Summer is the season of activities and getting outside, especially with a toddler. Honestly, it’s exhausting thinking about all the things that I want to do for my child. Add in the heat, it makes me want to run back inside and just watch him explore the playroom.
As someone that sends her child to daycare during the week, I look taking the weekends to do something fun and enjoyable with my toddler. Cannon is a very active kid and he’s always on the move, so I love to find things that will keep him busy. Actually, I need to keep him busy.
Although summer is almost over, we’re still on the go. From birthday parties to extracurricular activities, my toddler is staying busy. And, that keeps me very busy because I’m on the go and basically the carpool mom even though I’m only driving Cannon around. I just want him to stay busy and engage in different activities. I want him to enjoy his little life.
It’s a hot mom summer and we’re going to get to the activities.
Backyard Waterparks
Now calling it a waterpark might be extra, but we have tons of water toys here so we like to make a waterpark. Usually, it is Cannon’s doing and I provide everything that he needs. Like a swimming pool, water table, sprinkler, and water toys. It might seem like a lot yet it keeps your kid busy. Cannon could stay outside all day playing in the different water activities. He’s definitely a water baby which makes it easy for me. If it’s too many toys for you, just throw up a swimming pool or fun sprinkler — you can get them for $15 at Target. It’s definitely the cheaper option, unless you prefer a waterpark but we’re not at the age of taking it on yet.
Summer Activities
As a suburban mom, I love to know what age-appropriate activities are in my area. Now that we’re 2.5 years old, there are more age-suitable activities that Cannon can do. Things like soccer, amazing athletes (google if you have a 1.5-year-old and older!), swimming lessons, etc. As my little guy gets older and I like to put him in activities that keep him busy and teach him a skill. This summer, we decided that swimming lessons and soccer lessons were going to be our activities. Swimming started off iffy, but Cannon loves it now. He absolutely loves it — we go to AquaTots where we’ve had amazing teachers that really work with him. Soccer doesn’t seem to be his thing with this heat, so we’re going to try again in the fall.
Museums
If there’s one thing that Cannon is going to do, he’s going to see some dinosaurs. I’m the type of person that loves art museums and history museums — I love to learn and I see that Cannon is the same way. Cannon loves things that are interactive and engaging. And, he’s obsessed with dinosaurs which make museums so fun right now. In our area, there are a few museums that will appeal to him. We went to the Cleveland History Museum for the dinosaurs and he loved it. I loved learning and Chase just loves to see Cannon happy, so we all won on the day. There are children’s museums, history museums, and so many more museums that your kids could truly like. And, there is nothing wrong with checking them out! I don’t think museums are too old for kids, do it and enjoy the trip.
Activity Centers
We love activity centers in this family and we always take up invites or time to go to them. In our area, we have a few play cafes, COSI, indoor trampoline parks, and Legoland. There are many activities that we can get into that are air-conditioned, thankfully. Cannon loves these interactive centers and being able to run around and try new things. We love the play cafes and the fact that they are made for children under five. The activities and toys are age-specific which is nice. I love that Cannon is able to get into a jungle gym without having to worry about older kids knocking him over. Legoland and the indoor trampoline parks are a great outlet for him to run around. I love the trampoline park because I get exercise in, so that’s a win-win. Definitely look into these centers and see what your child can get into.
Park Adventures
Listen, the one thing I can tell you about Ohio is that there are a lot of parks. And, these parks are amazing. The state has redone many of the parks and they’re so creative and cool. Chase and I enjoy taking Cannon to different parks around the area. He gets so excited and can stay at the park all day if we let him. The parks are amazing, I wish I took pictures of all the parks that we hit up because they’re cool.
The activities have been endless for us in Columbus and Cleveland. And, I’m glad that we’ve been able to take Cannon to places that are safe especially since we’re still in a pandemic.
As a mom, you want your kid to be happy and learn and all that other fun stuff — this is my mom solution. It might not be your thing and that’s okay. Or it might seem like a lot and again, that’s okay. This is my solution especially since we do in-home daycare so I like to get him out to socialize and participate in things with kids his age or a little bit older.
Hopefully, before the summer ends, we can add vacation to the list. Vacations are an activity especially with all the plan that goes into them!
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