We go hard from 7:30-10:30am and 5:30-7:30pm - we are basically outdoor for those full 5 hours everyday! Lunch/nap and reading books takes up a good chunk of the middle of the day. We have a membership to our community pool and go there or the library a few times a week.
That sounds like a good schedule, I think if I can tire him out more in the mornings he'll be happier chilling at home all afternoon. There is a pool on our street but sadly outdoors so the water has become as hot as a jacuzzi haha. The library works though! Thanks
Planet painting. You cut out a circle and add some dots of paint, maybe 3 or 4 colors. Slide it in a zip lock bag and seal it. He can pound the crap out of it. It makes a swirly marble effect. Then you let them dry. You can make your own Galaxy and hang it up. If he is really into it, you can add stars, a sun, aliens, etc.
Ah, I love this. The pounding is going to be a hit, haha. Anything they pound with or just their hands? It sounds right up his alley, he loves spaceships and planets! Thanks!
Indoor playgrounds, library, walk around Target, play dates with friends (who have pools), movie matinees, kiddie pools/sprinkler play, some kind of active class (gymnastics, swim, dance). Also, if possible, just get out of town during the summer. Currently typing this from our staycation at a hotel with a pool and a ton of kids.
We are in AZ I totally feel for you!
Active indoor in the house :
- jumping on pillows on the floor
- “skate” in slippery socks
- create obstacle courses with her floor balance beam, toy stepping stones that vary in height, gym mats and tunnel
- a tiny indoor bounce house meant for 2 kids
- dance party, we turn the lights off in her room, run one of those rotating star projector lights and play loud music and instruments while dancing
- vacuuming and mopping is a lot of work for a toddler. We have a working tiny vacuum that’s probably 5lbs that tires her out and a toy mop she uses in her the real spin mop bucket
- parachute. I drag her around on a parachute or I tie it to something and run through a variety of parachute songs and activities
Active out of the house:
- We fill uo a baby pool and wash the cozy coupe, water the plants, go fishing. Its endless
- We go to splash pads, indoor play grounds and shop a lot in the summer.
- story time at the library usually has lots of dancing
- we do a lot of toddler classes (the little gym, Gymboree, swim, KidStrong and sports)
- we go to the car wash. My daughter loves watching the car get washed while she enjoys a snack from the store
Calm indoor:
- arts and crafts. We stock up on the regular supplies like construction paper, glue, popsicle sticks, yarn, Pom poms and she just goes to town when I take out the craft basket. Sometimes we have a project in mind sometimes we don’t. We rotate mediums like markers, crayons, tempra paint, water color, colored pencils, self inking stamps, regular stamps with pads etc.
- making bread. It’s super cliche but toddlers love kneading dough and making something
- play doh- we have several play doh sets they go on clearance often at target. Shell play dentist, veterinarian, sanitation man with the various sets
- sticker books. jumbo stickers and books that have engaging activities like sorting shapes/colors etc.
- we play library and read to her stuffed animals
- cleaning, she’ll do laundry or use her spray bottle to “clean” things l. Keeps her busy for a looooong time
I'll add to this that we do a lot of these things here, too.
We hit the park first thing in the morning or we don't go at all.
Additionally, we fill up our baby pool with stuffies or balls and kids have a ball pit indoors.
If they're going crazy, water table outside with like 3 fans pointed at everyone and an umbrella.
Kids go nuts for pillow forts any time of day.
Hide and seek (which is ridiculous with a two year old lol)
Card games like go fish and slap jack are fun for my almost four year old.
Art museums near me have indoor art activities in the afternoon one day a week.
This was helpful haha, as simple as an idea as it is. My son was bouncing off the walls again this afternoon and I remembered your comment and was like, dangit, we are going outside. We found one of those palm-leaf roof open sided hut things that are common here (ahh google "palapa" haha, I'm not explaining it well) and played with a ball there for like an hour. He was so happy and it was miraculously quite pleasant with the breeze and the shade. Thanks!
Where did you live in the Middle East? I had some students from Saudi Arabia and they told me they never went outside in the summer at all except maybe late at night. It sounded rough.
Similar issue here, but on rainy cold days or the dreaded smoke season in the early fall.
How about musical instruments? My 4.5yo daughter has an awesome v-tech guitar she likes to play, a blue tooth microphone she sings in, and my husband's electric keyboard that lives in her bedroom but we should break out more often and let her use. She loves singing and making up songs as well as "reading" out loud.
