Summer is such an exciting time. It is so fun to get out and about with our little ones! Fun at the beach, the zoo, the splash park and more are all on our lists of summer activities to do! Unfortunately, the summer heat can be pretty intense (depending on where you live), and being outdoors for any length of time with a baby or a toddler can be quite a challenge. Children that young simply don’t have a concept of if they are overheated. They aren’t able to communicate in effective ways with regards to tricky heat exhaustion symptoms such as their pulses racing or being dizzy. They may be too distracted (having so much fun) to drink enough water, or stay in the shade. So, when it is 100 plus degrees outside, we like to play it safe and go out in the early morning to beat the hottest part of the day. Then we focus our energy on fun indoor play ideas to beat the heat and still have fun!
– Seal water toys with a hot glue gun so they don’t get mold on the inside and they’ll keep clean!
– Our favorite bath play toys: Foam letters (quite possibly the best thing we ever bought for bath play), reusable plastic cups and tupperware for pouring, balls, and rubber ducks.
Added tip: Do this activity in the bathtub for easy clean up! For your older tots, experiment with washable paint and even watercolors!
Bin ideas: – Cooked pasta in a bin (they will have a blast feeling and eating it) – Heavy and light objects (try including different weights of blocks or balls) – Smooth and textured objects – Hard and soft objects – Large and small objects – Nature bin (sticks, flowers, leaves, rocks, etc.)
For the older tots, have them try to identify different classifications, try to say the new words they are learning, and even sort the objects into categories.
Stay cool, have fun, and keep those babies and toddlers learning and engaged! Don’t forget to use these ideas when you are stuck inside due to snow and ice as well!