Outdoor Activities for Toddler Party?

[marble_faun]

Hello Mustache Nation!

I am helping to organize a party for a bunch of 2- to 4 year-olds. The party is taking place in a large grassy area with picnic tables.

What kinds of fun things should we set up for the kids to do?

Things to keep in mind:

- They are a bit too young for yard games like bocce, cornhole, etc.
- Also too young for a bounce house.
- Messy crafts could be a challenge as there is not a great place to wash up afterward.
- Prefer to avoid activities that would require herding and directing a group of small children to do specific things at specific times.

Would appreciate any ideas!

[mspym]

Hmmm we live by a park where many of these parties are hosted. Ideas that seem to work: blowing bubbles, including the devices that make the huge bubbles when you run, a couple of tiny soccer goals and abandoning all idea of rules other than running and kicking, but the hands down big winner every party is the kids working together to dig out a riverbed by a drinking fountain and then filling it with water. That one is a perennial favourite for all ages.

[calimom]

The bubbles always are a hit with little kids. And as you say, messy art projects are likely a no-go. What about a beanbag toss (sometimes called cornhole)? And setting up a pretty simple obstacle course that included small orange cones in a zig zag fashion,20"  circles of rope, and a thin "balance beam" set basically on the ground can be fun and easy to put together.

Just make sure it doesn't last too long :) . And of course, water and snacks.

[Adventine]

Some big beach balls would do nicely.

[Freedomin5]

Bubbles and balloons are always a hit.

Also anything with water. So a small inflatable pool with little boats or other little floating toys. Make sure parents bring an extra change of clothes.

[Sibley]

Playdoh. Doesn't require a ton of cleanup, but since it tends to get stuck to stuff in the house it's a pain.

[BZB]

Bubbles. All the bubbles. I recommend a Bubble Thing - it's a contraption that lets you make giant bubbles the size of a car. It's been around since the 80s.

[marble_faun]

Thanks for the ideas so far, everyone!  Good stuff.

[GreenQueen]

2-4 years isn't too young for a bouncy house (our 2.5 year old is in one every few weekends at local fairs), but that is up to you. You can limit the number of kids in the bouncy house at one time.

Doing a really basic treasure hunt with visual cues only could be fun - older kids can help younger kids. We took pictures of things (trees, a light fixture), printed them and used them to help get to the next clue.

That said, lots of good ideas here. Hula hoops from the dollar store are great for "obstacle courses" and we saw some awesome foam swords there too if you're ok with light whack-a-kid.

[charis]

2-4 years isn't too young for a bouncy house (our 2.5 year old is in one every few weekends at local fairs), but that is up to you. You can limit the number of kids in the bouncy house at one time.

Doing a really basic treasure hunt with visual cues only could be fun - older kids can help younger kids. We took pictures of things (trees, a light fixture), printed them and used them to help get to the next clue.

That said, lots of good ideas here. Hula hoops from the dollar store are great for "obstacle courses" and we saw some awesome foam swords there too if you're ok with light whack-a-kid.

Yeah, I disagree with the bounce house thing too.  2-4 is a great age for it.  I even bought a small bounce house when my kid was that young, but he was fine in a larger one too if there weren't "big kids" in it.  Sprinklers and/or a kiddie pool if it's warm.