20 Simple Outdoor Spring Activities for Children

After months of chilly mornings, muddy wellies and cosy afternoons indoors, spring finally arrives! With longer days, blossom on the trees and the perfect excuse to get outside again.

The lovely thing about spring is that you don't need expensive days out or endless entertainment to make it special. Some of the best memories are made in your own garden, at a local park, or while wandering slowly through the woods looking for signs that Spring has sprung. 

Whether you have toddlers, young children or older children, these simple spring activities are a wonderful way to encourage creativity, curiosity and a love of the outdoors. So grab your wellies, head outside and make the most of the season together.

20 Simple Outdoor Spring Activities for Kids

Build a Nature Den

I don't know any child that doesn't love a good den. Using blankets, sticks, branches, the washing line or even a small pop-up tent, they can create the perfect outdoor den! Fill it with cushions, blankets, toys and snacks!

Open a Garden Café

One of my favourite games as a child, again, I don't know any young child who doesn't love playing cafe! With a few bowls, cups and spoons - let them create delicious meals using leaves, petals and grass. (If you're brave enough to give them water they cant create their own gross drinks too! 

Plant Some Seeds

Spring is the perfect time to introduce children to gardening. Sunflowers, runner beans, herbs or cress all grow quickly enough to keep little gardeners interested. Watching something they've planted grow is such a rewarding experience. (Huge bonus if they can eat what they've grown too!)

Blow Bubbles

Sometimes the simplest activities are still the best. Whether you use a little bottle of bubbles, a bubble machine or make your own giant bubble wand, bubbles never fail to make everyone happy!

Draw with Chalk

Chalk, along with bubbles, is something that can keep children entertained for hours. Giant rainbows, hopscotch, obstacle courses, roads! The ideas never stop - and no clean up either, the rain sorts that for you!

Play Hopscotch

Speaking of hopscotch, everyone loves a good hopscotch! Perfect for practising number recognition, balance turn taking!

Go on a Bug Hunt

Take a magnifying glass and see how many tiny creatures you can spot. Look beneath logs, amongst the grass or under leaves and see if you can find ladybirds, worms, ants, beetles or snails. Remember to watch them gently before leaving them exactly where you found them.

Grow Your Own Food

There's something rather magical about eating food you've grown yourself. Even if you only have a few pots on a windowsill or patio, strawberries, herbs, tomatoes or salad leaves are all great choices for beginners.

Make a Nature Collage

Head out on a nature walk and collect fallen leaves, petals, feathers and interesting twigs. When you get home, use them to create a beautiful collage to display everything they found.

Make Nature Perfume

Give your child a small jar or cup filled with water and encourage them to create their own "nature perfume." They can add flower petals, herbs, leaves and a few blades of grass to invent a magical woodland scent. It's wonderfully sensory, encourages imaginative play, and always smells delightfully like spring.

Have a Garden Picnic

Lunch somehow tastes even better outdoors. Pack some sandwiches, fruit, homemade treats and a flask of tea or hot chocolate, spread out a blanket and enjoy a slow afternoon together in the fresh air. 

Create a Nature Treasure Basket

This is especially lovely for babies and toddlers. Fill a small basket with interesting natural treasures like pinecones, smooth stones, feathers and large leaves for little hands to safely explore using all their senses.

Open a Mud Kitchen

If you don't mind a little mess, this is guaranteed to be a hit. Gather some old pots, wooden spoons, bowls and measuring cups and let your children cook up muddy pies, flower soup and leaf pies to their heart's content.

Paint with Nature Brushes

Collect different natural materials such as grasses, leaves, pine needles and small twigs. Secure them to sticks with an elastic band and create your own paintbrushes. Each one makes completely different patterns, making this a lovely way to explore textures.

Dance in the Rain

There's something magical about pulling on waterproofs and wellies and heading outside when it's raining. Splashing in the rain, seeing who can find the deepest puddles!

Make a Nature Bracelet

Wrap a strip of masking tape around your child's wrist with the sticky side facing outwards. As you walk, collect tiny treasures like blossom, grass, feathers and leaves to decorate their very own spring bracelet.

Grow Cress Heads

Cress heads are one of those childhood activities that never lose their charm. Whether you use eggshells, yoghurt pots or old tights, children will love watching their silly hairstyles grow a little more each day.

Make a Bee Hotel

Spring is the perfect time to create a cosy home for solitary bees. It's a brilliant way to teach children about caring for wildlife while encouraging more bees into your garden.

Make a Pine Cone Bird Feeder

Help your local birds by making a simple pine cone bird feeder. Your little ones will love watching to see which feathered visitors stop by for a snack.

Enjoy Some Water Play

You don't need a fancy water table to have fun. Fill a washing-up bowl with water, cups, funnels, jugs, spoons and floating flowers, then let your little ones pour, splash and experiment to their heart's content. It's simple, calming and perfect for warmer spring afternoons.

I hope these simple spring activity ideas inspire you to spend a little more time outdoors this season!

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