Q: What are some fun outdoor toys for 2-year-olds?
Skills
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Now it’s summer, it's great to get children outdoors to play. No matter what your child is interested in, there are lots of fun toys to get your child outside and having fun! If you have a little artist, try sidewalk chalk, or give your child a paintbrush and water to paint rocks (Melissa and Doug’s Jumbo Paintbrushes are easy for toddlers to grasp). Little explorers will have fun digging for worms in the garden with a plastic shovel (I like the small size of Hape’s sand shovel). Kid-O’s Quut Cuppi and Play Toy’s Dump Truck are fun for little builders who like to spend their days in the sandbox. Little athletes will have a blast kicking and throwing Crocodile Creek’s adorable playballs, or learning how to bowl with Melissa and Doug’s Bowling Friends Preschool Playset.
Jennie Ito, Ph.D.
Child Development Expert
Jennie Ito is a mother of two and a child development consultant who specializes in children’s play and toys. Before becoming a consultant for LeapFrog, she was an intern at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and later worked as a content expert for the Association of Children’s Museum’s “Playing for Keeps” Play Initiative. Jennie earned her doctorate degree in developmental psychology at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada.