Have you made a summer bucket list for your family? If not, and you still want to get some fun new things in the books for this summer, check out this list of 10 Awesome Things to do with Toddlers in West Michigan! Let us know which is your favorite in the comments, and share this post with other mommas who want some new ideas!
10 Things to Do with Toddlers in West Michigan
Gerald R Ford Airport Viewing Center
Do you have a little one who loves searching the skies for planes? What about one who loves picnics in new places? This is the perfect outdoor activity for you and your toddler. Pack a lunch or some snacks {check out these great snack recipes! Gluten free and Paleo options. š} and get ready to have fun in the great outdoors!!
Country Dairy Farm Tours
If you want to go for a bit of a drive, take the trip over to Country Dairy in New Era, you and your littles will get to tour Moo School, and the packaging plant, and well as get to taste cheese curds or chocolate milk. There is also a restaurant on site with lots of yummy options and a playground to run off some energy before you get back into the car. But, if you have made the drive that far, why not head to Ludington, check out the beach, and make a day trip of it?
Ed Dunneback Farm
For some outdoor fun with your toddler, while staying closer to Grand Rapids, check out Ed Dunneback and Girls Farm Market. You can pick strawberries, sweet cherries, pumpkins, or apples, provided you visit in the right season. There is a large play area for the littles and you can sip coffee and munch on a doughnut while the kids play. Fresh veggies, fruits, cinnamon rolls, pies, and made in Michigan goodies which fill the farm market are just waiting for you to browse through. Also, for some fall fun, there is a large corn maze for the whole family to enjoy!
Ā Lewis Farm Market
Also, in New Era, another farm market with some creative and unique things to do, is the Lewis Farm Market. Your toddler will love the petting zoo, and mining for gemstones. They can also try their hand at roping a steer, and you can drive the go cart course together. Try all the different apple varieties in the farm market, and pick up a sweet cinnamon roll for dessert after you get home.
Air Zoo
Headed south from Grand Rapids you can find the Air Zoo in Portage, Michigan. This would be a perfect rainy-day trip and activity. Toddlers love looking at all the planes up close, and they will also love all of the indoor rides which include a small Ferris wheel, swings, planes for them to fly, and more! This summer the Air Zoo has opened new STEM and sensory learning exhibits. You can check those out here.
Grand Rapids Childrenās Museum
The Grand Rapids Childrenās Museum would also be great for a rainy or cooler day. Our favorite exhibit at our most recent trip there was Little GR where the littles could pretend to have one of the awesome jobs that helps to make a city run. They could choose to be a cashier at a grocery store, an auto technician at Fox Motors, a USPS employee, or a pet store owner. Another favorite was the Diagnosis:FUN area sponsored by Spectrum Healthās Helen Devos Childrenās Hospital, many surgeries were performed and lives saved by serious little doctors.
National Baby Food Festival
A fun and unique way to get out to the country while enjoying West Michigan history is to visit the National Baby Food Festival in Fremont, Michigan. If you have new crawlers, or older crawlers, you can enter your little one into the Baby Crawl, there are also bike races for kids, a baby food eating contest, a cooking competition and more! This event provides family fun in a small town atmosphere, starting on July 19th, 2017 and runs through July 23, 2017.
Kangaroo Palace
Bouncing fun for the whole family, but you can also take your toddler to a special toddler bounce only, on Fridays from 10am-12pm. This is an especially good option for those of you with extra energetic littles. There are obstacle courses and lots of bounce houses that will keep your children entertained for hours.
Frederick Meijer Gardens
While the rest of the Gardens may be more suited for adults, the Lena Meijer Childrenās Garden is designed specifically for your children.Ā āThe Lena Meijer Childrenās Garden invites children to play, learn and explore. This garden fosters experiential learning and the use of all five senses. Interaction is encouraged as children are welcome to use their senses by smelling and touching specific plants designed for interaction. Whether in the Kids Sense Garden discovering leaves that feel like lambs ears, launching a boat in the Great Lakes, digging for buried fossils in the Rock Quarry or listening to a story, The Childrenās Garden offers plenty of opportunities for family fun!ā
Labor Day Truck Parade and Ice Cream Social
To close out your summer, before you toddlers head to preschool, or you dust off your books and start teaching them yourself, head down to Zeeland for this awesome Truck Parade. You and your little one will see trucks of all shapes and sizes, and can enjoy ice cream together after the parade ends. You will have a great time!!
Hopefully you will be able to cross some of these fun activities off as you finish out this summer of discovery! What a better way to introduce your children to the wonders of their state, then to make memories with them as you travel throughout and see all the beauty that Michigan has to offer?
Remember to share this post with your friends, or pin it for later!!
Also, if you are a new mama in the area here are Grand Rapids New Mom and Expecting Mom City Guide.
Rebekah Thompson writes at Surviving Toddlerhood. She has been married for nine years and is momma to four little boys ages eight, five, three, and eight months. She is the author of The First Six Weeks: Thriving Naturally On Your Postpartum Journey and a certified birth doula through DONA International. She enjoys good coffee and tea, dark chocolate, running and learning as much as possible about healthy pregnancy/postpartum and fitness. You can check out her blog atĀ www.survivingtoddlerhood.com
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