What to Do When It Gets to Hot Outside to Play?

You just have to adjust to the sun's schedule. Play early morning and early evening. Move the little pool to a shaded area. I remember swimming every day as a child to beat the heat.

Hi Sue, there are a few things you can do, it is so healthy for children to play out side, but it does get hot, I always kept hats on my little ones while playing out side when it was hot, sunscreen keeps them from sunburn but a hat will keep their brain from cooking, also plant a couple trees, but in the mean time, purchase an out side tarp, the gazebo type, we got ours from walmart, even big losts have them now, my daycare kids have played with toys under that so they can be out side but not directly in the sun, and like you I let them play out in the sun in the after noon after nap time, they still get the natural vitamen c without the dangers of the hot sun. J. L.

Go to a mall or indoor place that is air conditioned. Most malls have a play area that your son can still run around and have fun but not be exposed to the hot air. Look for a chuck e cheese or other indoor play areas. We have a place called Jungle Land that is an indoor play place for like under 5years it is pretty cheap for a once in awhile treat. Google indoor playplaces for your area. Good luck.
http://www.kidsislandinc.com/
http://www.kidsvilleplaytown.com/ Don't know if these are close but check them out.

I'm in corona too.
The library has story time.
There is a splash park at Citrus Park off of Rimpau. It's opening up for the summer in a few weeks.
There is the dreaded Chuck E cheese off of McKinley.
We go to Tyler Galleria for a Mrs. Fields cookie and to check out the doggies at the pet store.
On Magnolia between Pierce and Buchanon (heading towards Riverside) is the Magnolia bird farm which is fun to walk around and look at the aviaries.
Indoor playlands: Burger King on 6th and Lincoln, Chick-Fil-A on Hidden Valley Parkway or the Crossing shopping center, McDonalds on main/Hamner heading into Norco.
There is a Air Kids near McKinley.
Parks and rec has great summer mommy and me programs you should check out.
If you want to make a keepsake, go ceramic painting at Paint a Memory in the crossings center or the Ceramic Cupboard on main/ Hamner heading into Norco.
Go to familyfun.com for lots of fun activites, games and craft ideas.
Some weekends HObbytown USA (Vons parking lot on magnolia nd Ontario) has remote control car races that are fun to watch.
If I think of anything else, I will let you know.

You can consider taking him out to play early in the morning then later in the afternoon, like after 4. Is it possible to plant a few trees in your yard? If so they will provive nice shade which will allow you to go out more often. Also a large umbrella might work as well.

McDonalds indoor playground; Library; Grocery store for lesson on fruits/veggies and counting; Costco (before the crowds come so he can stretch his legs a bit); Petco to visit the animals; Playtime in the tub with bubbles or tempra paints or I let my DC color on the bath surround with washable crayola markers (do a test patch first and wash immediately after) draw a bulls eye and give him a squirt gun; Make jell-o; go to ethnic markets for lessons on new foods; hit the park early - home for lunch and nap - then backyard playtime.

i used to take my little guy out in the morning. play in the pool, play outside a bit and then go inside for snack time. after that i'd do stuff inside. make a fort under tables or on the beds, play with playdough, coloring, hide and seek, make roads for his hot wheels, play fishing in the tub ( i had a little fishing set from k-mart). make a game out of cleaning up, then lunch, story book time and then nap. then back outside for the pool. if you can go somewhere indoors. i love the library story time and guest events for kids. also, i got a cheap umbrella at rite-aid and put it over the pool. awesome! hope this helps..

library story times & play groups
water color, playdough, bubbles
mall playgrounds

You might want to have some fun activities planned for inside your house. Also a walk around the Mall is nice, plus there might be a bounce facility near you where they have open play time on the bouncers (places like "Pump it Up") There is also Gyms for babys and Toddlers like a "My Gym" That way you child can be active and keep cool all at the same time. Then when it starts to cool down later in the day you can have play time in the pool in you backyard witout worying about you little one overheating. Hope this helps.

There has been a heatwave, so it won't be that hot all the time, even in summer. Check local movie theaters in summer - some of them have free kid movies on certain mornings. It's hottest around 2:00 p.m., so take him out until noon, then out again around 4:00. Find crafts and movies for the hottest part of day. Put a large tarp in your backyard over the pool, or a couple of tarps, for shade. You will get used to the heat too, and then it won't be so bad. Keep a hat with neck coverings on him and lots of sunscreen! Find malls with pet stores and little inside kid playgrounds.

Hi Susie,

I'm not sure where you live, but there are some great indoor play places to go to.

In Poway, my Kid's clubhouse, is an indoor play area that we used to go to when my kids were young...........there is also Pump it up, etc.

There are also some parks that are more shaded...

Plant a tree! Or maybe figure some kind of shade like a large beach umbrella or one of those blue shelter things they use at outdoor fairs.

I would set up a pool for my kids when they were younger and also had a collection of cd music they liked and would play that. Then I had a box of all kinds of things that were fun to play in the water - ie plastic bottles, squirt bottles, plastic tubing, funnels, sponges, etc.

Start heading to thrift stores and yard sales to pick up these things for next to nothing. Use the CDs you can check out at the library.

Maybe do your outside play in the morning and late in the afternoon when it is cooler and save the 2 pm time slot for naps or reading or going to the library, window shopping at the mall, visiting other people with small kids, going to the freezing cold grocery store, etc.

Bubbles are also great fun, too.

Don't dehydrate, don't get sunburned and you are limited only as much as your imagination.

Have fun!

One suggestion for sun protection is the rashguard swim shirts and shorts- you can get some great prices at the landsend overstocks. these have built in sun protection. also target has some but they are short sleeved.

target also has some upf sun hats- on the end of one of the aisles in the baby section- check the tags- one should say "50 UPF". this might help a little!

sometimes i let my daughter do water play in our kitchen. i put down towels, then a plastic tub with toys on top, and let her play. you might look up some montessori homeschooling links for ideas of "practical life activities"- kids that age seem to really like that sort of thing.

good luck!

I don't know about Corona but, where I live, there's a place called Pump It Up that is a large warehouse that has lots of inflatable bouncers in it and those little yellow and red cars for toddlers. Also, there's always Chuck E. Cheese. You may find some similar types of kid fun & play places in your city. Our local park & rec also has some fantastic toddler classes scheduled during the summer. And then there is also the option of finding a nearby park that has lots of shade trees and going there for the morning. I would usually go from 9 till noon and made sure that I had plenty of sunscreen available.

Hope this helps.

go to indoor playgrounds..bookstores..malls..museums..McDonalds play palace..i took my son to the beach yesterday..u can always drive down there then plan on heading back at naptime so they pass out in the car..yesterday we headed home around 3:30pm and the traffic wasn't too bad.

Sue, I live in the desert and most of the summer its too hot ofr outdoors. I let them play outside early a.m. and afternoon,or (this may seem odd) I turn on the hose and soak them! It keeps them cool enough to play outside and they play until their clothes are dry. Its a lot more laundry but better then being stuck in side!