It's vitally important to teach children to enjoy the outdoors. It's also important to teach children to use their imagination and to play creatively. Spending time with your child in the backyard can help you accomplish both of these lessons.
Toddlers tend to be imitative than imaginative. This means that your toddler is more likely to spend his or her outside time copying something you do, or something others have done. Toddlers often enjoy doing simple "cooking" in the sandbox, for instance. Wild fantasies about knights, mermaids, and space ships will come later in childhood. However, simple imitative play during toddler sets the stage for effortless (and hours long) imaginative play later in childhood.
Baby Play Yard
The simplest backyard activity has already been mentioned - sand. Or dirt, for that matter. Getting a little sand box or even creating one with dirt and sand will keep your toddler entertained for hours. The sand provides excellent tactile experiences for your little one, as well. You can let them experiment with dry sand and damp sand. If you're feeling really brave, let them feel the mud squish through their toes and fingers!
A dump truck is a good toy for sand and dirt piles. But aside from that, don't worry too much about buy expensive beach or sand toys for your child. Go to the second hand store and buy some small pots, ladles, spoons, and other cooking utensils. Stainless steel and enamel-coated varieties will hold up well to the weather. Your child will love these because they look just like what you use in the kitchen!
A backyard swing set, jungle gym, or play set is another excellent idea for backyard fun for your toddler. This will continue to get a lot of use as your child gets older. They can learn to swing, climb, and slide. There is an amazing variety of jungle gym choices available now, so you can choose one as simple as a couple swings and a slide... to one that has towers, hammocks, and secret tunnels! If you do opt for a more elaborate play set, you can often find one that has a sand box built in.
Encourage your toddler to climb and slide on the jungle gym. They can learn to master many skills at this young age and it helps develop their agility and their self-confidence. They'll be braver as they grow older, and they'll also be used to the physical effort of active play.
As the weather gets warmer, consider getting a kiddie pool. There are lots available now, and as with the swing sets, you can get as simple or elaborate as you'd like. Most toddlers will be happy with a small pool to splash around in. Get some boats or simple tub toys for them to play with. Rinse out the pots you got for the sand pile and let your little one pour water to his or her heart's content. You'll be surprised just how much fun a toddler can have in a small pool.
If you have a large pool, teach your toddler water skills as you play. If your toddler has a fear of the pool, you can help him or her overcome it by watching videos of happy toddlers swimming. This has been proven to help children overcome fears of swimming (it also works for things like fear of dogs and other animals.)
These classic outdoor ideas will get your toddler happily playing in your backyard, and builds a foundation for years of healthy, active play.