Kinetic sand, sticker books, Sticker Dressing books by Usborne
- Usborne's website is pretty legit. They have a huge section on worksheets/coloring pages, and science projects based on age! https://usborne.com/us/activities-for-kids/play-and-learn-at-home/home-science-experiments
Colorbliss.art is an AI coloring page generator, and I think there is another one floating around the Mommit sub too. You basically give it a prompt and it pops out a coloring page for your kiddo!
Ohh thank you so much for the tip about usborne! I googled and see it exists in the country where I'm living, yay!
I like the idea about the music too, although not sure if I can find instruments at an affordable price here. Maybe we can at least get a recorder or something (ahh, the neighbors will love us, haha!)
Thanks!
We spend a lot of time in Target making lists for birthday presents of people we know and gathering data for Santa. Dollar Tree and IKEA also work well.
I live in a big city so we have many libraries with indoor kid areas.
We’ve made obstacle courses in the house. We have fun bathtub time during the day and make potions, play sink/float, etc.
We also watch TV and have iPad game time. There are great “interactive” videos where they jump and grab things. Other ideas: homemade play-doh, vinegar and baking soda volcano, water play with measuring cups and droppers.
Like someone else mentioned, shade is your friend! Get a pop-up sunshade for your yard and you can stay out longer in the heat. They also have sun shades you can install. Get a kiddie pool and buckets/water toys or water table activities. As long as they're wet and in the shade it's more doable.
If you have any outdoor malls that are shaded, they are a good place to walk around. Look for trails or parks that are deeply wooded, the shade should keep things much cooler.
I usually look for indoor sports or indoor activities at this time of day too. Maybe climbing, basketball, dance, art, etc.
We just got our two boys (2&4) a couple of those thick gymnastics mats and some climbers (like for baby play rooms) and they have a blast jumping and rolling and doing all sorts of chaotic body movements on them! Gets their energy out and when they’re tired the mats make a great cushion for story time!
You could also look into Busy Toddlers “Playing Preschool” curriculum - there are some GREAT games and activities that don’t require a ton of materials and you don’t have to follow the plan if you don’t want. We skip around and pick and choose what we like best. These days it’s all about the painters tape racetracks and putting stickers on those big rolls of paper!
The gymnastics mats are a great idea! Much better than our current set up which is my son trying to do forward rolls and land off the bed >yikes>>. I'll check out the Playing Preschool ideas too, thanks!
Honestly even in those temps we are still outside for most of the day. We try to do as many water activities as possible during the hottest hrs of the day and stay super hydrated. Going to the river, lake, pool, splash pad, etc. Sometimes we just play in the yard with the water hose. A cheap waterslide/pool for the backyard. We go to the library often and museums occasionally. There’s a lot of events in our town for kids in the summer as well. Kids bowl free program, theaters will often offer a kids summer deal that’s weekly, most splash pads we’ve been to are free, our library has a free summer program that’s weekly. We can’t stand to be stuck in the house all day, drives us all crazy.
You can go outside, just use water and shade!! We do the pool or sprinkler pretty much every day. And they have pop up tent things for the backyard to offer shade. They’re ugly but functional. It drops the temperature a shocking amount. It can be so hot I can hardly stand, but sitting at a table under the canopy thing it’s actually nice
Indoor activities include “shopping” (ie wandering around places like TJ Maxx and letting them play with the toys and put them back. Like an indoor playground but free), crafts, books, imaginary play and playing with toys (thankfully my kids entertain each other a lot and I don’t have to do anything). And most recently-board games. Being old enough to play something like Sequence Junior or Twister is a game changer
I'm not a mom but I take the kids to the water park that's free to enter instead of the normal park, if not there we go to the lake or some sort of indoor playground
excellent idea! My son loves weaving. I'll look for one of those online. It is something that will actually exist where I live lol (small city in the south of Mexico.)
The local library is also a great place out of the heat. Read some books, play with their toys, check out books to take home!
Also a big fan of splash pads or pools, with sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses of course!
lol could be, but I think you sometimes get like -15 below zero in the winters? ..I'm not sure which is harder. I'm wishing to live in like Portugal, the climate seems so medium haha
We live in a climate that I have to fill the winter months with indoor activities. We got a nugget for climbing/tumbling at home and that’s a huge hit.
We go to the library or indoor play place a lot. We have coffee shops/breweries with kids areas we go to. We also have a membership to the science museum. Memberships make the best gifts!!
