10 Spring Activities for Toddlers & Preschoolers (Indoor & Outdoor)

Today we’re sharing our go-to Spring Activities for Toddlers & Preschoolers. Whether you need ideas for indoor activities or outdoor activities, we’ve got you covered with these simple ideas your kids will want on repeat!

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You guys know I love a theme, especially a seasonal theme! 

It’s my favorite way to round up things I already have around the house and use them for a specific purpose: like these Spring Activities!

But don’t worry, if you don’t have some of the items listed below, I’ve linked everything throughout this post on Amazon to make it easy. 

You’ll want to get this STEM flower building set though, trust me. 

It’s good for SO many activities (you’ll see it used in a few of them below!). I’ve had it for YEARS and it is the true gift that keeps on giving.

Doing Activities as Part of Your Daily Routine

Before we dive into the ideas, here’s my quick TED Talk on Activities & Routines.

One of the reasons we all may have Pinterest boards full of saved activities (that we’ve never actually done) is because we don’t have a plan in place for when we’ll implement these ideas. 

Your overall “plan” is your daily routine. 

Your toddler’s routine includes basic things like meal time, naptime, and bedtime. 

Once you start with the basics and zoom out on their day, it’s easier to see where there is room in your day for activities. 

Maybe it’s at 9 AM after breakfast or at 3 PM after naptime. 

Either way, you’re much more likely to follow through with these activity ideas, if you have a plan in place for when you’ll do them. 

In my Ultimate Stay at Home Mom Course you’ll also learn how to use your planner more effectively to actually plan out your day and your week including any preschool at home activities!

How to Store Activity Supplies

Now that you know when you’ll incorporate activities into your daily routine, it’s also helpful to decide where you’ll store the necessary items for these activities!

For example:

• Where do you keep the play dough?
• How do you store small manipulatives?
• Where do you keep stickers and construction paper?

Whether you steal a few shelves in your linen closet, some kitchen drawers or use an art cart, it’s a good idea to first get your playroom or activity space organized so that getting started with activities isn’t too stressful! 

Related: How to Organize & Store Preschool Activity Supplies 

Can you list some activities you do in spring?

A follower asked this recently on my Instagram question box, and it made me realize that all of the Spring ideas shared on my IG needed their own dedicated blog post!

In this post you’ll find ideas for:

• crafts
• spring sensory activities / sensory play
• outdoor activities / scavenger hunt

Spring Activities for Toddlers & Preschoolers (Indoor & Outdoor)

1. Spring Themed Play Shelf

What is a play shelf?

A play shelf should be low to the ground, where your child can reach their toys and books without help. 

You can make a seasonal play shelf (spring, Valentine’s, Fall, etc.) or you can simply rotate the toys and books available on the shelf. 

How to Make this Spring Shelf:

• Include Spring-Themed books
• Add flower toys, bug toys, or other spring-themed items
• Make a pretend play garden with toy vegetables or flowers (I used dried black beans and plastic carrots)

Tip: Keep the lid on the sensory play and store on a higher shelf for younger toddlers. Sensory play should always be supervised by an adult.

2. Spring Play Dough Tray

What’s included:

• Plastic dip tray from Dollar Tree
• Yellow & green pouch caps (I wash and dry them first)
• Green & yellow Legos 
• Rollers, cutters, extruder and other play dough accessories
• Flower STEM toy
• Yellow & green play dough

3. Flower Dot Sticker Color Match

1. On a piece of construction paper draw a few flowers with dot-label size circles for the petals
2. Skill variation: for a preschooler, make it a color match activity where they match the sticker to the outline color of the petal. For a toddler, just add a dot sticker for each petal
3. Set out this activity on the kitchen table or your toddler’s table for them to do in the morning while you make breakfast

4. Pouch Cap Flower Ten Frame

1. On a piece of paper, draw a Ten Frame (5 boxes on top, 5 on bottom)
2. Glue a green pipe cleaner to each box (this is the flower stem)
3. Place pouch caps in a bowl next to the paper
4. Invite your preschooler to add a flower to each stem
5. Talk about how many flowers there are, how many there are if you take away 1 cap, or 3 caps, etc.

5. Build-a-Bug Play Dough Tray

Here’s how to make it:

• Plastic dip tray from Dollar Tree
• Bug Toys
• Pom poms
• Googly eyes
• Pipe cleaners

The build-a-bug play dough activity is a favorite from The Preschool Playbook!

6. Flower Painting

This is a great indoor/outdoor activity for Spring!

• Invite your toddler or preschooler to collect wildflowers (or weeds) from outside
• On a tray or toddler table, provide washable paint for them to dip the flowers
• Demonstrate how to dip the flowers into the paint and then paint on the paper

7. Flower Power Sensory Bin (2 Ways)

How to make a Spring Sensory Bin:

• Shallow plastic storage bin
• Dried black beans & dried green peas
• Flower STEM set (linked in play dough activity)
• Fake gemstones (found mine at Michael’s!)
• Measuring cups & funnels
• Pouch caps 
• Pipe cleaners
• Pom poms

8. Rainbow Fruit Snacktivity

As easy as it looks!

1. Put different color fruit in separate bowls
2. Invite your preschooler to make a rainbow with their fruit!
3. A great indoor activity for before or after naptime!

9. Rock Garden Flower Play

Last summer my husband made the kids a simple “rock garden” in the backyard. He just filled it with pea stone and lined it with garden bricks!

This has become a favorite way to take indoor toys, outdoors!

The setup:

• Bluey characters
• Flower play set
• Lovevery camper & tent

10. Nature Color Sort Scavenger Hunt

You can watch how to make this simple craft in my Instagram Reel!

You can also find more of my favorites saved here: Spring Activities for Toddlers on Pinterest

What to Read Next:

• 3 Year Old Preschool Activities at Home
• Hands-on Activities for 4 Year Olds (Pre-K)
• My 2 Year Old’s Daily Routine 
• Go-To Toddler Morning Activities

Follow Marla on Instagram for more practical solutions for everyday #momlife