Spring is here- Let’s hop into it! We love this time of year- the longer days bring more sunshine, warmer weather and we’re surrounded by the promise of blooming plants! We’ve compiled a list of activities for the whole family to help welcome the season.
Spring into Activity
Search for spring with this interactive activity from Vroom guaranteed to get the whole family out and moving. To start, take a nature walk in a nearby park, trail, or even your own backyard. You can help your child practice observational skills and engage all the senses with these five simple questions:
- What do you see? Ask your child to describe something close to them and something far away. Are there new flowers in the yard? Do you see any animals?
- What do you hear? Ask your child to close their eyes for a moment then ask them what they can hear. Are their insects nearby or birds singing?
- What do you smell? Have everyone breathe in deep and then share what they smell. Flowers? Freshly mowed grass?
- What do you feel? Show them how to sink their hands or toes into the earth and then ask what it feels like. Softly touch the flower petals or leaves, pause to feel the air on your cheeks.
- What do you taste? While there certainly are edible flowers and grasses, they are not always easily accessible. So, pack a snack or picnic for your nature walk and take time to pause and reflect on the flavors of the food.
The act of recognizing what’s around us and what we can see, hear, smell, and feel is a great way to regulate our bodies and practice mindfulness. If your little one’s day has gotten off to a rough start, a mindfulness activity like this may help everyone hit ‘refresh’ on the day!
Also, in a sense-filled activity like this one, you may notice your child’s tolerance to or limitations around sensory information. In other words, they may really enjoy sensory experiences or may have a threshold for how much is too much. There are ways to support a child who loves sensory experiences- offer toys with texture and color, dance or make music- and ways to tailor time and everyday experiences for those who are more sensitive- create quiet time, avoid crowds. Observation is key to discovering how your child feels. Learn more about thresholds here.
Spring into Crafts
For these bouncy paper flowers all you need is construction paper, glue, scissors, and markers. Follow these easy steps and when you’re done, you’ll have new decorations for the house or great gifts for special people in your life.
- Start with the spring, or base, of the flower by cutting two long strips of green construction paper.
- Glue the strips together by the ends so that they make “L” shape.
- Create the accordion affect by folding the strips over one another. When you can’t make any more folds, cut off the extra and glue together.
- Time to draw the flowers- any flower and shape your little one can dream up.
- Cut out the flowers and clue it to the top of the spring and test it out-does it bounce up and down?
- Use the final product as a toy, a decoration, or a gift!
Thank you PBS.org for this great idea. Visit their website for a video demonstration of the spring-y flower and more activities.
Spring into Story
Does your child love story time? Gather round to listen to the book I Am Spring. The story teaches what the new seasons brings and what to look for, like baby animals and longer days.
You can also settle into The Thing About Spring as Rabbit, who loves winter, learns to work through a hard change and new surprises.
More Ideas:
Read on for information regarding child development and milestones and how to support your child’s cognitive and social-emotional development.
Find more seasonal crafts, like paper rainbows and springtime terrains, here.