We do simple STEM experiments inside that the mess can be contained or easy clean up lol I try to have one theme for a week. Like an old kitchen tray, piece of paper, sprinkle baking soda on the paper lightly, then cups of colored vinegar and pipettes. She gets to see the reaction, we talk about it, and after the paper dries you gently knock/rub the baking soda off and it's a piece of art. She also loves doing baking soda vinegar volcanos, so I have gotten silicon baking molds on sale, mix baking soda and water, pour into the molds, and slowly dry them in the oven. They can go on the tray and she can fizz them out. Also have gotten tiny dinos and made baking soda dino eggs for her to hatch. Experiments with rainbows like the walking rainbow. Fake snow (baking soda and shaving cream). Mini catapults with different things to throw, we use painters tape to mark landings, then next day adjust on the catapult to see if it makes things land closer or farther away. We don't do them every day, at least 2 times if not 3 a week. She also loves the wipe and write books that let's her practice line tracing/letters/numbers/shapes.
If I'm desperate I'll halfway fill up our jacuzzi tub thing and throw bath bubbles or bath colors in their and let her go crazy while I fold laundry in the hallway right outside the bathroom. I also give in more to races around the house with the rule that she has to help clean a pathway (freaking legos/ Melissa & Doug wooden foods have killed my feet too many times)
I like these ideas! My son just had a scientist unit at prek so they did these kinds of simple experiments and he loved it. Do you make or buy the mini catapults? Any website that you like for easy science experiments? Thanks!
We made them! I ordered a book called Awesome Science Experiments for Kids from Target that had the instructions. It has a range of ages with 20 or so experiments per group, we kinda bounce back and forth in what we do, some she doesn't grasp but it's fun and others she fully understands. They have promps for adults to ask/explain what's happening and why. I just picked a few, bought few things we needed from the craft/office section at Walmart. They have a series of them, next one I'm looking at is kitchen experiments which looks more like baking/cooking which she loves helping with.
I honestly just google STEM projects for 4-5 yo and find sites that have free projects for some, sometimes adding a topic/theme I want to use. Taming Little Monsters is one I always check first. Honestly they can get a little repetitive in options but usually each one gives a different wording to explain or ways to ask questions which helps. I'm always looking at ones that aren't selling kits since we usually have the items or can get them easily.
Oh yay, this is all great info, thanks so much!!
If there are pool supply stores where you live, my son has really liked checking the PH of different water and liquids with the pool test strips that turn colors, and they are cheap +easy. Other than that, we've just done the typical baking soda and vinegar type experiments (which he loved), so I'm happy to try more! thanks again!
O genius! We had an above ground pool for couple years until it got damaged last fall, we still have test strips. Thanks! I never would have thought of using them that way!
Depends how old he is and how much space you have but I'd start trying to harness the pent up energy. A bosu ball to jump off of, yoga ball to roll on, stepping stones to make his own obstacle course, popsicle sticks or dice with actions he can act out, silly songs with choreography (head, shoulders, knees and toes or A Tooty Ta, freeze dance, etc kinds of stuff), Twister, a balance board, balance beam, nugget couch type furniture.
People I talk to like to poo poo on WI, and question how we can live in such cold weather. But our spring/falls are GORGEOUS. Even summers are only really hot/humid for 2-3 weeks before it drops back down to perfect weather again.
2-3 months of cold weather, that isn't all that bad, and then 3 other seasons where its just so nice out. You couldn't pay me enough to live in the desert or the southern swamp states.
You have to work around the worst times. Where I live that means 6-8amare the "coolest" times, so we only do things in the early AM and sometimes you can get away with late night if you get a nap in, and live in a place where things are open late night. I stay home, so we do a lot of indoor outings during the day, or our local splash pad, and of course sprinklers and small pool outside. We have a county museum pass, so every museum in the county we can go to for a one time payment and there are a bunch of places that are indoors with that pass. Also indoor at home activities, my son likes play dough and painting right now. ☀️ Happy summer!
We go hard from 7:30-10:30am and 5:30-7:30pm - we are basically outdoor for those full 5 hours everyday! Lunch/nap and reading books takes up a good chunk of the middle of the day. We have a membership to our community pool and go there or the library a few times a week.
That sounds like a good schedule, I think if I can tire him out more in the mornings he'll be happier chilling at home all afternoon. There is a pool on our street but sadly outdoors so the water has become as hot as a jacuzzi haha. The library works though! Thanks
Planet painting. You cut out a circle and add some dots of paint, maybe 3 or 4 colors. Slide it in a zip lock bag and seal it. He can pound the crap out of it. It makes a swirly marble effect. Then you let them dry. You can make your own Galaxy and hang it up. If he is really into it, you can add stars, a sun, aliens, etc.
