peddle or learns quickly, biking is a great skill to learn at an early age.
However, if you still want a toddler bike but feel peddling might be too advanced for your toddler… There are also toddler bikes without peddles!
You can find a ton of toddler bike options HERE.
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Final Thoughts About Summer Activity Toys
Summertime is one of the best times of the year because of great weather and many outdoor activities.
But if you’re a toddler mom like me, I need outdoor summer activities toys that require little prep and will keep my toddler happy, engaged and above all… Wear my toddler out!
Toddlers are full of energy!
All 20 toys are this list are capable of providing hours of summertime fun, while providing essential learning skills including…
- Fine and gross motor skills
- hand-eye coordination
- Pretend play
Now it’s time to get out in the sun and spend quality time with your toddler with these 20 summer activity toys!