Making the Most of Your Visit to the Playground

Visits to the park or playground have been a constant in our lives since Immy was a small bub. Back then it was more about us getting out of the house, usually to meet up with friends from our mother’s group (hi girls!) so that we (the adults) could debrief this whole new experience that was parenting. Nowadays we still head to the playground for a change of scenery and to meet up with friends but these days it is a lot more about the children 🙂

One thing that I have found useful, especially for extended playground visits, is to have some additional toys packed to take with us. I have a small collection of open weave bags that are perfect (at least for smaller items) for this very purpose as a quick shake and any sand or dirt falls right out. And with everything together in a bag it only takes a second to pop it into the car or into the basket under the pram.

Here are 7 easy suggestions for what to take along to extend the playground fun…

1. Sand play toys

2. Chunky chalk for pavement drawing

3. Doll and pram

4. Plastic figurines or vehicles – a great way to give new life to those pesky takeaway toys that are usually discarded after just a few minutes, with the added bonus that if a few go missing you are not going to be too bothered.

5. An egg carton for sorting treasures found on a nature hunt around the park. See Tricia’s post here for inspiration.

6. Hula hoop, ball or a skipping rope

7. Plastic tea set

What do you take along to the playground to extend the playtime fun?

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Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.

Read the comments or scroll down to add your own:

Sam-O says

September 9, 2011 at 12:36 PM

Food, water, my boys and their bikes. These are pretty much the only things ever required.
naomi liddelow says

September 9, 2011 at 1:18 PM

Great list. The only things I would add to the list are bubble mix and wand and our mini micro scooters which go everywhere with us! Where did you get the net bags (I end up bringing half the sand pit/beach home with us in our current coles green bag solution)? p.s. FANTASTIC BLOG!
- Christie Burnett says
  
  September 9, 2011 at 1:37 PM
  
  Our bags are from here, Naomi :) http://www.thekidsdepot.com.au/component/page,shop.product_details/flypage,shop.flypage/product_id,553/category_id,82/manufacturer_id,0/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,73/ Love the bubble mix and wand idea!
Jo @countrylifeexperiment says

September 9, 2011 at 5:18 PM

We often take bubble blowing stuff too. Also razor scooters (great because they fold up and hang on the handle of the pram). We have also taken magnifying glasses to do some detective work, and random plastic containers to collect the "treasure" we find. In the summer water guns are also fun!
- Christie Burnett says
  
  September 11, 2011 at 10:29 AM
  
  Thank you for the magnifying class suggestion, Jo :)
Lusi says

September 9, 2011 at 11:46 PM

Great ideas-especially the bags!!! Thanks for sharing! We take sports equipment like a frisbee or ball to throw around especially for our bigger children but we've been doing that since they were little and they still love it. Sometimes we've taken a kite to fly or some cardboard to slide down the big grassy hill at our local park. I keep a box of zip lock bags and a marker in our car's glovebox so the kids can collect nature treasures to take home and put on our nature table. Love trips to the park and playground!!! Lusi :-)
- Christie Burnett says
  
  September 11, 2011 at 10:28 AM
  
  Oooh, we have a park with a hill nearby so I will have to pack some cardboard next time we go :) Thank you for the inspiration, Lusi.
Aussie Mum says

September 10, 2011 at 7:33 AM

We usually take a ball or two, a picnic rug and snacks, and a treasure bag or two for all that nature collecting that goes on. My boys are into tree climbing so mum has to take her camera and we nearly always play a game of hide and seek before we come home - this involved mummy counting to thirty while my little boys disappear to hide in the bushes - nearly always the same spot (which is thankfully in the direction of home)!
Tricia says

September 10, 2011 at 7:10 PM

Chunky chalk for pavement drawing is a great idea! I always feel a little messy letting Little Eco draw on our footpath - but letting her draw at the park solves that problem. Thanks. And thanks for the link love. We still use the egg carton sorting game all the time. x t
cristi says

September 16, 2011 at 11:26 AM

Thanks for the ideas! Bubbles is a must. Also, insect catchers...and of course the camera!
Claire says

September 19, 2011 at 3:11 PM

Thank you for ideas! Question - where do you find those mesh zipper bags? That sounds like a great idea for sand toys!!

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