Are you looking for the best outdoor toys for 2-year-old toddlers?
Motor skills are developed mainly through your child’s play and curiosity.
Letting children spend time outdoors to explore the world encourages motor development in the most natural way.
These toys for 2-year-old boys and girls encourage both fine motor and gross motor skills through play.
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Outdoor Toys for Toddlers: The Benefits of Being Outside
The best outdoor toys for toddlers are ones that align with your child’s interests and can encourage development through play. Toddler skills are learned through all types of play so finding the right toys can provide your little one with lots of learning opportunities.
Follow their lead and let them explore. Let them climb hills or play with equipment to encourage balance and refine motor skills. Take them for walks to introduce them to nature and talk about what you see to encourage language development.
Sensory play is a popular outdoor activity that can be done by just playing outside or using a sandbox or water table. Introducing push toys or bikes is also a great activity to burn energy and boost motor skills.
Getting your child outside playing has many benefits.
It encourages gross motor skills and fine motor skills through play in a natural way.
Children need time to climb, run, and scoot to burn off all their energy!
How much time do toddlers need to spend outside?
I would say as much as possible.
Your little one will have fewer behaviors when they have time to get energy out in a creative and fun way.
You can read more about the benefits of outdoor toddler play here.
The Best Outdoor Toys for 2-Year-Old Toddlers in 2024
Plasma Car for Toddlers
I bought my son a plasma car for Christmas and it has become a FAVORITE (this is the one we have).
This is the only ride-on toy that we use both indoors and outdoors.
It is small and compact enough to get through hallways but is durable enough to have outside.
Your child has to move back and forth to propel the car.
This expands a lot of energy an.d requires them to coordinate movements to really get going.
This is a great ride-on toy for smaller toddlers as they can push it with their feet.
Toddlers love to push things which helps them to burn off that energy.
One of the many benefits of outdoor play (read more about those HERE.) Older children can propel it by wiggling.
This is one of the best outside toys for toddlers because it allows your child to burn up a lot of energy and have fun!
TOY UPDATE: I bought this for my son when he was a little over two. He is just about to turn 4 and it is still one of his favorite and most used toys!
Pros
- Fun outdoor toy for two-year-olds
- Can be used indoors as well.
- Small and easy to store
- Built to last! Manufacture recommends ages 3 and up…can hold up to 200 lbs (that means you can try it out too!)
Cons
- There is a bit of a learning curve. Once your child figures it out they will enjoy it though!
Ball Play for Toddlers
When looking for 2-year-old outdoor toys this simple ball is inexpensive (check it out here) and can provide your toddler with lots of entertainment!
Start by having them roll the ball back and forth with you.
This allows them to practice turn-taking which is a wonderful social skill for them to learn.
As they gain coordination you can have them throw the ball to you or have them try to catch it.
You could also kick the ball back and forth to play another way.
You can get more gross motor activities for toddlers here.
Pros
- Take up almost no space at all
- Durable
- Great for a wide range of activities
Cons
- They can get lost so make sure your toddler knows where to put it when they are done
Have Your Toddler Push a Large Dump Truck Toy
Are you looking for outdoor toys for a 2-year-old boy?
I bought my son a large dump truck (like this) for his birthday about a year ago and it has gotten a lot of use.
He pushes it through the yard and fills it with anything he can find from rocks to toys.
This allows him to get a heavy work activity in his day which can actually make him calmer later on (read about the benefits of heavy work activities HERE.)
Having him put toys into his dump truck is a great way to get him to pick them up as well (read more tips on getting your toddler to clean up toys here!)
Pros
- Provides lots of opportunities for imaginary play
- Many different motor skills are practiced
- Toy will grow with your child as it has multiple functions
Cons
- If your child is not interested in trucks they may not enjoy playing with them as they won’t be motivated.
Top Toys for Two-Year-Olds: Toddler Slides and Climbers
Small slides are great practice for when little ones are learning to climb and make great toddler outdoor toys.
They are motivating and fun which leads to lots of climbing practice.
These outside play toys for 2-year-olds encourage development in a few different ways.
