Spring has sprung, which means your kids are probably eager to head outdoors! Your backyard can only bring so much entertainment by itself, though. If you're looking for fun spring activities for preschoolers, try these exciting nature-themed projects.
Create an Outdoor Fairy Garden
A fairy garden is a fantastic craft for kids. Parents can choose to have their kids design their own fairy houses using a terracotta pot, a clay saucer, paint, and other craft materials or they can buy a kit that contains fairy garden decor.
No matter which option you choose, you will also need the following items for this activity:
- Planter
- Potting soil
- Plants
- Stones and pebbles
- Moss
Simply follow this easy tutorial on how to assemble your garden and then have your kids keep an eye out for magical creatures taking refuse in their decorative space.
Make a DIY Compost Bin
Composting is a great way to teach your kids about recycling and this is a fitting project with Earth Day approaching! To create a DIY composter, you'll need:
- A two-liter plastic bottle, scissors
- A pushpin
- Dirt
- Shredded paper
- A spray bottle filled with water
- Plant scraps
Since most of these items are likely lying around your home, this is an easy spring activity for preschoolers that you can do at the last minute. For a full tutorial, check out this awesome child-led video from PBS's Full Time Kid.
Build a Bee Bath
Before the summer heat sets in, make sure that the world's most important pollinators stay hydrated! To do this:
- Have your kids decorate the outside of shallow terracotta dishes (make sure they do not have a hole in the bottom of them).
- Fill the space with small pebbles, rocks, or marbles.
- Then pour water overtop and place the dish in a spot near one of your more prominent garden spaces.
The intent of a bee bath is to give them access to water while protecting them from drowning. So put enough water in the bath for them to take a drink, but don't overflow the dish.
Conduct Easy Spring Flower Science Experiments
Teach your preschool kids about transpiration with this simple science experiment. If you've forgotten this part of their elementary education, transpiration is the process where a plant transports water from its roots up to its leaves and then releases it back into the atmosphere.
To conduct this activity, all you need are some white flowers, a handful of clear vases, and some food coloring. Then:
- Simply fill your vases with water and add in 10-15 drops of food coloring to each vase (one color for each container).
- Trim an inch off each flower stem and place them in the water.
- Wait one hour and you'll notice your white petals turning into a rainbow of colors!
Grow a Living Easter Basket
Crinkle paper is a classic filler for an Easter basket. This year, up the ante and have your kids grow some real grass! The process is simple - just remember that it will take approximately ten days for the grass to grow.
Materials
All you need:
- A 10-inch basket
- Some aluminum foil
- A grass-making kit
- warm water
- A spray bottle
Instructions
To grow your grass:
- Grab a bowl and soak the included peat disc in three cups of warm water.
- Line your basket with aluminum foil.
- Once all the water has absorbed, transfer the soil into the basket and sprinkle your seeds on top. Don't be stingy! Make sure they cover the space.
- Sprinkle a light layer of soil overtop and place your basket in a sunny window.
Now just wait and watch for your grass to grow! Your kids will have to water this daily using their spray bottle. This can be a great lesson in responsibility. Once your kids get their green space thriving, grab some Easter decorations and let them spruce up this adorable decor.
For parents who want to speed up the growing process, soak your seeds in water the night before your kids put together their baskets. Then cover the assembled baskets in cling wrap until you see your grass begin to sprout.
Design Stunning Spring Sun Catchers
This is a spectacular preschool activity for spring that can be done outdoors on a sunny day or indoors when the weather is a little less than desirable.
Materials
The only prep work that has to be done is that your kids need to collect some flowers and leaves. Other supplies include:
- Clear Con-Tact paper
- Paper plates
- Scissors
If you want to hang up your pieces when you are done, you will also need a hole puncher and some ribbon or pipe cleaners.
Instructions
To make the sun catchers:
- Parents should cut out the center of their paper plates ahead of time and then trace the center of the plate on their contact paper two times. For best results, cut out the two circles with an extra inch of space along their perimeter to ensure that it adheres properly.
- Once this is done, you are ready to start your sun catchers! Simply peel off the backing from the contact paper and place it on your work surface face up. Then, apply your paper plate frame on top.
- Now let your kids work on their wonderful nature designs. Once they are done, apply a second layer of contact paper face down to seal in the plant life. Finally, give them some markers and stickers to decorate their frames.
- For hanging, simply make two holes, one at 10 and one at 2 if it were looking at a clock face, and attach your ribbon or pipe cleaner to either side to create your handle. Hang and enjoy the view.
Learn About April Showers
For your future meteorologist, this can be a fun learning activity that teaches kids why it rains! You see, over time, water droplets accumulate within the cloud. However, as more and more water begins to build up, it gets too heavy for the cloud to hold. This causes a release, which is how we get rain.
Materials
To showcase this, all you need is a clear glass or jar, shaving cream, water, and blue food dye.
Instructions
To show kids why it rains with this activity:
- Fill the clear glass up with water (the open space that sits between the ground and the cloud).
- Top it with shaving cream (your cloud).
- The food dye is your water droplets. Slowly drop your food dye over the various parts of your cloud to simulate this stormy scenario!
Craft Seed Paper
Teach your kids about the importance of giving back to the earth by crafting seed paper!
Materials
For this fun activity, you will need:
- Some seeds
- Old paper, water
- Apotato masher
- A mesh splatter screen
Instructions
- Have your kids rip up as much paper as they can and then soak the small pieces in water for a few hours.
- Once mushy, have them grab their masher and start squishing! The goal is to make the mixture as fine as possible.
- Next, press the mixture against the splatter screen. The intent is to remove the excess water, but not to press out all of the water.
- Sprinkle your seeds over the paper and press them firmly into place. Allow the paper to dry on the screen overnight and then remove it.
- Finally, have you kids decorate the paper, cut it into fun shapes, and write fun letters to loved ones on it.
Once someone receives these notes, they can transform into new life. Recipients just need to rip them up, plant them, and water the space. They should start to sprout within two weeks.
Enjoy Nature With Fun Preschool Activities for Spring
Spring's a time of growth, and you can help your kids see the purpose of the season and the magic that surrounds this time of year with these unique preschool activities for spring. For the parents looking for enterprises outside of their homes, also consider exploring area farms, helping in a community garden, and visiting local farmer's markets! These can be great learning opportunities and places to learn more about nature.
