Taking your tot outdoors doesn’t have to be complicated ― here are several awesome ideas for you!

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The outdoors is great for your toddler. He’ll get to stretch his muscles, run around and explore, enjoy the fresh air and sunshine and get a new perspective on life.

When he is enjoying the wide open spaces, your tyke is exposed to natural elements like grass and soil, his imagination will be stimulated by the new objects and people around him, which helps him be more social and communicative.

Being physically active outdoors will also keep both you and your little one healthy and fit and increase your stamina.

His imagination is stimulated by the new objects and people around him, and this helps him to be more social and communicative.

So, why not plan a trip outdoors with junior this weekend ― we’ve rounded up exciting activities you’ll surely enjoy with your mini-me that will cost you hardly a cent!

1. Play with bubbles
Bubbles are a great outdoor activity for toddlers. Besides being tons of fun, they help develop your tot’s visual tracking and gross motor skills, as well as hand-eye coordination. Get your mini-me to pop them a certain way (clap, poke, or even use his elbows) to create a super-fun game.

If you’re not keen on the commercial bubble solutions sold in stores, you can easily make your own. Add half a cup of dishwashing liquid to 4 cups of water, then add 4 tablespoons of glycerin (available in pharmacies). Mix it up and let it set for a couple of hours ― the longer it sets, the larger and longer-lasting your bubbles will be!

2. Do a “car” wash

Why not get him to clean up junior’s own “vehicles”? Get him to round up his tricycle, balance bike, ride-on toys and scooter. He could even ask the neighbours if they’d like their toy rides cleaned, too.

Once the “fleet” is ready, place them in an outdoor space, hand junior a sponge and a bucket of soapy water, and let him start scrubbing. When all the vehicles have been cleaned, hose them down ― your little guy will be beaming with pride!

This activity not only works your little one physically, but he’ll also experience the tactile benefits of playing with soap suds and sensing friction while he scrubs.

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3. Grow his own produce

We don’t usually do much gardening in Singapore, especially if you stay in an HDB flat. But this doesn’t mean your peewees can’t dabble in “farming”. If you have a garden, or even a balcony that receives plenty of sunlight, get a few large pots and fill them with soil. Arm junior with a shovel and some seeds and let him plant away. Some easy-to-sprout varieties include tomato, chilli and papaya seeds.

Even if you don’t have an outdoor space, you could set up a small gardening area along your corridor. Your little one will love tending to the plants and waiting for the seedlings to appear.

Your little ones will soon be making tons of friends with other kids who want to join in and play.

4. Create your own outdoor game
You have so many possibilities. Grab a few pieces of chalk and head down to the neighbourhood park. Draw a hopscotch diagram ― your little ones will soon be making tons of friends with other kids who’ll want to join in and play.

Or create a contest to see who can shoot the most “hoops” with a couple of wastepaper baskets and mini-bean bags. Alternatively, playing Frisbee or kicking a ball around will entertain your tot equally well.

5. Paint with water
Do you have a mini-Picasso on your hands? Painting need not always be an indoor activity.

Head to a nearby park or playground with a bucket of water and some brushes, then let him start “paint” with water on the pavement. He’ll admire his masterpiece for a couple of minutes and when the moisture evaporates, he’ll have a blank canvas to work on all over again. It’s like a super-sized doodle board!

Photos: iStock

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