Happy National Little Red Wagon Day! Celebrated annually on the last Wednesday of March, this national day honors the iconic little red wagon that has brought generations of families decades of smiles, laughs, and warm memories. To help you and your family celebrate this holiday, we’ve compiled a printable activity list of 100 ways to play with your wagon. From pretend play and fun activities to DIY décor ideas and creative inspiration, there will be plenty of ideas perfect for the whole family that will keep everyone playing for hours on end.
Parents can print out the list and use as-is for a reference or follow the directions to make a DIY idea jar. Cut the list into slips of paper along the dashed lines. Put all of the ideas into a bucket or jar – decorate with your family if you want! – and pull out a new way to play whenever you need it. We even left a few blank slips if your family has their own ideas to add.
100 ways to play and use your wagon for kids
- Pretend Air Plane - pretend you are an airplane pilot as you get pulled in the wagon
- Imaginary Safari - Take it on a imaginative safari tour in your backyard
- Birthday Present holder
- Use it as a fort in your backyard
- Pet Carrier for around the yard rides
- Use your wagon for Bean Tag Toss
- Make your wagon “Base” in Tag
- Rocket Ship - pretend it’s a space ship that just landed in your backyard
- Outdoor Nap Bed
- Stuffed Animal Hauler – bring your stuffed animals around for a ride
- Pull your siblings or friends around the yard for a ride, alternate who rides & who pulls.
- Haul your water balloons to the backyard
- Plan a wagon relay race at home
- Go for a family walk with your wagon
- Keep your toys stored in your wagon
- Pull your siblings or friends around the yard for a ride, alternate who rides & who pulls
- Haul your water balloons to the backyard
- Plan a wagon relay race at home
- Imaginary fishing boat in your backyard
- Your wagon can be the start or finish line for backyard races
- Help parents garden by bringing back the flowers to plant
- Pretend your wagon becomes a Choo-Choo train and who pulls the wagon is the train conductor
- Your wagon becomes an imaginary pirateship that sails the backyard
- Draw “streets” with chalk on your driveway and take rides along the drawn paths
- Pretend you are shopping in your backyard with your wagon
- Turn your wagon into an outdoor sandbox.
- Use it when you are playing hide & go seek
- Make your wagon a school bus for your backyard
- Use your wagon in your next family picture
- Use it as a prop in a play or musical
- Pretend it’s a covered wagon from an old western movie
- Have your kids sit in the backyard to read a book in their wagon
- Pretend taxi making stops throughout your backyard to pick up & drop off passengers
- Keep your wagon for future grandchildren, pass it along within the family
- Collect nature items around your backyard using your wagon – examine your findings with a magnifying glass and take note of your scientific observations!
- A place for your dolls to nap in the backyard
- Sit back in your wagon and color in your coloring book in the backyard
- Pull your kids around while catching fireflies in the backyard
- A carriage ride for all your princess dolls
- Have a puppet show with the wagon
- A traveling circus cart for the imaginary circus in your backyard
- Kids can sit in their wagon in the backyard and enjoy a popsicle in the warm summer
- Hold a finger puppet show in your wagon
- Sit your stuffed animals in the wagon for a “tea party” outside
- Pretend it is a radio station broadcast booth and put on a show in your backyard
- Sing a song while being pulled in your wagon
- Have a picnic in your wagon
- Pretend it’s the neighborhood ice cream truck
- Use it as the imaginary backyard command center
- Play a game with your wagon – fill up the wagon, pull it, empty it, and go back to the starting line
- Pretend it’s a big truck in the backyard that you are driving
- When riding in your wagon, make up a song about how it takes you places
- Imagine you are flying into space in your wagon “rocket” while playing in the backyard
- Use your stuffed animals to create a “Zoo” and visit in your wagon
- Pretend it’s Halloween – dress up in your favorite costume and decorate your wagon to go with it
- Put your favorite books in your wagon
- Use your wagon to carry all of your finds during an indoor scavenger hunt
- Create a porch display with your wagon
- Plant flowers in your wagon
- Take your wagon on a Bear Hunt around the neighborhood
- Have a “drive in” movie in your backyard or inside and use your wagon as your vehicle
- Throw a parade in the backyard with your family and decorate your wagon for it
- Have an indoor picnic and use your wagon to haul all the supplies from the kitchen
- Use your wagon as a cooler for cold drinks while you play outside
- Pretend your wagon is a mail truck and leave cards for your neighbors in their mailboxes
- Use your wagon to hold all of your coloring supplies while you draw
- Turn your wagon into a race car
- Create an outdoor sensory bin with your wagon
- Do a science experiment in your wagon
- Play charades and pick prompts out of your wagon
- Pretend your wagon is a canoe and go on an aquatic adventure in your backyard
- Bring speakers outside and sit in your wagon for an outdoor concert
- Turn your wagon into a table or bookshelf
- Use your toy wagon as a centerpiece on the table
- Fill your wagon with all of your favorite things and use it as inspiration for a painting or drawing
- Take your wagon on a “road trip” around the house and yard and name each location after a landmark
- Haul all of your sports equipment with your wagon
- Make all of your favorite ballpark snacks, sit in your wagon, and watch your favorite baseball movie or an old game of your favorite team
- Have a contest to see who can make the most creative decorations for your wagon using supplies from around the house
- Video chat with your grandparents from your wagon
- Use your wagon to collect rocks around the neighborhood and paint them with positive messages
- Take your wagon for a ride and pretend you are on a rollercoaster
- Use your plastic eggs from Easter for another Easter egg hunt – use your wagon to collect the eggs
- Use your wagon to deliver breakfast in bed to your mom on Mother’s day
- Take your wagon on an iSpy adventure around the neighborhood
- Use your wagon to hold all of your chalk and make creations on the sidewalk
- Create a tall tower out of plastic cups in your wagon and try to pull it around without toppling the tower
- Pick a color and fill up your wagon with as many things of that color you can find around the house
- Take your wagon camping in your backyard
- Haul all of your beach gear to the backyard and play in the sprinkler
- Give your wagon a car wash in the driveway
- Bake some treats and pretend play bakery with your wagon as your store
- Use your wagon to help deliver laundry to its proper place
- Collect food and clothing you’d like to donate in your wagon
- Pretend play going to work with your wagon as an office
- Turn your wagon into your ultimate superhero vehicle
- Go “grocery shopping” in the fridge and use your wagon as a cart
- Write a story about your little red wagon
- Pretend it’s Christmas – wrap items from around the house and deliver them to family members with your wagon
- “Paint” your wagon with shaving cream
What are your favorite ways to play with your wagon? Let us know by using #radioflyer on social media!