Check out this quick and easy activity for backyard fun: make an outdoor road. With just painter’s tape and toy cars, this simple outdoor activity is a winner for kids. Bring play outside with this 2-minute set-up.
Why make an outdoor road?
Make an outdoor road and drink your coffee in peace.
This is a bold statement but I lived it: this outdoor road activity kept my kids occupied and I drank not just a cup of coffee…
It was hot coffee.
And I had two cups.
I know. Your jaw is on the floor, but just think. You are a roll of tape and a bin of cars away from this kind of magic. Let’s do this.
RELATED: Looking for more easy outdoor activities for kids? Check out my collection of the best ideas online.
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Here’s why this outdoor activity works
I will forever be stunned by the complexity of some activities.
Or rather the idea that kids need fancy, coordinated, gorgeous, time consuming activities.
Kids need simple. Kids need fun. And Kids need engaging.
The proof: this outdoor road made with a roll of blue painter’s tape.
Not exactly the most sophisticated activities set up but who cares?! It was effective. The kids loved it and it sent them off on a tangent of play for the rest of the morning.
And that’s what I’m all about.
RELATED: Looking to upgrade your outdoor toy collection? Check out my list of favorites for toddlers to tweens.
The supplies
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Couple of notes: Painter’s tape is not safe for all spaces so check your patio before you use it.
Also speaking of painter’s tape, I buy painter’s tape in bulk and it’s super cheap that way. You can also use any other colorful tape you own (painter’s tape is my most used tape from my master list of supplies).
You can use any toys you have for this activity. Indoors, we often to this as an animal line-up.
The set-up
I set this up on our deck and ran the painter’s tape in all different directions, this way and that, creating a maze like set up on the deck.
My goal was to be a bit chaotic…
Then I grabbed our bin of cars, took them outside (I know, an indoor toy heading outside… it never happens!) for the kids to use on the new blue tape road.
They were hooked.
Are kids learning anything with an outdoor road?
Yes, but we don’t need to justify play by how much kids are learning.
Of course, kids are always learning when they are playing – it’s the highest form of learning for them. But I will concede that it’s fun to consider all that kids are learning in a play-based activity.
Here’s what my kids (7, 5, and 3) are doing:
- Fine motor movements
- Creativity
- Communication
- Social scenes (acting out what they’ve seen)
- Spatial awareness (the relationship of one car to another car or line)
Play is of course number one. Kids learn through play and this kind of activity that drives them into even more play is what I am all about.
Outdoor road was perfect for my kids
…and for me!
I got to sit back, relax, and watch the kids play. I drank my coffee, got to unload the dishwasher in peace, and marveled as the kids turned this road into even more morning play.
Now that is the kind of activity that stands out. And all it took was a roll of tape.
Susie Allison, M. Ed
Owner, Creator
Susie Allison is the creator of Busy Toddler and has more than 2 million followers on Instagram. A former teacher and early childhood education advocate, Susie’s parenting book “Busy Toddler’s Guide to Actual Parenting” is available on Amazon.
