Ways to Bring the Outdoors In for 2-5 Year Olds

It seems every day we wake up, check the wintry weather forecast and sigh...what to do, where to go? While we try to make at least one outdoor venture with our son each day, our outings are shorter and less active than the rest of the year. We've been brainstorming about ways to bring some of the outdoor fun inside and help our son burn off some energy.

Our favorite fun indoor activity that doesn't cost a cent is long afternoon baths. We offer him different toys, cups, activities as often as we can to make it feel less like a regular bath and more like an indoor water table. On our weekend list is picking up a $10 collapsible play tent from Ikea (photo 4).

We've rounded up a few other ideas of traditionally outdoor toys that could work inside your home this winter. Below are links to our posts on these particular products, but they really just represent a class of toy so you might do some research and find something cheaper or more suitable for your child.

• 1 Virre Slide
• 2 Ikarus Swing
• 3 My Little Sandbox Playset (worried about a mess - try it in a dry bathtub)
• 4 Koja Playtent (see more tents here)
• 5 Felt Playhouse Slipcover (see a non-diy version here)

Comments (7)

we have an indoor trampoline that gets a lot of use.

we have the ikea tent shown above which my 2.5 year old loves to play in, and for his 2nd birthday we got him the little tikes jump 'n slide bouncer. a bit of a splurge but its been well worth it... we live in wi where fall, winter, and spring is cold so we put the bounce house in the basement family playroom and he LOVES it- we definitely got our moneys worth with it.

We have the ikea slide and our 2 year old loves it. It doesn't take up too much room and is the perfect size for her. We just had a few friends over with their 3 & 6 year old children and it was a hit with them too. She also has ikea tunnel that collapses and it's a great indoor activity. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80078877 She climbs through it, takes her stuffed animals in there, and likes to play hide and seek in it.

We have the IKEA tent. Our 2 1/2 year old LOVES it and our 9 month old REALLY LOVES it. We live in Canada where the windchill has been -30 (C!) the last few weeks so we aren't outside too much and the tent has been lovely. All kids that come to visit love it. And it folds up & away so quick & easy & tiny!

When I was little, my dad mounted my baby swing onto the ceiling joists of our unfinished basement. When I got too big to swing myself in it, I would push my babydolls in it!