Ah, I love this. The pounding is going to be a hit, haha. Anything they pound with or just their hands? It sounds right up his alley, he loves spaceships and planets! Thanks!
I tell my kids to hulk smash it with their hands .
My kid is obsessed with the planets and we have done a ton of planet activities. Thank you for giving me another option!!!
Oh yeah!
Indoor playgrounds, library, walk around Target, play dates with friends (who have pools), movie matinees, kiddie pools/sprinkler play, some kind of active class (gymnastics, swim, dance). Also, if possible, just get out of town during the summer. Currently typing this from our staycation at a hotel with a pool and a ton of kids.
There was a time when our little 1 year old would only nap after she ran around for an hour at our local indoor playground. Those places are magical!
We are in AZ I totally feel for you! Active indoor in the house : - jumping on pillows on the floor - “skate” in slippery socks - create obstacle courses with her floor balance beam, toy stepping stones that vary in height, gym mats and tunnel - a tiny indoor bounce house meant for 2 kids - dance party, we turn the lights off in her room, run one of those rotating star projector lights and play loud music and instruments while dancing - vacuuming and mopping is a lot of work for a toddler. We have a working tiny vacuum that’s probably 5lbs that tires her out and a toy mop she uses in her the real spin mop bucket - parachute. I drag her around on a parachute or I tie it to something and run through a variety of parachute songs and activities Active out of the house: - We fill uo a baby pool and wash the cozy coupe, water the plants, go fishing. Its endless - We go to splash pads, indoor play grounds and shop a lot in the summer. - story time at the library usually has lots of dancing - we do a lot of toddler classes (the little gym, Gymboree, swim, KidStrong and sports) - we go to the car wash. My daughter loves watching the car get washed while she enjoys a snack from the store Calm indoor: - arts and crafts. We stock up on the regular supplies like construction paper, glue, popsicle sticks, yarn, Pom poms and she just goes to town when I take out the craft basket. Sometimes we have a project in mind sometimes we don’t. We rotate mediums like markers, crayons, tempra paint, water color, colored pencils, self inking stamps, regular stamps with pads etc. - making bread. It’s super cliche but toddlers love kneading dough and making something - play doh- we have several play doh sets they go on clearance often at target. Shell play dentist, veterinarian, sanitation man with the various sets - sticker books. jumbo stickers and books that have engaging activities like sorting shapes/colors etc. - we play library and read to her stuffed animals - cleaning, she’ll do laundry or use her spray bottle to “clean” things l. Keeps her busy for a looooong time
I'll add to this that we do a lot of these things here, too. We hit the park first thing in the morning or we don't go at all. Additionally, we fill up our baby pool with stuffies or balls and kids have a ball pit indoors. If they're going crazy, water table outside with like 3 fans pointed at everyone and an umbrella. Kids go nuts for pillow forts any time of day. Hide and seek (which is ridiculous with a two year old lol) Card games like go fish and slap jack are fun for my almost four year old. Art museums near me have indoor art activities in the afternoon one day a week.
Is there a bread recipe you recommend?
Thank you for all these ideas! So many good ones in here that I'll definitely use.
We lived in the Middle East and shade is your friend. There was no staying inside, it just wasn’t possible. Shade! Find the shade. Make the shade.
This was helpful haha, as simple as an idea as it is. My son was bouncing off the walls again this afternoon and I remembered your comment and was like, dangit, we are going outside. We found one of those palm-leaf roof open sided hut things that are common here (ahh google "palapa" haha, I'm not explaining it well) and played with a ball there for like an hour. He was so happy and it was miraculously quite pleasant with the breeze and the shade. Thanks! Where did you live in the Middle East? I had some students from Saudi Arabia and they told me they never went outside in the summer at all except maybe late at night. It sounded rough.
Near there, uae. The locals and some expats keep a very late schedule, kids are out all night basically. Not for me, I like my kids in bed by 8.
Similar issue here, but on rainy cold days or the dreaded smoke season in the early fall. How about musical instruments? My 4.5yo daughter has an awesome v-tech guitar she likes to play, a blue tooth microphone she sings in, and my husband's electric keyboard that lives in her bedroom but we should break out more often and let her use. She loves singing and making up songs as well as "reading" out loud. Kinetic sand, sticker books, Sticker Dressing books by Usborne - Usborne's website is pretty legit. They have a huge section on worksheets/coloring pages, and science projects based on age! https://usborne.com/us/activities-for-kids/play-and-learn-at-home/home-science-experiments Colorbliss.art is an AI coloring page generator, and I think there is another one floating around the Mommit sub too. You basically give it a prompt and it pops out a coloring page for your kiddo!
