I have put together a collection of activities that I used to entertain Sophie while we worked on our garden makeover. We tried to get most of the work done during Sophie’s nap times but sometimes we carried on while she played outside. Ideally, I like to play with Sophie but it was really useful to have some activities that she was able to get on with independently so we could continue to work nearby.
Click on the images below for further details and more photos.
1. Mud Kitchen – This has been the biggest hit in our garden and Sophie plays with this every time she goes outside. We made ours out of an old pallet but you could use a bowl and a table.
2. Carrot Dig Sensory Box – After we had finished playing in this sensory box together I put the lid on this box and left it outside. When we wanted to do some gardening, we just took the lid off and let Sophie her dig in her own soil.
3. Cars and Brick Roads – This was a simple activity that entertained Sophie while we moved some block paving and laid some paths.
4. Dinosaur Footsteps and Balancing Beams – These tree trunk slices and wooden planks kept Sophie entertained while we cut wood for the deck.
5. Outdoor Mark Making with Water – This was a great way to encourage Sophie to stay on the patio area so that my husband could get on with some jobs without a helper!
6. Tea Party Water Play – Sophie loves water and this activity was another way to keep her in one spot!
7. Digger Mud Box – We reused the soil from the carrot dig activity but added the diggers to spark her interest again.
8. Outdoor Mark Making with Chalk – We have a chalkboard hung on the shed but it was out of bounds while we built the deck so we let Sophie decorate the patio instead. This is a simple and classic activity that children love.
9. Water Wall – We made our water wall free standing so that we could move it around. This has been really useful while we were ripping up concrete as we could set up a play area away from the uneven surfaces.
10. Dinosaur Small World Tyre – This is my favourite addition to our garden and I think it is Sophie’s too by the way she charges up to the top of the garden, with a dinosaur in each hand, ready to play.
Sophie also loves to play on her climbing frame, slide headfirst down her slide and pretend to drive her car but I found by having a few of these activities ready she could flit between activities and played independently which allowed us to work on the garden.
Since writing this post I have added a few more garden activities to the blog. You can find them in the ‘Outdoors’ category which is in the ‘Activities by Theme’ menu above.
I am also hosting a giveaway to win an outdoor play kit containing some of the items needed for the activities above.
Linking up with:
Such wonderful ideas! My two would love the tea party – I love what you’ve done with the water bottle on the trellis.
Thanks for linking up to #MyWildOnes xxx
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Thanks Hannah. We have moved it into a gazebo now and added a ramp made from old guttering 🙂
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My son would love the mud digger box! We are going to do something similar this summer with sand and construction equipment.
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Great idea. We have added some diggers to some gravel and sand – it’s been a bit hit too.
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I think she might enjoy the bubbles. She is 16 months so chalk is fascinating but doesn’t seem to last too long.
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You could try giving her some water and a paintbrush to paint over the marks that she makes to maybe keep her entertained for longer.
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Some great idea’s … Emily absolutely loves chalk, it will keep her occupied for ages! x
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So does Sophie until one breaks then that really annoy her! I can’t believe how grown up Emily is looking these days. Love your new blog layout too x
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They are all such fabulous activities and I shall definitely be using them with Noah! I think his favourite would be the digger mud box as he is a big fan of diggers & loves playing in the mud! I can’t wait to try – thanks for the great ideas!
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I’m glad you like them. Hope Noah enjoys the ideas too 🙂
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Mud Kitchen is def the most popular outdoor play!!
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It is always the big hit here too 🙂 I’ve made a mini one for our fairy garden too.
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My son would love the cars and brick roads activity. He is car mad, so this would be perfect for him.
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He would probably love the car activity they had set up at our local forest school too – There are some photos on this blog post. https://playathometeacher.com/2016/03/21/willow-tots-forest-school/
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Oh I love the carrot box idea – my biggest loves all thing garden especially now we are home in the UK. I am going to head and get some supplies to do this!
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Brilliant! I hope the carrot dig goes down well. I bet your are finding the weather a little different now you are home.
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My son would love the dinosaur tyre
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🙂
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Some really lovely ideas! We’ve tried the sorting sticks and stones and also bubbles!
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Ahh I am glad you tried some. I hope Dylan enjoyed them x
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Some great ideas for a toddler. What do you do with an 11 month old!? We tried gardening on Sunday, he ate mud, tried some gravel and generally wouldn’t sit still. He’s alive to tell the tale, but would love to know how to contain him! #countrykids
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Oh dear! When Sophie was younger we used to set the travel cot up in the garden filled with toys. That usually kept her entertained for a while but it might not have worked so well once she was 11 months.
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Oh I love these, what great ideas. Love the brick road. Thanks for linking up to #TheList x
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Thank you and thanks for hosting.
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Oh lots of great ideas here for activities in the garden. I especially love the dinosaur world and my two are dinosaur mad!! 🙂 #countrykids
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Thank you. It’s so easy to set up and could be done in a bucket aswell.
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Some great ideas for activities to keep kids busy whilst you’re working hard in the garden. We’ve got a mud kitchen here on the farm and I often see the kids down there making everyone mudpies for tea. You’ve got some other great ideas we haven’t done yet so it’ll be fab to try some of these out on activity hour. Thanks for linking up with me on #CountryKids.
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Thanks for hosting 🙂 I’m glad it gave you some ideas. Talking of mud pies – I think I am going to add some cake tins and cake cases to our mud kitchen soon. x
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Brilliant! All very helpful tips and activities when you really need to get on in the garden #countrykids
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Thank you.
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I love these ideas – especially the dinosaur small world tyre. We’re also in the process of clearing out our garden and these are great suggestions for trying to keep the children occupied whilst we do it. I’m hoping to eventually have a space in the garden where they can dig as much as they like. I think a mud kitchen might also be a good addition to it!
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I’m glad you found the suggestions helpful. I couldn’t recommend a mud kitchen more! It’s messy but she gets so much use out of it.
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