Cynical Parent
Spring has arrived! That means more time outdoors enjoying the warmer weather on sunny days, and more time trying to keep your preschoolers occupied indoors when spring storms hit. Fortunately, there are plenty of spring activities for preschool kids that are fun and totally engaging!
Even better, there are tons of spring activities for preschoolers that require little to no planning and minimal supplies (yay!). In fact, many of the supplies you can find in your pantry or outdoors in nature.
Plus, most spring activities can be completed outdoors so you can embrace the beauty of the season (and keep your home clean).
12 Super Fun and Engaging Spring Activities for Preschool Kids
As a parent, my goal is not simply to keep my kids occupied; I also want to stimulate their little brains.
By choosing the right spring activities for preschool kids, your little one can learn about this special season by investigating how flowers bloom and storms brew.
When it comes to preschoolers, they learn best when they are playing. Therefore, the following activities are designed to combine fun and learning.
1. DIY Butterfly Feeder
What preschooler doesn’t marvel at butterflies?
If you are fortunate to live somewhere that butterflies venture, then your kid will love making a butterfly feeder. Butterfly feeders are made to entice butterflies making it easier for kids to see them up close.
I love this simple, DIY butterfly feeder from Reading Confetti. Using just a plastic planter, string, beads, and fruit, you can draw butterflies to the feeder.
Once you have gathered the supplies, kids can string the beads and parents can tie the string through the plastic planter. Once it is ready to be hung, place some chopped fruit in it. Then, watch and wait!
2. Rock Painting
Another simple and easy way to keep your kids engaged for lengthy amounts of time is to let them paint rocks.
Yes – for some reason, kids absolutely love painting rocks and making pet rocks! But, what they love even more is hiding them for others to find. The painted rock craze involves decorating rocks and then leaving them for others to find in popular locations, such as parks.
All you need are some rocks, paints, and googly eyes to make some pet rocks. Check out these cute examples from Fun-A-Day.
3. Sidewalk Chalk Games
What spring activity is the gift that keeps on giving? Sidewalk chalk. Kids go crazy for sidewalk chalk! (And personally, this is one of my favorite spring activities for preschool kids.)
In addition to letting them decorate the driveway and sidewalk, you can also get creative and use sidewalk chalk to play some games with your preschooler.
An activity as simple as “Follow the Line” will both engage your preschooler and help her develop her coordination.
4. Finger Paint Counting
Another fun activity for preschoolers is finger painting. And, it is really easy to combine their love of finger painting with learning.
We love these finger painting counting activities and printables that are spring-themed.
Your preschoolers will have a blast making shorter and longer caterpillars while also practicing their counting skills.
5. Windsock Crafts
Celebrate the windy days and warm weather by making windsocks to hang outdoors.
All you need is card stock, pipe cleaners, crepe paper, and markers.
6. Sorting Flowers Parts
Take your preschooler outside to pick some flowers. Then, let him destroy them.
Seriously – this sounds strange, but there is something so fun about breaking flowers apart to little kids.
Teach your preschooler about the various parts and have him sort the flower parts into piles (stems, leaves, and petals).
7. Bird Feeders with Seeds
You will have a blast making a bird feeder with your preschooler and watching the birds enjoy it.
Build a triangle using craft sticks and glue. Then, cover them with peanut butter and go crazy covering with seeds. Finally, hang it outside and watch the birds flock to it.
8. Color Changing Flower Science Experiment
A great way to teach preschoolers about plants and how they drink water is to do an easy coloring changing flower science experiment.
Put a white carnation in a cup of water with food coloring and observe how the petal colors change over time. Fun Learning for Kids even provides printable sheets for recording results.
9. DIY Rain Clouds Science Experiment
Embrace spring storms and indoor messes with this unique DIY rain clouds science experiment.
Toby and Roo have put together a great guide to this fun, sensory science experiment.
Fill the cups with water and top with shaving cream. Finally, your preschooler will love using the syringe to add various food colors to the cups. As the colors seep through the shaving cream, you will have your own rain cloud in a cup.
10. Nature Paintbrushes
On a beautiful spring day, take your preschooler outside on a nature scavenger hunt.
In particular, look for sticks. Then, let your preschooler use her imagination and find any other bits of nature that strike her fancy.
Using rubber bands attach her special finds to the sticks and you have a nature paintbrush.
Let your little one try all the different brushes to see which one works best and to discover the different patterns each creates.
Even if your nature paintbrushes do not turn out quite as beautiful as Messy Little Monster’s, they will be just as fun for your little one.
11. Rainbow in a Bag
Have fun waiting for the rainbows after the storms by making your own rainbow in a bag!
According to Powerful Mothering’s instructions, you just need to place card stock inside the Ziploc bag, and then line your color scoops inside. Seal the bag, tape it to a hard surface, and watch your preschooler paint their rainbow in the bag, mess-free!
12. Flower Garden with Play Dough
Have some creative fun with play dough by introducing spring-themed elements.
I love Fantastic Fun and Learning’s idea of combining play dough with other craft items like pipe cleaners, buttons, jewels, and other flower cookie cutters to make a unique flower garden with play dough.
Let’s Go Play!
So, what are you waiting for? Go try out some of these spring activities for preschool kids with your favorite little one! And if you need more to do, check out our post about construction activities for preschoolers.
Leave a comment and let us know which of these spring activities for preschool kids you’ll be trying out this week!
