Summer is officially here and our regular week day events during the school year have slowed down or stopped completely until September and we are constantly looking for ways to keep the Bear entertained. Today I’m breaking down my favorite toddler entertaining ideas for you that are all free or super cheap ways to beat the heat and keep that kiddo happy.
#1 Fill up a Kiddie Pool in your yard. We actually have 2, one from Amazon and one from a consignment sale and he LOVES them. He will splash and play for hours in both of them. Give a toddler a hose and a few buckets and he will be happy all day. At the end of the day we take his buckets and water the plants and trees with whatever is left in the pools, so nothing goes to waste.
#2 Visit you neighborhood pool. Our city has 5 neighborhood pools and membership is super cheap ($60 for the whole family for all 5 pools all summer). We visit a different pool every few days and swim our hearts out. The Bear has a great little Puddlejumper life jacket and is already jumping off the wall into the water. We love it and he always eats and sleeps well after a big swim. As a former pool rat (shout out to my Leawood pool peeps) there is no better summer getaway than the neighborhood pool. We use cloth swim diapers in both our backyard and our neighborhood pool. You can read all about
swim diapers here and
shop for them here.
#3 Go to Story Time at the Library. Air conditioning + free = awesome. Our local library has story times for every age group as well as one for the whole family. We signed up for the toddler class and are so excited to have an air conditioned, fun, educational, and FREE place to get out of the sun all summer long.
#4 Find a free Splash Park in your area. We are so lucky to have several free splash parks near our house and will be spending lots of time there this summer when the playground equipment is too hot to touch. Check out your city’s Parks and Recreation website to find splash parks in your area. They typically have several water elements and a soft pad underneath for kids to run on barefoot.
#5 Mall walk and play at the indoor playground. Several of our local malls have great indoor, air conditioned play spaces perfect for toddlers. We pack up the fam and a picnic lunch and head to the mall in the morning to mall walk like champs getting a little exercise for mama and then hit the mall play ground to get a work out for the Bear. Everybody wins and nobody sweats.
How do you entertain yourself and/or your kids in the summer?
. Most of the time the kids splash around and create their own fun, but occasionally I add a game in to the mix to keep them entertained longer. Mama needs time to drink her coffee, right? All of my game ideas are simple and geared towards the 0-3 crowd.
