Spring programs for preschoolers: 19 Stimulating Spring Activities for Preschoolers That Will G

19 Stimulating Spring Activities for Preschoolers That Will G

For many, winter can be a long slog. You and your little ones might be cooped up inside more than you’d like, and that can really drain your ability to come up with fun or creative ways to keep kids engaged and learning.

But never fear—spring is here! While your routine might still feature many of the same activities or a tried-and-true educational TV show, why not take advantage of the spring season and try something new together?

As the snow melts and the trees begin to bud, spring activities for preschoolers can get them up off the couch and embracing the change that comes with a new season.

If you’re up for some fresh, lively activities to keep your little ones busy, look no further! We compiled a handy list of fun crafts, activities and adventures parents and early childhood educators alike can put to good use.

19 Fun spring activities for preschoolers

1. Go on a worm hunt

Anyone with toddlers knows that the world after rainfall can feel like a magical place. Fresh smells, jumping in puddles and those little creatures that have crawled their way to the surface of the earth are sure to capture the attention of your little one. Whether worms are an object of fascination or disgust, your child is sure to be interested. HowStuffWorks® offers various worm-centered activities that can involve observation, interaction or building the worms a new home.

2. Natural herbal modeling dough

Not only does this natural modeling dough from The Imagination Tree smell good, but it’s no-cook and only takes five minutes to make! Mix in rosemary, thyme, sage or whatever other herbs you enjoy. Your kids will have a blast smashing the dough around, and you’ll enjoy smelling the calming herbal aromas that make everything feel more like spring.

3. Coffee filter window flowers

Inner Child Fun offers this fantastic craft to “create your own sunshine” with coffee filter window flowers. The idea is quite simple: Let your preschoolers paint coffee filters with watercolors and once they’ve dried, cut them out into flower shapes and attach them to the windows with a washable glue stick.

4. Make a play garden

Turn a piece of your yard (or already existing garden) into a play garden for your preschooler! Gardening Know How offers tips on how to design the area, which seeds to use and how to plant real flowers with little ones. The concept of planting seeds and watering them will help kids understand the basics of gardening and maybe even create a passion they will carry into adulthood!

5. Flowerpot painting

Another clever seasonal idea from The Imagination Tree—using thick pastel paint and wide brushes, let your preschoolers paint flowerpots. Double the craft with a gardening lesson or simply go along with your normal planting routine and enjoy your extra snazzy pots. These make great Mother’s Day gifts as well!

6. Fingerprint bunnies & chicks

If you’re looking for a simple craft, these fingerprint bunnies and chicks from Sarahndipities should do the trick! Using stamp ink, have your preschoolers press their thumbs onto the ink pad and press them onto thick cardstock. After that, practice drawing bunny ears or chick feet onto the little prints. Add some fun faces and voila!

7. Rain cloud activity

Many of us have vivid memories of hearing thunder signaling an approaching rainfall. The boom of thunder and the sound of rain can bring up all kinds of feelings in toddlers who don’t quite have an understanding of what is going on around them. Little Bins for Little Hands has made a unique activity that can help young ones begin to process what happens during a storm. By using shaving cream, water and some blue dye, this exciting activity can help your child understand what happens when clouds can no longer hold the water they contain.

8. Paper mache Easter egg

The Chocolate Muffin Tree suggests this great idea to create a multicolored egg made out of paper mache. Using balloons, tissue paper and paper mache glue, create beautiful egg-shaped globes that you can use as decorative hangings or as Easter baskets. Feel free to add glitter if you’d like to glam things up a bit.

9. Easy flowerpot cupcakes

The Imagination Tree brings these lovely little inventions to you. Bake cupcakes in miniature flowerpots at the same temperature as usual. Simply extend the baking time by five to ten minutes. Frost them with chocolate frosting to represent dirt. Then stick a green straw into the center of each cupcake to represent the stem. To top it off, place a flower in the top hole of each straw, and you’ve got yourself a garden of cupcakes!

10. Egg planting experiment

Gardening and a carton of eggs may seem like a strange mix, but Sugar, Spice and Glitter designed a really fun spring activity that combines both. After creating a hole just big enough to allow the yoke to drain from the egg (which also makes this a great activity to start around breakfast time), the rest of the project uses the eggshells as a miniature garden to plant seeds. On top of creating this mini garden, your child will also have the opportunity to decorate the egg to their liking. Breakfast, gardening and coloring? Sounds like a win-win-win.

11. Growing beans on cotton balls

This excellent experiment by The Imagination Tree is a great way to teach kids about root systems. Stuff some cotton balls in a glass jar and insert a bean or two on either side. Water the cotton balls until they’re damp, place them near a sunny window and watch their little eyes light up as the beans grow and sprout over time!

12. Paper bag tiara

Happy Hooligans came up with this enchanting springtime craft for preschoolers. Cut and shape a paper bag into a crown that fits around your little one’s head. Then, using a hot glue gun, attach fake flowers and green raffia. Preschoolers can use this style accessory for all sorts of imaginative play or just make a flower child fashion statement.