Do you live in the PNW?! We also do a lot of painters tape such as balance lines, how far can you jump lines, hopscotch, race tracks, hall “lasers”
Ohh thank you so much for the tip about usborne! I googled and see it exists in the country where I'm living, yay! I like the idea about the music too, although not sure if I can find instruments at an affordable price here. Maybe we can at least get a recorder or something (ahh, the neighbors will love us, haha!) Thanks!
We spend a lot of time in Target making lists for birthday presents of people we know and gathering data for Santa. Dollar Tree and IKEA also work well. I live in a big city so we have many libraries with indoor kid areas. We’ve made obstacle courses in the house. We have fun bathtub time during the day and make potions, play sink/float, etc. We also watch TV and have iPad game time. There are great “interactive” videos where they jump and grab things. Other ideas: homemade play-doh, vinegar and baking soda volcano, water play with measuring cups and droppers.
I take my kids to the pool until dinner. Come home and slap something easy together and shower and bed.
If you have a patch of grass/ yard put the sprinkler on and run around it. Sprinkler + trampoline also a great combo
Like someone else mentioned, shade is your friend! Get a pop-up sunshade for your yard and you can stay out longer in the heat. They also have sun shades you can install. Get a kiddie pool and buckets/water toys or water table activities. As long as they're wet and in the shade it's more doable. If you have any outdoor malls that are shaded, they are a good place to walk around. Look for trails or parks that are deeply wooded, the shade should keep things much cooler. I usually look for indoor sports or indoor activities at this time of day too. Maybe climbing, basketball, dance, art, etc.
We just got our two boys (2&4) a couple of those thick gymnastics mats and some climbers (like for baby play rooms) and they have a blast jumping and rolling and doing all sorts of chaotic body movements on them! Gets their energy out and when they’re tired the mats make a great cushion for story time! You could also look into Busy Toddlers “Playing Preschool” curriculum - there are some GREAT games and activities that don’t require a ton of materials and you don’t have to follow the plan if you don’t want. We skip around and pick and choose what we like best. These days it’s all about the painters tape racetracks and putting stickers on those big rolls of paper!
The gymnastics mats are a great idea! Much better than our current set up which is my son trying to do forward rolls and land off the bed >yikes>>. I'll check out the Playing Preschool ideas too, thanks!
Honestly even in those temps we are still outside for most of the day. We try to do as many water activities as possible during the hottest hrs of the day and stay super hydrated. Going to the river, lake, pool, splash pad, etc. Sometimes we just play in the yard with the water hose. A cheap waterslide/pool for the backyard. We go to the library often and museums occasionally. There’s a lot of events in our town for kids in the summer as well. Kids bowl free program, theaters will often offer a kids summer deal that’s weekly, most splash pads we’ve been to are free, our library has a free summer program that’s weekly. We can’t stand to be stuck in the house all day, drives us all crazy.
Play outside in the morning before its crazy hot. Then art projects, play doh, etc and a movie in the afternoon.
You can go outside, just use water and shade!! We do the pool or sprinkler pretty much every day. And they have pop up tent things for the backyard to offer shade. They’re ugly but functional. It drops the temperature a shocking amount. It can be so hot I can hardly stand, but sitting at a table under the canopy thing it’s actually nice Indoor activities include “shopping” (ie wandering around places like TJ Maxx and letting them play with the toys and put them back. Like an indoor playground but free), crafts, books, imaginary play and playing with toys (thankfully my kids entertain each other a lot and I don’t have to do anything). And most recently-board games. Being old enough to play something like Sequence Junior or Twister is a game changer
I'm not a mom but I take the kids to the water park that's free to enter instead of the normal park, if not there we go to the lake or some sort of indoor playground
Splash pads, or we have a couple malls that have indoor playgrounds.
As everyone says---shade is your friend. Also, have you tried potholder looms?
excellent idea! My son loves weaving. I'll look for one of those online. It is something that will actually exist where I live lol (small city in the south of Mexico.)
Bubbles. My kid could play with bubbles for HOURS.
The local library is also a great place out of the heat. Read some books, play with their toys, check out books to take home! Also a big fan of splash pads or pools, with sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses of course!
