Spring is here, bringing with it warmer temperatures and lots of blooming nature! There are so many simple ways to get outside and enjoy spring with your children.
I have created a list of 30 of my family’s favorite things to do outside in the springtime. Most of them are totally free and do not require advance planning. Go ahead, grab your kids and go play outside today!
Please help me grow my list. Feel free to leave a comment below telling me YOUR favorite spring outdoor activities for kids.
30 Simple Spring Outdoor Activities For Kids
1. Picnic. You don’t even have to leave home for this one. Simply take whatever food you were planning to eat and lay down a picnic mat or blanketoutside in the yard. My kids love to go on at-home picnics.
2. Sidewalk Chalk. Little and Big Kids (and grown-ups like me) love to color with sidewalk chalk. One of our favorite things to do is lay down and outline our entire body, then color it in. The kids make silly poses and we have a lot of fun.
3. Hike.Find a local hiking trail, put on your walking shoes and go explore the outdoors!
4. Neighborhood Cleanup. This idea gets bonus points for community service. Take a garbage bag and go around your neighborhood picking up trash. You may be surprised at how much you end up with – and your neighborhood will look nicer.
5. Fly a Kite.Even when my kites don’t like to fly, my kids have a ball watching and trying to get our kite to go up. We found out that even kids’ kites from the Dollar Store will fly! It was a dollar well spent.
6. Go For aBike Ride. Riding bikes is a great way to get exercise and enjoy being outside together. If your little one is not quite old enough to ride a bike, I recommend getting a bicycle trailer that can attach to your bike. We bought one in good condition at a second-hand store. I have used it for several years now with my youngest children.
7. Blow Bubbles. For extra fun, use one of these simple recipes to make your own bubble solution. If your child loves to have you blow bubbles for long periods of time, I highly recommend getting a bubble blower machine. It saves your breath plus entertains the little ones with lots and lots of continuous bubbles!
8. Plant Flowers. Kids love digging in the dirt! Visit your local greenhouse and buy some inexpensive flowers to pretty up your yard. My kids put on some kid-sized gardening gloves and are ready to help. See how we planted a butterfly garden. It really works to attract butterflies!
9. Plant Something You Can Eat. Last summer, my kids ate raw zucchini for the first time and loved it because they had watched it grow and picked it themselves. Ask your local gardener for advice about what grows well in your area. If you do not have space for large garden, consider planting a small container garden or vertical garden.
10. Backyard Hotdog Roast. We have a small firepit and roasting sticks that my family uses to cookhot dogs and marshmallows. The kids especially love to make S’mores…of course!
11. Make a Bird Feeder. It does not need to be fancy. Simply spread peanut butter on a pine cone, roll it in bird seeds and hang in your yard. Hopefully birds will be headed your way in no time!
12. Bird Watching. My family loves to count and watch for birds in our area. A backyard bird watchers guide really helps us identify the different birds we see.
13. Backyard Camping.My kids love to play and sleep in tents. Set up your tent outside in the backyard. Let the kids play and enjoy a family night out under the stars. My kids enjoytheir play tent during the day, too.
14. Wagon Ride.Once my kids were old enough to sit up, they were big enough to love going on rides in our little red Radio Flyer wagon. We love our wagon!
15. Feed the ducks. If you have a local duck pond, take your stale bread and go feed the ducks. It’s one of our favorite things to do.
16. Play Tag. Kids love to be chased and it’s good for the whole family to run and be active in a good old-fashioned game of Tag.
17. Visit a Garden. Enjoy a stroll through a local garden. Don’t forget to take time to smell the flowers with your children.
18. Climb a Tree.Kids love to climb, just remind them to be careful not to go too high.
19. Wash the Car. Have a sudsy good time keeping the car clean at home. For some reason, this is one chore my kids don’t mind helping out with.
20. Find Shapes in the Clouds. Spend time watching the sky and exercising your imaginations by finding different shapes in the clouds.
21. Go on a Treasure Hunt. My boys get so excited about any sort of treasure hunt. I spend a few minutes drawing a Treasure Map and hiding clues, and let them have fun trying to find the treasure. See how to make a Pirate’s Treasure Map.
22. Run Through the Sprinklers. Put on your swimsuits and turn the sprinklers on full blast for some fun! A few summers ago, I spent less than $10 for a slip-n-slide.
Believe it or not, it has survived multiple years’ of use! I can’t believe what a great investment that turned out to be. The Melissa & Doug Patch Blossom Sprinkler attachment is also good for lots of outdoor fun in the sprinklers.
23. Flower Garden Photo Opp. Take your child’s picture in or around colorful, blooming flower gardens. I think some of the best photos are often candid shots, so don’t stress out if the kids don’t want to look at the camera and say Cheese. Just keep shooting pictures and see what happens!
24. Nature Scavenger Hunt. Make a list of natural things to look for outside. For example: clouds, a bird’s nest, dandelions, a stream. Go for a walk and see what nature you can find!
25. Nature Collage Craft. Go for a walk and collect small items such as leaves, acorns and twigs. Bring them home and glue them to a heavy piece of paper to create a nature collage.
26. Make a Splash on a Rainy Day.Enjoy spring rain showers to the fullest when you put on your rain gear and head outside to play. See who can make the biggest splash in the puddles!
27. Potato Sack Race. An easy way to enjoy an old-fashioned “potato sack” race is to use a large sturdy sack or pillowcases and hop into action! We have also used the ToySmith Sack Race Game set, which holds up really well to lots of action.
28. Get out the Sports Gear. Play a game of catch, kickball or Frisbee. I highly recommend getting an Aerobie Sprint Ring. These are so easy for the kids and me to throw and catch (I think they are much easier for me than a Frisbee). They are so much fun!
We have several of the Aerobie Sprint Rings and recommend them to everyone. Try throwing a glow-in-the-dark disc or football. My tween boys love their night time light-up football.
29. Take an evening stroll.Bring your flashlights and take a walk at dusk or after dark with your family. Listen for the different sounds of night creatures and see if you can identify them. One time, we tracked down an owl!
30. Sandbox. We do not have a traditional sandbox, but that doesn’t stop us from playing in the sand. I buy a bag or two of play sand and fill a large flat storage container. The kids can dig and play – and I can put the lid on it when we are done.
Updated to add: One of the best outdoor toy purchases I have EVER made is the Little Tikes Sand and Water table. It can occupy multiple children for hours (ages 6 and under.)
Love this list? Be sure to check out my other blog post, 30 (MORE) FunActivities For Kids in Springtime.
What are some of your favorite outdoor activities for kids?Share your ideas with us in the comments below.
Need outdoor activity ideas for older kids? Check out my other blog post for super fun Water Gun Games!
