Spring is one of my favorite seasons with little kids. After a long winter, everyone is ready to get outside, get messy, and try something new. Toddlers especially love the simple things this time of year: puddles, flowers, mud, and fresh air. Winter has been absolutely brutal on Long Island this year. As the snow begins to melt today, we look forward to getting outside and getting dirty!
If you’re looking for easy ways to fill your days, here are some simple spring activities for toddlers that don’t require a lot of prep but will keep little hands busy.
1. Go on a Flower Walk
Take a slow walk around your neighborhood and look for signs of spring. Toddlers love spotting bright flowers like daffodils and tulips. Let them point out colors or collect fallen petals along the way. I love this color search activity!
2. Make a Mud Kitchen
A mud kitchen can be as simple as a bucket of dirt, some water, and old kitchen tools. Toddlers love scooping, pouring, and mixing their “recipes.” I have a list of everything you need for a mud kitchen this spring here!
3. Paint with Flowers
Dip flowers into washable paint and use them as stamps. The shapes they make are beautiful and toddlers love trying different flowers.
4. Blow Bubbles Outside
It’s simple, but toddlers never get tired of it. Try blowing giant bubbles or letting them hold the wand and chase the bubbles around the yard. Our dog loves to chase them too!
5. Plant Seeds Together
Give toddlers a small pot, some soil, and a few seeds. Watching plants grow over the next few weeks makes this activity extra exciting. Gardening is a big part of our family culture. One of my favorite things about having a produce garden is that kids can start at any age!
6. Go Puddle Jumping
After a rainy day, put on rain boots and let them splash. It’s one of the easiest ways to turn a regular walk into an adventure.
7. Make a Nature Collage
Collect leaves, sticks, petals, and grass during a walk. At home, glue everything onto paper to make a nature collage.
8. Draw with Sidewalk Chalk
Spring weather means the driveway becomes an art studio. Toddlers love drawing big shapes, circles, and colorful scribbles.
9. Read Books Outside
Bring a blanket and a stack of books into the backyard. Reading outside makes even familiar books feel new again. Another option is to make one of these super charming sheet forts.
10. Wash Outdoor Toys
Fill a tub with warm soapy water and let toddlers wash toy cars, trucks, and plastic animals. It’s simple sensory play and helps clean toys at the same time. My older daughter used to love cleaning our vinyl fence with a scrub brush if you want to put them to work!
11. Make a Bird Feeder
Spread peanut butter on a pinecone and roll it in birdseed. Hang it outside and watch for birds.
12. Have a Picnic
Even a simple lunch feels special when you eat it outside!
13. Go on a Bug Hunt
Look for ants, worms, and ladybugs. Bring a magnifying glass if you have one and let toddlers observe up close.
14. Paint Rocks
Collect rocks on a walk and bring them home to paint. Toddlers enjoy choosing bright colors and decorating each one.
15. Decorate an egg carton ship
I saw this on Pinterest and will definitely be trying it soon! You could even use a plastic egg carton and see if it floats!
16. Water the Garden
Give your toddler a small watering can and let them help water plants or flowers. Kids love feeling like they’re helping.
17. Make a bug hotel
Create your very own bug hotel using pine needles, pinecones, old newspaper, or whatever else you can find!
18. Fly a Kite
Spring breezes are perfect for kite flying. Even toddlers who can’t control the kite love watching it dance in the sky.
19. Go to the Playground
Spring is the perfect time to rediscover the playground after winter. Slides, swings, and climbing structures are always a hit.
20. Pick Dandelions
Toddlers love picking flowers, and dandelions are perfect because there are plenty of them.
21. Make a Rain Stick Craft
Use a paper towel roll filled with rice and seal the ends. Toddlers love shaking it and hearing the rain sound.
22. Paint with Water
Give toddlers a cup of water and a paintbrush and let them “paint” the driveway or fence. It’s mess-free and surprisingly fun.
23. Make a Spring Scavenger Hunt
Look for simple things like a yellow flower, a bird, a butterfly, or a green leaf. Toddlers love checking things off the list.
24. Roll Balls Down a Hill
Find a small hill and let toddlers roll balls down it. They’ll run after them again and again.
25. Have a trunk ice cream bar
By the end of last summer, I swear I had spent close to $200 on ice cream for my kids. We live right by the beach, so I started to pack a cooler with a tub of ice cream, whipped cream, sprinkles, etc. and ice cream scoop. We’d head to the park by the water and they could make their own sundaes and play in the sand! It really ended up saving a lot of money and created a joyful family tradition.
How will you keep your little one busy this season?
Let me know below!
O.