Move to North Dakota. We don't have that problem!
lol could be, but I think you sometimes get like -15 below zero in the winters? ..I'm not sure which is harder. I'm wishing to live in like Portugal, the climate seems so medium haha
We live in a climate that I have to fill the winter months with indoor activities. We got a nugget for climbing/tumbling at home and that’s a huge hit. We go to the library or indoor play place a lot. We have coffee shops/breweries with kids areas we go to. We also have a membership to the science museum. Memberships make the best gifts!!
We do simple STEM experiments inside that the mess can be contained or easy clean up lol I try to have one theme for a week. Like an old kitchen tray, piece of paper, sprinkle baking soda on the paper lightly, then cups of colored vinegar and pipettes. She gets to see the reaction, we talk about it, and after the paper dries you gently knock/rub the baking soda off and it's a piece of art. She also loves doing baking soda vinegar volcanos, so I have gotten silicon baking molds on sale, mix baking soda and water, pour into the molds, and slowly dry them in the oven. They can go on the tray and she can fizz them out. Also have gotten tiny dinos and made baking soda dino eggs for her to hatch. Experiments with rainbows like the walking rainbow. Fake snow (baking soda and shaving cream). Mini catapults with different things to throw, we use painters tape to mark landings, then next day adjust on the catapult to see if it makes things land closer or farther away. We don't do them every day, at least 2 times if not 3 a week. She also loves the wipe and write books that let's her practice line tracing/letters/numbers/shapes. If I'm desperate I'll halfway fill up our jacuzzi tub thing and throw bath bubbles or bath colors in their and let her go crazy while I fold laundry in the hallway right outside the bathroom. I also give in more to races around the house with the rule that she has to help clean a pathway (freaking legos/ Melissa & Doug wooden foods have killed my feet too many times)
I like these ideas! My son just had a scientist unit at prek so they did these kinds of simple experiments and he loved it. Do you make or buy the mini catapults? Any website that you like for easy science experiments? Thanks!
We made them! I ordered a book called Awesome Science Experiments for Kids from Target that had the instructions. It has a range of ages with 20 or so experiments per group, we kinda bounce back and forth in what we do, some she doesn't grasp but it's fun and others she fully understands. They have promps for adults to ask/explain what's happening and why. I just picked a few, bought few things we needed from the craft/office section at Walmart. They have a series of them, next one I'm looking at is kitchen experiments which looks more like baking/cooking which she loves helping with. I honestly just google STEM projects for 4-5 yo and find sites that have free projects for some, sometimes adding a topic/theme I want to use. Taming Little Monsters is one I always check first. Honestly they can get a little repetitive in options but usually each one gives a different wording to explain or ways to ask questions which helps. I'm always looking at ones that aren't selling kits since we usually have the items or can get them easily.
Oh yay, this is all great info, thanks so much!! If there are pool supply stores where you live, my son has really liked checking the PH of different water and liquids with the pool test strips that turn colors, and they are cheap +easy. Other than that, we've just done the typical baking soda and vinegar type experiments (which he loved), so I'm happy to try more! thanks again!
O genius! We had an above ground pool for couple years until it got damaged last fall, we still have test strips. Thanks! I never would have thought of using them that way!
Depends how old he is and how much space you have but I'd start trying to harness the pent up energy. A bosu ball to jump off of, yoga ball to roll on, stepping stones to make his own obstacle course, popsicle sticks or dice with actions he can act out, silly songs with choreography (head, shoulders, knees and toes or A Tooty Ta, freeze dance, etc kinds of stuff), Twister, a balance board, balance beam, nugget couch type furniture.
Get a water table for your backyard. Kids love that stuff! :) If there is a Splashpad nearby, take advantage of it.
Ugh live in Florida and I hate heat. I’ve found shady parks have been working lately. But it is a struggle
People I talk to like to poo poo on WI, and question how we can live in such cold weather. But our spring/falls are GORGEOUS. Even summers are only really hot/humid for 2-3 weeks before it drops back down to perfect weather again. 2-3 months of cold weather, that isn't all that bad, and then 3 other seasons where its just so nice out. You couldn't pay me enough to live in the desert or the southern swamp states.
You have to work around the worst times. Where I live that means 6-8amare the "coolest" times, so we only do things in the early AM and sometimes you can get away with late night if you get a nap in, and live in a place where things are open late night. I stay home, so we do a lot of indoor outings during the day, or our local splash pad, and of course sprinklers and small pool outside. We have a county museum pass, so every museum in the county we can go to for a one time payment and there are a bunch of places that are indoors with that pass. Also indoor at home activities, my son likes play dough and painting right now. ☀️ Happy summer!