13. Cherry blossom pompom tree

Play Trains offers one of the more unique tree crafts that you’ll find. When your little one looks outside and sees the world exploding with new life around them, this is a perfect partnering activity to help them recreate the cycle of nature by using pipe cleaners, pom poms and green felt. This is a craft that they are sure to come back to time and time again!

14. Spring-colored sand play

Buggy and Buddy came up with a great idea for a very simple activity that doubles as sensory play for kids. Pour colored sand into trays and place them somewhere where preschoolers can’t make too much of a mess—we recommend outside since it’s spring, after all! Provide materials like straws, yarn or other objects and allow kids to draw pictures in their sand and create textures.

15. Change a flower’s color with transpiration

Science Sparks brings us this classically fun springtime activity: Placing white carnations in colored water. Once you dye the water, cut the stems a bit and place them in the water, you should start seeing results within a few hours! This is the perfect time for a short science lesson about how the water is absorbed and travels up the stem to the flower petals.

16. Frozen chalk paint

Crush up some chalk and sprinkle it into an ice cube tray. PBS Parents® recommends using different colors in each compartment or layering for a multicolored effect. Freeze them and then take them outside to play with on a warm day. The ice cubes will melt in your preschooler’s hand and leave a lovely chalky color on the paper or ground.

17. Broccoli blossom tree

Does your child struggle with eating their broccoli? Well, this activity won’t help, but it may at least offer another use for all that uneaten broccoli you have in your fridge! The Imagination Tree suggests gathering paper, paint and some broccoli to create the outline of a tree that your child can then decorate more fully. Who knows, it may even inspire a greater appreciation for that healthy vegetable.

18. Erupting rainbows

Did that title catch your attention? Teach Them To Fly lays out a really fun St. Patrick’s Day-themed project that involves baking soda, vinegar and various food dyes. When mixing these ingredients together, your toddler will be delighted at what happens next. A fun and unique way to see the colors of the rainbow while celebrating St. Patrick!

19. Toddler-sized egg roll

Plastic eggs are practically everywhere around Easter time—so why not get a little additional utility out of them? Before you pack them away for next year, Toddler Approved has designed a simple and fun activity that is sure to make your little one smile. All you’ll need to start is a larger cardboard box, and then the fun can ensue!

Entertain and educate this spring season!

Spring is a magical season that holds so much excitement for little ones. Take advantage of this small window of time by trying out these springtime activities for preschoolers.

Depending on where you live, these months can still be a bit chilly, and the precipitation can be unpredictable. As spring rolls into summer and the outdoors may become more welcoming, check out “10 Engaging Outdoor Learning Activities for Kids” for more ideas for season-based learning.

HowStuffWorks is a registered trademark of HowStuffWorks, Inc.
Hands On As We Grow is a registered trademark of Oak Avenue Media, LLC.
PBS Parents is a registered trademark of Public Broadcasting Service Corporation.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2016. It has since been updated.

Spring Activities for Preschool – Preschool Inspirations

Spring activities for preschool that are fun for little ones and super easy to prep!

You can finally feel the thaw of the deep freeze known as winter. Birds are singing, leaves are sprouting on the barren trees, flowers are starting to dot the landscape. At long last, spring is in the air. All of this can only mean one thing – it is time for spring activities for preschool! This is one of our favorite themes for preschool!

The snowflakes and cheerful snowmen that have decorated your classroom walls these last couple months can now find their way to the homes of your students. It is time to replace them with bright and cheerful flowers, butterflies, and all things spring!

Related: Spring Lesson Plans for Preschool

Make sure to use some of our favorite spring songs to pair with these activities. And to make lesson planning a breeze, use our spring preschool themes!

Don’t miss our done-for-you lesson plans that make preschool planning super easy! This spring lesson plan from our preschool store is packed with hands-on learning activities! There are printables, songs, literacy and book suggestions, math activities, crafts and art projects, and more!

From real live plants, to beautiful butterfly crafts, to flower-filled math and more, you will find learning ideas for all areas of your spring curriculum right here in one engaging place. Hop on in and enjoy all the springtime joy! 

Preschool Crafts and Art for Spring

Glass Gem Suncatchers – Preschool Inspirations
These gorgeous suncatchers are a must when planning your preschool crafts for spring. They make great classroom decorations and gorgeous gifts for loved ones. To add a special component and literacy connection, your kiddos could make their first initial out of the glass beads.

Hot Air Balloon Process Art – Preschool Inspirations
Don’t you just adore watching the creativity unfold when your preschoolers do process art? It’s simply amazing what those little brilliant minds can come up with. This process art activity will take your kiddos up, up, and away with some hot air balloon fun! 

Torn Paper Flowers – Preschool Inspirations
We love tear art. That’s right, it’s process art with a tear-ific twist. Kids love tearing paper and it’s so beneficial to their fine motor development. Tear art fits virtually any unit of study – be sure to add this flowery edition to your spring activities for preschool. 

Rain Cloud Suncatcher Craft – Preschool Inspirations
You will add some sunshine to a cloudy day with this beautiful suncatcher craft. Milk cartons make perfect suncatchers because of their translucence. This will be one of your preschool crafts for spring that your little meteorologists will just adore! 

