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I enjoy going on journeys with my children and discovering new methods to stimulate their imagination and encourage new ways of playing. Going to the park is one of our top favorite activities. We enjoy travelling both locally and far away to try new locations and revisit old favorites.
Parks provide opportunities for children to explore, be creative, develop social skills, and play. If, according to Jean Piaget, “play is the job of childhood,” then parks should be the “office” of childhood. Parks are excellent places for youngsters to “work” on their education.
Going to the park with a child might elicit a variety of feelings. Tantrums and teaching moments about taking turns can occur while playing in the sandbox. Leaving the park might also produce strong emotions because transitions and leaving pleasurable activities can be difficult at times.
Today I’ll share some of my favorite tips for taking a toddler to the park. Simply driving to the park works… but being prepared and taking a few extra items or doing some research may make your vacation even more enjoyable.
Wear Proper Shoes
Parks are made from a variety of materials. I haven’t determined which materials I despise the most, although tan bark and wood chips are among my least preferred choices. Wearing crocs, flip flops, and other holey shoes can necessitate frequent trips to take the shoes off, dump the tan bark out, and then put them back on. We wear close-toed shoes when we go to a park with tan bark or other lumpy particle fragments. Nothing is worse than slipping while climbing on the bars or a play structure while wearing flip flops. We know this from personal experience.
Bring A Towel
When we go to the park, the first thing I put in my stroller or over my shoulder is a towel. It can be used to sit on a wet seat or a moist patch on the grass. If the swing is heated, it can be placed beneath a little child (or wet). You may also use it to clean off morning dew or sprinkler residue from slides and playground equipment. You might even want to use it after washing a sand-covered child who has had much too much fun in the sandbox. I’ve never been sorry for bringing a towel (or two) to the park.
Bring A Blanket
We have a waterproof foldable picnic blanket that is lightweight and ideal for park visits. When we arrive at the park, I try to place it in a central spot where the kids may rest if they become tired. We are “park people,” and we may spend hours there conversing with friends and playing. I love it when my kids come up to me and sit and talk with me and their tiny pals while snacking on our blanket. I have two kids who never sit down at the park and one who will sit next to me and eat snacks while listening to me talk with friends for an extended period of time.
Bring Snacks
Fruits (apple slices, apple squeezers, bananas, cubed cantelope, etc.) and crackers are our favorite park munchies. If we’re staying for lunch, we’ll bring sandwiches as well. I typically bring extra snacks because we usually meet up with friends and having extra to share is always pleasant. I’ve completely shown up with a family-sized bag of food, fed the most of the kids in our park group, and then left empty-handed. When children are active, they become hungry!
Meet Friends
Friends make the park more enjoyable. My children like playing alone at the park and making new acquaintances, but the park becomes even more fun when their friends arrive. I also enjoy going to the park and conversing with my friends. We exchange tales about our children, offer suggestions and guidance, and learn from one another. I enjoy watching how my buddies tackle various difficult park circumstances (sharing trucks in the sand, pushing or fighting over a swing, kids getting injured, etc.).
Dress Kids Well
Play is hard work, and kids must be dressed appropriately to get filthy, create, explore, and MOVE. I am not opposed to children choosing their own clothes or even leaving the house in costume, but I strongly advise my children to wear comfortable clothes to the park that they can move around in and that they feel comfortable in. We dress in layers because it is often freezing at 9 or 10 a.m. where we live and then hot by 10:30 or 11:30! It’s no fun playing in long sleeves in the heat! I normally encourage my children to wear long trousers (even in the summer) because our playgrounds are hot and I don’t want them to be burned!
Leave Toys At Home
I frequently meet new acquaintances at the park since it is a terrific method to bring kids together in a non-threatening and joyful environment at the toddler age. It also relieves some tension because you don’t have to worry about specific toys that kids generally keep at home, as well as the nervousness that sometimes accompany sharing things with new people. I normally advise my children to leave their particular toys at home and enjoy the park without them. They are more imaginative when they are not surrounded by their beloved plush animal or Batman action figure.