Hot Day Activities for Preschoolers
“Moooom, it’s too hot outside! I’m ready to come in!”
“Nope, nope, dinner is not ready and you have been outside for only 5 minutes.”
If this conversation happens in your home on hot days like it does in mine, keep reading.
This article will not provide you with lengthy, crafty productions that take lots of prep work. Those things are great, but when you are in the middle of making dinner and need to keep your kids busy and happy outdoors, you need something you can pull out FAST.
Instead, this article will provide you with simple hot day activities that require almost no prep and will keep your kids occupied until you are ready for them to be done.
I am not suggesting that you leave your kids unsupervised! Please make sure that you can see your children as you let them run wild!
Ice Cubes in a Bin
The first hot day activity is to dump ice cubes into a wash bin (I like this collapsible one… SO convenient), put some cups and a ladle in and you’re done! I was amazed at how long my kids stayed occupied with this hot summer day activity! Their favorite part was tossing/dumping the ice cubs over the railing on the deck.
Leaf Fishing
Another easy outdoor summer activity is “leaf fishing”. Fill up a kiddie pool with some water. Better yet, give your kiddo the hose and have them fill it up. Have your kids find some fresh leaves (fish) and put them in the pool. I know it sounds kind of gross, but I promise, this will keep them occupied. Next, give your littles a sand sifter and tell them to fish all the leaves out!
Duck Races
“Duck races” is another fun way to keep your kiddos cool and entertained on hot days.
All you need is some rubber ducks (really, any floating toy would work) and two basters. They make a great toy! (Obviously, if yours are glass, it is not a great toy!) I got mine from the Dollar Tree specifically for playing with.
Fill up your kiddie pool, sand table, water table, or even just a large tub with some water and throw in some floating toys.
Hand your kiddos some basters and have them squirt the ducks from the side to “propel” them with water and see which duck gets to the other end of the “pond” first.
The kids will stay busy with this and have fun racing the ducks for a while.
But the best part is that even when they are tired of racing the ducks, they will baste EVERYTHING else in the yard, giving you plenty of time to finish that dinner.
So, if you only have one kiddo and you can’t race ducks at the moment, they will still LOVE playing with the baster.
Hot Day Hose Spray Down
Finally, the EASIEST hot day activity is to turn on the hose and let your kids go crazy. They will find many creative ways to play with it. Yes, your child will get wet and most likely dirty, so make sure they are wearing a swimsuit (or their birthday suit…) and that you have a towel on hand as they get ready to come inside.
Enjoy the Hot Summer Days!
There you have it, Mama! I hope these four hot day activities come in handy next time you want the kids to stay outside a bit longer.
Now, if you are looking for ideas where you can join your kids for some outdoor fun, check out this post. And if it’s just too hot outside, click here to read about how to keep your littles entertained inside!
I’d love to hear about how you keep your kiddos busy on hot summer days! Drop a comment below!
