Outdoor Fun for 1 Year Old

Try a water table... kids that age love them, and they make a lot less mess than a sandbox. Clean-up is a breeze, and they're especially fun for hot summer days!

How about a homemade ball pit? Get an inexpensive, small, shallow wading pool. (We found one for $5 at Menards.) Then you can purchase plastic balls at places like Walmart and Target. (Walmart sold them last year -- 100 balls for $9.99). My kids still love sitting amongst the colorful balls!

Water table!! We got one for $16 thru Craigs List last year. Our son (12 months at the time) absolutely LOVED it!!

We have a sandbox and water table combo. I got it from Step2step.com. It was only 70 bucks and is super durable. My 3 1/2 year old still plays with it and now her 1 year old brother does too. Great investment.

We also love the cheap stuff like bubbles and chalk. We fill our days playing with bubbles. Meijer has a great outdoor toy section. Bubble sticks run from 1$ to 4$.

C.

Big Lots has tons of fun, CHEAP outdoor play toys. My son loves the trucks, lawnmower, shovel, rake...and countless other super cheap toys. We also have a sandbox- the turtle one. But mostly, he likes those big bouncy balls, empty containers/buckets, bubbles, etc. You've gotten some great ideas here already, too!

I have a 17 month old too, and he LOVES riding a tricycle. He can't pedal of course but just loves pushing it around-I've found several for a few bucks at garage sales, thrift stores, and Craigslist. Also loves what others have mentioned-bubbles, chalk, and water toys. Swings are less interesting at this age than slides and climbing toys. Instead of a sandbox you could use a simple small ziplock container full of rice or beans or even water and let her use sand toys in that, or even your old kitchen utensils. Also let her dig around the yard, maybe a section of the garden. Sandboxes are not as popular at this age as mimicking mom or dad in the yard are, plus I find my son eats the sand too much at this age! One more idea for mimicking mom/dad outside is plastic yard equipment-lawn mower, wagon, wheelbarrow, rake. Enjoy!

Bubbles, definitely.

A shallow kiddie pool (with supervision, obviously) for when it warms up.

A shallow dishpan or large shallow plastic bowl set on a picnic table or at her height with cheap watering can toy, cups, etc. is good for water play. You can put in various things and show her what sinks and what floats.

A kiddie tent is fun and they make some that block the sun and have zip-open sides for air flow, AND if screened, you can picnic and play without worry about sunscreen OR mosquitoes, etc.

Balls- maybe a little basketball hoop if she seems interested.

We have managed to find little plastic cars and trikes at yardsales and thrift stores. You can often find the little plastic sliding boards there too.

bubbles, chalk, paint brushes and a bucket of water to paint the driveway, sidewalk. Think simple.

I am with many of the other mommies, Bubble Machine, Water Table, Sidewalk chalk

I'd join www.freecylce.org within your community and ask if anyone has any outside toys that they no longer have a need for that would be suitable for a 1 year old. One thing I know my kids as well as the older kids (6 year olds) loved is the Triangle Slide. Your 17 month old may be a bit young to climb up by herself, but it's a great toy and will last many years.

My 2 year old LOOOOOOVes her sandbox! It's the basic fisher price one. You can buy play sand for $3 a bag at home depot. Also, at that age, we had the little tikes climber slide, but we got it for free. She outgrew it quickly and I sold it on Craigslist. You might look on craigslist to see if you can buy things used for cheaper.
Sidewalk chalk is a hit, as well as the fisher price teeball set for $15 at Target.

a sand and water table

My son was never a big fan of the sand box....what he LOVED was buckets of water and some plastic cups!

Try a sandbox/water table combo. It is on legs and has a lid. No matter what you do make sure your sandbox hs a lid and you keep the lid on when she is not playing with it. Little tykes makes some great little ride ons that last forever. We also have the Little tykes roller coaster. It comes with a car that you can the car even when your not on the roller coaster. My daughter who is now 4 got it from Santa when she was 2. I could not handle another preschool toy & thought both of my girls would get a kick out of it. The cost is around $90 & I know that it seems like a lot but you can bring it indoors in the winter & play or leave it out in the summer. It comes apart easily and pieces are lightweight and easy to carry. It is super sturdy and even the big kids 7,8,9 that come over go on that thing and it holds them. Look for it at garage sales or go online to see if anyone is selling it on ebay. Even if you had to pay 40 or 50 for it, it will be worth every penny.

Check garage sales or online for a water toy. it's like water ways you can give her little toys to put in and out of the water kids love them. For a real cheap inexpensive way, (and i've done this myself while babysitting.) Take those aluminum pans put a little water in each, set up a few. Put different toys in each one. You will be amazed at how long they will play splashing and putting certain toys in and out of each one. They will usually switch how you set the toys to thier own liking. Just remember aluminum is reflective so apply the sunblock. or buy plastic. ANYWAY have fun ......