My kids love to go outside and play. Actually, they just like to be OUT, doesn't matter where really, just out of the house. Here is a list of activities that have worked for me over the years while two little ones stare up at the door to go OUT!
 

• First off, lets just say that you can take the majority of the inside activities outside. So take a gander at the inside activities and see if your kids would like to take them outside!!
• Nicholas and Maddie love to go to the park and play. There is a park near us that has ducks living there all the time. When Maddie was a baby, we would go feed the ducks at the pond and play "find the …". Nicholas did most of the finding such as fish, turtles, ducks, bugs, anything that moved really. He had a great time telling me a whole story about what he saw. Parks can be a lot of fun, even with babies. Take a ball, pack a picnic, and bring books or toys. You don't have to go to a park for these things either, just take a blanket outside and have your backyard picnic or nature walk. The parks are also great places to meet other moms and make friends.
• Nature walks outside for even 15-30 minutes at a time can be fun. I would walk the kids in the neighbor during the evening. Nicholas and I would play, "I spy". He was only 23-24 months old when Maddie was a baby, but he knew his numbers back and forth. Each house and mailbox has a number on it so he would point and say, "I see OOOONNNNEEE"! He got the biggest kick out of this and just looking for things. Great way to for kids to learn colors, numbers, animals, insects, nature or what have you.
• The summer time in Florida is HOT, too hot to go out some days. My kids loved to go and look at the animals though. So, I would pack them up and drive to where the horses, cows and goats where. My son was really into this. "I see the naysssss" every time we would pass a horse. He never wanted to actually get out of the car and be close up to the animals, which worked out for me also. Just driving by, being out and about was enough for him.
• I am in Florida where you are able to get in a pool just about anytime of the year. So, a good outside, wear them out play is swimming. If you don't have access to a pool, try the sprinklers, a small wading pool or hose works well also. My kids just love to get wet, with what ever is handy. The same things apply for being up north knee deep in snow. Make snowmen, snow cones, snow angels, sledding, but I am sure you know all this ; )
• Parachute fun was a favorite of Nicholas' also. If you can't afford a parachute, Gymboree has great ones, www.gymboree.com, make your own. Just take a blanket outside and play hide and seek, peek a Boo, Where is….., or just roll around on it. I watched my parents do this with Nicholas when he was little. He had the BEST time, just waving the sheet in the wind and trying to run into it.
• If you have recreational parks near you, try the soccer fields. Take a ball and run around the park kicking. If you don't have a soccer field, take it in the yard or outside recreational area!
• If you have friends, have a play-date outside at the park, in your yard or some place where the kids can run around! You can actually have a conversation while the kids climb and play together.

These are just a few of the things that worked for me and my kids. If you have an idea or like to make a comment, email me. I would love to add it the list with you name beside it!!
Sarah wrote in and suggested a great toddler outdoor activity! Fun snowy outdoor activities are: Freeze colored water in a flat cookie sheet with shallow sides. When completely frozen pop it out and use it as a window on a snow house or as a door, or as the base to a snow castle or just a skating rink for dolls etc.

• You can also put darkly colored water in a spray bottle and spray the bottom of your child's snow boots and then let them walk and make colored tracks.
• Or just give them colored water in squirt bottles and let them spray art into the snow on the ground. This would work best with multiple colors.

Thanks Sarah

Tina wrote in for some great cooking ideas with your toddler. My two year old helps me bake a cake. He loves helping me mix the ingredients and then after I'm done blending, he loves to blend as well so I give him a spoon and he loves to mix it. It makes he seem that he's a big boy and he enjoys mixing. The same with the Jello, he'll put the pack in the bowl and I'll let him add the cold water and mix then I say ok it's my turn and I add the hot water and I mix. The same with the macaroni and cheese but you must be very careful for it's on the stove, I make sure it's off and not hot when he wants to stir the ingredients together. After eating, baking, cooking, Adam helps me do the dishes; I'll wash them with soap and rinse them, then I'll give it to him and say it's time to rinse again and then he'll put them on the rack.

Another game that Adam loves to play is: piling pillows up on his bed and then jumping on top of them, then knocks it down and rebuild and does the same thing. Adam also loves to help me vacuum, clean/dust for example when he seems me dusting with a rag, I give him a wet bounty and he starts to clean; He'll say Adam do it and when I ask him are you done he'll say no and keep saying no until he sees me finished. He loves playing with his blocks, he'll stack them up as high as possible without falling and then he loves to knock them down and rebuild but differently and knock them down again.

Thanks Tina!
Lisa emailed me with some GREAT indoor activities for the kids!
"Another great indoor activity is to play "store". My daughter, Hannah, loves to take her play food or real (empty) boxes of food and set up a store. This helps with grouping skills and either Hannah will be the shopper or I am. It gives me a chance to discuss money, nutrition, counting, letters, etc. She will usually be the cashier, this allows her to feel that she is in a position of power and she learns courteous behavior, counting and numerous other skills. Another indoor activity that can be really fun is what we call, name it. Hannah will pick out an item around the house and then we will try to spell it and write it on an index card. Then I will tape it to the object. Later we will take them all down and try to connect the word with the object. Last but not least, Hannah loves to play the game of memory with photos of loved ones. It's so easy, so inexpensive and really helpful for the egos of grandparents that live far away. They love it when Hannah will feel so at ease with them, even though she hasn't seen them in a while."

Thanks Lisa!