Cupcake Liner Flower Craft – Preschool Inspirations
Cupcake liners aren’t just for baking- they are an amazing addition to your home and classroom craft supplies. These flowers will come into full bloom with just a few easy and fun steps for your little artists!

Butterfly Printing – The Craft Train
You simply can’t have spring activities for preschool without some butterflies emerging into your classrooms. I couldn’t possibly love these simple sponge butterflies any more! Easy to do and fun for all ages, there’s even a short tutorial video to show you exactly how to create these sponge masterpieces. 

Colorful Spring Art Project – How Wee Learn
After a LONG winter, we could all use some bright and cheery spring trees, are you with me? Just grab some watercolor pencils or pencil crayons and some paint brushes. These will add so much color and cheer to any classroom or home needing a festive touch of spring!

Coffee Filter Art Flowers – Fun-A-Day
Painting with eye-droppers is not only fun, but also a wonderful way to help develop those important pincer grips. These beautiful flowers will surely become a regular part of your preschool crafts for spring, as they are fun, educational, and make gorgeous window decorations. You can never go wrong with coffee filter art!

Nature Activities

Pine Cone Bird Feeder – Preschool Inspirations
This pine cone bird feeder will undoubtedly take you back to iconic nature activities you did as a kid! Simple, classic, and fun, this bird feeder is a perfect addition to your spring activities for preschool. As an added springtime bonus, you can have your kids collect the pine cones on a nature walk! 

Spring Discovery Bottle – Preschool Inspirations
Spring is a time of an array of new plants emerging, so why not tie that into your sensory bottles? This particular example uses a beautiful desert yucca plant, but any of your local plants and flowers will work. It’s as simple as the plant of your choice, a water bottle (VOSS ones work perfectly for sensory bottles) and some good ol’ h3O. 

Seed Germination for Kids – How Wee Learn
Your little learners will love watching seeds grow as an exciting part of your nature activities! With this activity, you can teach your kiddos all about germination. Use a variety of seeds so that your young botanists can observe variations in how they might not grow.

Preschool Spring Math Activities

Ladybug Counting Busy Bag – Preschool Inspirations
Of all your preschool spring math activities, this one just may be the cutest. These adorable ladybugs are sure to delight all your little mathematicians. You can even add an amazing tactile number-tracing component with some simple glitter glue. 

Paper Clips Flower and Leaves Counting – Happy Tot Shelf
Spring into some flowery paperclip math fun! Green paperclips can be leaves and you can use a variety of colors for petals. There are even suggestions of how to differentiate for your early learners working on one-to-one correspondance, all the way up to your kindergarteners/1st graders working on addition and subtraction. 

Preschool Spring Pattern Cards – Iowa Homeschool Mom
Flowers and butterflies and patterns, oh my! These adorable pattern cards are sure to be a hit as part of your preschool spring math activities. Laminate these free printables for durability and longevity and you will have engaging pattern practice for many springtimes to come. 

Preschool Spring Science and Sensory Activities

Earth Day Slime – Preschool Inspirations
Most kids love the sensorial experience of playing with slime. This one adds an Earth Day twist by encouraging your little ones to make a slime model of earth. The best part of this slime recipe? It also tells you what NOT to do, so you don’t make any of the common messy, ooey, gooey slime-making mistakes. 

Flower Activities for Preschool – Little Bins for Little Hands
If you are looking for preschool spring science activities, then you have hit the jackpot with this one! You get 3-in-1 fun with these engaging flower-filled science activities. With frozen flower cubes, parts of a flower investigation, and a water-filled sensory bin, you just can’t go wrong with all this hands-on flowery fun.

Spring Fine Motor Tray – No Time for Flash Cards
Hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills are essential to develop in little learners. This activity is a delightful way to practice these emerging skills. Your kiddos will surely enjoy planting an array of fake flowers into the tiny holes of a colander. Genius and oh so simple, right?

Spring Literacy Activities for Preschool

Butterfly Alphabet Matching Cards – Preschool Inspirations
These alphabet matching cards are gorgeous photographs of actual butterflies. So many skills are packed into these cards including uppercase/lowercase letter matching, patterns in nature, symmetry, parts of insects and more! 

Alphabet Garden Letter Recognition – Pre-K Pages
Chances are, you’ve had a vegetable garden or a flower garden, but have you ever had an alphabet garden? If not, now is your chance! This delightful, engaging literacy activity is a wonderful way for your preschoolers to practice letter recognition. Your little gardeners will love planting their very own alphabet. 

Spring Showers Alphabet Printable – Kindergarten Worksheets and Games
This super cute matching letter game is a fun way for students to work on letter recognition – with a splash! In this free printable game, children match the upper and lowercase raindrops to the same letter on the umbrellas. It’s perfect for a spring literacy center!

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Shelly Riddle

My passion to teach others began when I was a gymnastics coach in my teen years. I went on to get my degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood and then eventually was blessed with three little learners of my own. I am passionate about making learning hands-on, engaging, and fun and I am delighted to have the opportunity to share this with you through Preschool Inspirations!

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