Outdoors is often the best and healthiest place for your child to play and explore. When your child is outdoors, he is less restricted. He is free to use a louder voice, to move around more, and to make more of a mess. Toddlers and the great outdoors are often a perfect match.

Silly Walk

Take a normal daily routine activity and turn it into a fun opportunity to help your child develop balance and motor control.

• Challenge your toddler to take a silly walk with you. You can dictate the variations, or you may encourage your child to suggest ideas as well. Some silly steps that you can take on your silly walk may include walking on tiptoe or taking giant steps.

Ring Toss

This variation on the classic is designed for young children. It lets all players feel successful.

• Place the hula hoop on the ground in a flat area.

• Designate a place for each player to stand. The younger the child, the closer he should be to the hula hoop.

• Show your child how to toss the beanbag, and encourage him to get it inside the hula hoop. If he is having a lot of difficulty, you can move him closer to the ring.

Leaf Maze

Take advantage of all of those pesky leaves that have fallen on your front lawn.

• Before you rake up all of the fallen leaves in the autumn, clear thin paths through the leaves using a rake or a shovel. You can create a maze or a simple path to follow. If you are energetic, you can also do this with snow.

Picnic Ants

This game can be played indoors or outdoors and will help your child become more observant. You may wish to provide the participants with an old sheet and some fabric paints and let them decorate their own picnic blanket.

• Spread out the picnic blanket and arrange the picnic prop items in the center.

• Have all the children close their eyes. Play the part of the pesky ant: Remove one item and hide it behind your back. (You may also choose one of the children to serve as the ant.)

• Ask the children to open their eyes and guess which item was removed.

Fun with the Hose

What a great way to cool off on a hot summer day! Like all water activities, adult supervision is needed at all times.

• Take and keep control of the hose. Be sure not to spray any child who does not want to get wet, and try to avoid squirting anyone above the shoulders. Never allow anyone to squirt any child in the face or on the head, regardless of the child's age.

• Try a game of water limbo. Hold the hose so that the water sprays straight across, and challenge the children to duck under the spray without getting wet. Lower the water stream after everyone has had a turn.

• Hold the hose so water sprays in a long stream across the ground, and encourage players to jump over. To increase the challenge, wiggle the hose.