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When Little was first big enough to really begin to play outside, I remember telling Hubs that I had finally discovered the secret to keeping the house clean – to play outside.  So in case you were looking, there’s your mom hack for the day.  😉

But in all seriousness, playing outside is so good and important for all of us.  The fresh air is helpful to me to recharge and reset when we’ve been inside for a while and it’s good for Little to have new places to explore and run around.

I love to see him interact with nature and use his imagination in different ways than he would inside.

Sure, it’s hot and it’s messy.  But man, is it fun.  Not to mention that we all sleep so much better when we’ve been active during the day!

Our Favorite Outdoor Play Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Today, I’m excited to share some of our favorite messy outdoor activities.  As always, they’re simple, fun, and low-to-no-prep things that you can do with your kids today.

Getting our Hands Dirty in our Garden

Gardening is a new thing that we’ve added to our list this year and it’s been a lot of fun so far!  It’s a fun way to get our hands dirty together, learn about how food (and plants in general) grow, and is helping teach Little about responsibility since he waters the plants each day.

This year, we’re growing strawberries, zucchini, and carrots.  We’ve been picking strawberries as they ripen, and we’re so close to harvesting our zucchini!  The carrots started from seeds though, so we have a little more time for them.

Visiting our Local Playground

Another fun way we like to get outside and play is taking a trip to our local playground.  We are really fortunate to be close to several different playgrounds and they are a really easy way to get out and get playing.  Playgrounds are also a great way to work on socialization since there are usually lots of other kids on playground equipment especially when it’s nice out.

Pretend Play

We also love pretend play around here.  Little is all about it and it is really fun to see where his imagination takes us when we play outside.  Some of our favorite things – using old pots and pans to make “vegetable soup” (inspired by this book) where we collect sticks, rocks, leaves, anything really.  Add them to our pots and “cook” them.  We also like to collect things from nature to create a “farm” or “zoo” for our play animals.

Digging in the Dirt

Okay, this is really simple but one that is way overlooked.  Grab some buckets and shovels and just dig in the dirt (or sand).  You can do this at the playground, the beach, or your backyard.  Fill up the buckets, make mud pies, learn about the texture of the dirt/sand/mud/clay.  So much learning and creative play just by digging a hole.

Take a Nature Scavenger Hunt

Find a local trail (or your own backyard) and go for a scavenger hunt.  Be on the look out for things like sticks, rocks, leaves, flowers, bugs, etc.  Make a checklist of things to find and then begin.  If you have older kids, you can even make it into a competition to see who can find all the things first.

Coloring with Chalk

And finally, chalk is always a HUGE hit around here.  It’s my go-to for outside play when we’re short on time because even though it’s messy, it requires almost no set-up and can be done right in our drive way.  Chalk coloring is a great way to practice those fine motor skills and imagination.  Or you can use it to create games on the side walk like hop scotch, or create fun paths with instructions to follow (for example, “Hop from point A to point B”, “Walk from point B to point C”, etc.)

Cleaning Up our Mess

As fun and important playing outside can be, it can get messy sometimes (ok, almost all of the time).  But we’ve got a saying around here: “It’s okay to make a mess.  You just have to clean it up afterwards.”

So, after our play is done and we clean things up outside, we head inside and straight to the sink to clean ourselves up before we move on to our next activity.  And when it’s time to clean up, we need something that’s going to clean our skin well without over drying (because let’s be real about how many time we really need to wash hands with toddlers whether or not we’ve played outside, but ESPECIALLY after playing outside).

That’s why we’ve begun using Dial® NEW Complete 2-in-1 Moisturizing and Antibacterial Foaming Hand Wash.  We love it because it lets us have the best of both worlds – not only does it kill 99.99% of bacteria*, but it’s also got twice the moisturizing ingredients than regular hand soap.  Who doesn’t want their skin to be both clean AND soft?!

Of course, Little loves that it’s a foaming hand soap because, “bubbles”!  I just love anything that makes him excited about washing his hands.

Just for Mama**

Finally, after long days of messy play (or any day if we’re being honest), one of my favorite ways to relax is to take a long, hot shower.  Since having kids, I’ve moved my showers almost exclusively to night time because mornings are too busy and I love the feel of getting into bed freshly clean.

I’ve been using Dial® NEW Complete 2-in-1 Moisturizing and Antibacterial Beauty Bar in my showers recently, because like the hand soap, it’s ultra moisturizing, making my skin feel so nice and soft after washing and it’s safe for both my face and body.  Not only that, but it’s the only bar on the market that has such excellent moisturizing benefits while also having the antibacterial protection.

And finally, it smells so relaxing, which I appreciate since my showers really are my “me time” where I get to relax and enjoy a little bit of quiet.  My favorite scent is the Manuka Honey.  You can also get these beauty bars in Coconut Milk, Silk and Magnolia.

While Supplies Last

You can find both the Foaming Hand Wash and the Beauty Bars at most retail locations; I usually grab ours on my Target run.  It’s easy to find in the health & beauty aisles.  The best part?  For a limited time, you can save when you buy with coupons right on many of the store packages.  Be on the lookout for these coupons when you shop:

• Up to $0.75 off the Dial® 2 in 1 Moisturizing & Antibacterial Foaming Hand Wash
• Up to $0.75 off the 3 pack of Dial® 2 in 1 Moisturizing & Antibacterial Beauty Bars
• Up to $1.00 off the 6 pack of Dial® 2 in 1 Moisturizing & Antibacterial Beauty Bars

Be sure to get yours today!

Your Turn

What are your favorite ways to play outside with your kids during the summer?  Or anytime?  How do you make time to relax and clean up after?

*Kills 99.99% of bacteria encountered in common household settings. (source)

**Dad can use it, too.  😉