Movement in the Backyard

Now that the weather is not scorching we are itching to spend mornings, afternoons, and evenings outdoors, although it’s not always possible to get very far with little ones. When you can’t make it to the park or the playground because it’s too close to nap-time, dinner or bath, make time to get out even if that means for just a few minutes right outside your door. If you have a lush outdoor garden, a patio, balcony, or a front step; there are ways you can play and move in any type of outdoor space. Here are a few simple ideas to get a bit of fresh air and movement with your little one. 

-Stretch on blankets and try baby yoga poses. 

-Roll on the grass or on a soft mat. Try rolling your baby into the sunshine then into the shade for an interesting sensory experience. 

-Walk around the backyard or around the block and look at the trees, flowers and even the weeds. 

-Crawl on the ground and look for bugs hiding in the grass. 

-Make animal movements such as hop like a bunny, climb like a squirrel, waddle like a duck, and flap like a bird. 

-Incorporate simple obstacle course movements while you are outside by walking on a sidewalk crack, jumping over a tree root,  kicking a rock, and stepping on the door mat and jumping off.  You can also use some simple items to create fun obstacle courses outside like a piece of string to walk along, yoga blocks or wooden blocks for balancing, blankets for tumbling on or crawling under, sticks for jumping over. 

-Make a sensory bin of pine cones, bigger rocks, clean leaves, flower petals and more to explore. Just make sure to sit close to supervise. 

-Play kick the ball, catch, tag, or hide and seek with your toddler. 

-Use those sprinklers and baby pools to sit and splash. Add plastic cups, legos, or any water friendly toys you can find. If you have a small space, a plastic bin with water works great too! 

-Simply run around and catch bubbles in the air. 

Now, go play! Outside!