Fun Places To Take A Toddler

When my first daughter turned one, I started googling some fun places to take a toddler, because I was ready for her to get out and start enjoying some activities.

By one, my daughter was walking and was exploring the world around her so I knew that taking her out to places outside of our home would overall be really good for her.

And since I’m a stay-at-home mom and my daughter has never even seen the inside of daycare, I really feel like it is important that she knows that things exist outside of our home.

So when she started walking, I immediately started looking into some activities that she could do that would be fun for a toddler.

But when you start googling places to take a toddler, you might not find a whole lot out there.

For instance, you can’t take a toddler to a bowling alley, laser tag, or go-kart riding.

Eventually, our little ones will be big enough for those activities, but right now, they need something more on their level.

This is why you have to get a little creative and think about the local things in your area that are suitable for children from the ages of 1 to 3 can do and actually enjoy.

If you all follow me on Instagram, then you already know that I share a lot of the family fun and bonding activities we do at all the different places we go to with the girls.

And since I do that, I feel like I have really found some fun places that I take my toddler to regularly and she really enjoys going to them.

If you are interested in some fun places I have taken my 3-year-old toddler to, then just keep reading.

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What Do Toddlers Like To Do?

Before I get those places to take a toddler for fun, let’s talk about what a toddler would even enjoy doing.

Because that is the whole point of taking your toddler places.

Most toddlers love to run, jump around, and explore things with their hands, so these are things to keep in mind when you are thinking of things to do with a toddler.

For them, if it is fun and playful, then they are usually game.

But these activities also need to be developmentally appropriate for your toddler.

Since toddlerhood ranges from the age of 1 to the age of 3, a one-year-old cannot quite do everything that a 3-year-old can do.

So you have to keep that in mind when you are trying to think of what to do with your toddler.

Activities that a one-year-old would enjoy doing are:

• Rolling balls,
• Flipping through books
• Dancing
• Stacking blocks

While activities that a 3-year-old might enjoy doing are:

• Kicking balls
• Singing songs
• Coloring
• Building with blocks

Do you know notice that the activities that a one-year-old may like are more explorative and the activities that a 3-year-old may like are more focused and intentional?

If you read my post on some play-based activities that I like to do with my daughter, then you know some of those activities include:

• Reading Books
• Nature Play
• Water Play
• Role Playing

Which I believe are great for all toddlers no matter the age.

Now granted, you need to know your child.

If your child isn’t showing an interest in a certain activity, then you don’t need to force it.

And just because they aren’t showing any interest in it right now does not mean that they never will.

As parents, all we can do is introduce the activity and allow our children to take the lead.

Now that we kind of have an idea of what toddlers like to do, let’s talk about some fun places to take a toddler.

Fun Places To Take A Toddler

Local Library

The very first place I want to talk about in regards to places that are fun to take a toddler is your local library.

In fact, this is a place that I started my daughter taking before she was even a toddler.

The library is absolutely the perfect place to take a toddler because not only do they normally offer weekly storytimes that are directed towards different age groups, but it is usually free.

The public library is normally a free place to take your kids to get out of the house where they get to hear a story and interact with other kids around their age.

And for my fellow stay-at-home moms, the library is also a great place to connect with other moms and actually have adults to talk to.

We go to the library every week and my daughter really looks forward to it.

Parks

Another weekly activity that we like to do that is always free is going to the parks near us.

Parks are a great outdoor activity for toddlers and a great way to burn some of that energy off of them.

Toddlers have so much energy so if it’s an activity that will do that, then I’m going to do it because my daughter is so energetic.

As I was saying, we make it a point to go to the park at least once a week so that she can get some fresh air and run around with other kids.

Zoo

While we are on the topic of outdoor activities to do with a toddler, another one that most toddlers love is the zoo.

All the animals are sure to have your little ones’ attention and keep them entertained as you walk around to look at all of them.

And you can make this activity a learning activity by making animal noises and seeing if your little one can mimic what they hear as well as having your toddler name what animals they see.

Going to the zoo is such a fun activity for my daughter and we try to go to the zoo once a year usually during the spring or summertime.

Aquarium

Obviously, outdoor activities only work during the half of the year when the weather permits them, so what are some indoor activities that toddlers can do?

I already named the library, but another one that involved animals as well is aquariums.

These are the perfect inside activity that a toddler can do while still seeing different animals and getting to enjoy that experience.

I took my oldest daughter to her first aquarium when she wasn’t even crawling yet and she looked so amazed and was even trying to reach out to touch the fish tanks.

And now that she is older, she walks up the tanks naming the different fish and will pretend to be a fish swimming in water.

Children’s Musuem

Another great place that I like to take my daughter to for some fun is the children’s museum.

With it being a children’s museum, it is obviously geared toward children and should be something that they will enjoy going to.

A lot of children’s museums will have a dedicated toddler section as well for early walkers to be able to explore safely.

We have a children’s museum near us in our area and my daughter absolutely loves when we go there.

Indoor Playground

Indoor playgrounds are another great indoor activity for toddlers.

It is pretty much bringing the park from the outdoors inside with things that children can climb on, slide, and swing.

Indoor playgrounds are pretty popular, so you can probably google one near you and find one within 30 minutes.

If it’s a gloomy or cold day outside and your toddle is bouncing off the walls, then take them to an indoor playground to get some of that energy out.

I normally meet up with my sister for a weekly playdate and we usually take the kids to some sort of indoor playground.

Trampoline Park

So you may be thinking that is not an activity for toddlers, but if your little loves to jump off of things in the house, then why not take them somewhere they can jump as much as they want.

This is aso an activity that a one-year-old may not enjoy at first but they might as they get older.

When we took my daughter to the trampoline park for the first time, she would barely even jump.

But as we started going more, she has gained moer confidence and now she jumps confidently around all the trampolines.

If you are worried about older kids jumping along with your toddler, then the best time to go is during the mornings when fewer kids will be there.

You can also check with the place as well because they may also offer dedicated times for toddlers to jump freely.

Carnival/Fair

And the last fun place to take a toddler is a carnival or fair.

You may be thinking the same thing as you did about the trampoline park on whether it is toddler-friendly or not and I’m going to say that it is.

We took my oldest daughter to her first fair this year and she had an absolute blast.

Most fairs have a section where the rides and games are smaller for young children.

And the rides are usually big enough for an adult to ride with them if they are scared to ride alone.

You need to know your child before you put them on a ride by themselves.

My daughter was almost 3 and voiced whether she wanted me to ride with her or not and was comfortable riding by herself without me worrying if she would try to climb out of it while moving.

But had she been 1, I would have absolutely rode with her.

If you are on the fence about going to a carnival with a toddler, then you will hear me say go for it and follow your toddler’s lead on what they are comfortable with.

Your Turn

Well, those are all the fun places that you can take a toddler to. I’m sure that there are a lot of other things that you can do with a toddler, but these are some of the things that we have done and continue to do regularly. But I want to hear from you all now. What are some places that you take your toddlers to fun? Let me know in the comments and while you are still here, check out my previous post below. Until next time!

• Read More: Developmental Activities For A 4-Month-Old Baby

Love,

Just Jass