Whether your little one is walking or crawling, stairs can be a great option for strengthening muscles in the upper and lower body.
Stairs require lots of coordination and balance. Your little one will need lots of practice with them in order to master them.
Don’t have a lot of space for a slide? You can get one that folds up for easy storage (like this).
Pros
- Very motivating for children to practice skills
- Great for multiple children
- Safe place to practice climbing steps with adult supervision
Cons
- Some slides take up a lot of space
Toddler Cozy Coupe Car
The Cozy Coupe is one of my favorite outdoor toys for 2 year old toddlers.
My son loves to push it up and down our driveway.
It has a variety of ways to encourage gross motor skills such as pushing the car with their feet from the inside, pushing it from behind the car, and opening and shutting the doors.
It also provides lots of opportunities for imaginary play.
This type of play encourages language and cognitive skills as well. You can snag one HERE.
Pros
- Opportunities for imaginary play and language development
- Easy for toddlers to maneuver
- Great option when going for a family walk
Cons
- Takes up a lot of space in the garage
Tunnel Play for Toddlers
Does your toddler love to crawl through tunnels at the park?
Crawling strengthens many muscles throughout the body and is a great way to practice coordinating large muscle movements.
You could make your own tunnel at home out of a box or you could buy one (this one would be fun) to give your little one crawling practice at home.
Pros
- Indoor or outdoor use
- Great for little ones and still fun for older toddlers
- Folds up for easy storage
- Great for problem-solving
Cons
- Wipe clean only
Basketball Hoop
Basketball hoops are very entertaining and require hand-eye coordination.
Make sure to pick out a hoop that is adjustable (like this one) so that you will be able to use it as your little ones grows.
Pros
- Good for indoor or outdoor play
- Fun social play for children
- An adjustable toy that grows with your child
Cons
- A larger item that can be difficult to store
Hula Hoop Benefits
Hula hoops are great at strengthening the core as a child tries to swing their hips to keep one going.
They can also be used as part of an obstacle course as they are great for jumping in and over.
Don’t have a basketball hoop?
Use a hula hoop (like this one) as a target to through a ball in.
This inexpensive toy has many uses if you just get a little creative.
Pros
- Good for indoor or outdoor play
- A toy that has multiple uses
- Many different ways to encourage gross motor skills
Toddler Sand and Water Table
Want a sensory experience for your toddler that will keep them entertained?
This is one of the best outdoor toys for girls and boys.
Sand and water tables (like this one) provide your little one with hours of fun as well as multiple ways to refine fine motor skills.
Dumping and pouring sand and water require coordination.
Digging with a small shovel to fill a bucket requires lots of repetitive practice of the rotation of the wrist.
These toys to encourage outdoor play can also be used inside in your sensory table or bin.
You can have your little one take a stick and practice drawing lines or shapes in the sand for early literacy practice.
Pros
- A great option for creative play
- Allows for multiple children to play together
- Allows sensory-seeking children a way to get appropriate input
Cons
- Can get a bit messy!
Side Walk Chalk Ideas for Toddlers
Chalk is one of the best outdoor toys as it is inexpensive, and doesn’t take up much space in your garage.
It is also a wonderful way for your little one to refine small motor skills.
Fine motor skills are encouraged by drawing with chalk.
Let your little one doodle as they wish or have them try to copy lines and shapes for a different type of practice.
Gross motor skills are encouraged when you draw a hopscotch and help them jump from one square to the next.
Work on balance by just drawing a line and seeing if your little one can walk along it.
Practice jumping from one side to the other.
There are stencils you can use to make drawing easier and there is even GLITTER chalk available (check that out here).
If you get creative there are endless options when it comes to drawing with chalk!
Pros
- Lots of different play options
- Great for pre-academic skills such as writing, color naming, etc.
- Easy to store.
Cons
- Can get a bit messy!
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Kayla O’Neill has a master’s degree in education as well as a bachelor’s degree in special education with an emphasis in early childhood education. She has been working as a developmental therapist with babies and toddlers in early intervention since 2012. She is also a mom with two young children.