Spring is the perfect season to slow down, get outdoors, and create simple family memories. The days are brighter, the weather is milder, and nature offers endless opportunities for play, learning, and connection.
Whether you have a baby, an energetic toddler, or school-aged children, here are easy, low-pressure spring activity ideas the whole family can enjoy.
Spring Activities for Babies
Babies experience spring through their senses, so focus on gentle, sensory-rich activities:
1. Pram Walks & Fresh Air Time
Take daily walks and talk to your baby about what you can see—flowers, birds, trees, and clouds. Fresh air can work wonders for both baby and parent. Make sure to bring appropriate layers, knitted cardigans and blankets work well to keep baby warm from a spring breeze!
2. Outdoor Tummy Time
Lay a blanket on the grass and let your baby explore textures, colours, and sounds safely outdoors. Babies will love to explore things with their mouths so keep an eye on what your baby has access to.
3. Spring Sensory Play
Let babies touch petals, smell flowers, or listen to birdsong. Narrating these moments helps early language development. If warm enough, water play is great for sensory exploration, why not float some leaves in water and let your baby get their hands (or toes) wet!
Spring Activities for Toddlers
Toddlers love to move, explore, and copy what they see—spring is ideal for this stage.
1. Nature Walks & Collecting Treasures
Go on short walks and collect leaves, sticks, or flowers. Talk about colours and shapes as you go. My favourite thing to do with my own toddlers is to create a large picture with the things you find on a walk when you get home, get out that PVA and get messy!
2. Puddle Jumping
April showers mean puddles! Wellies and waterproofs turn rainy days into fun adventures. Bring a spare outfit and warm blanket for the car ride home to avoid cold, wet toddlers!
3. Simple Gardening
Let toddlers help plant seeds or water flowers. Watching something grow teaches patience and responsibility. Why not visit a garden centre and pick out the seeds together, there are plenty of plants you can grow on your kitchen windowsill, you don't need a huge garden plot!
4. Spring Scavenger Hunt
Toddlers love spotting familiar objects. Download my FREE Spring Scavenger Hunt Printable to turn a simple walk into an exciting game they’ll ask to play again and again. Simply print (and laminate if you can) and head outside with a pen and cross of your finds!
Spring Activities for Children (4+ years)
Older children enjoy more independence and creativity. These activities encourage learning through play:
1. Outdoor Picnics
Pack lunch, head to the park, and let children help prepare snacks or choose a picnic spot. Somewhere near a park is always a winner!
2. Spring Crafts
Create flower crowns, paint rocks, or make spring collages using items collected outdoors. Create a fairy wand out of a stick and grass or why not do a nature colour hunt to encourage independent play!
3. Nature Journals
Encourage children to draw flowers, insects, or weather changes they notice during spring. Using different materials such as pens, pencils, crayons, charcoal, etc help develop a love for creative arts. Why not bring a small mirror to help see things from different perspectives.
4. Scavenger Hunts & Challenges
Use the Spring Scavenger Hunt Printable as a screen-free way to keep kids engaged while exploring nature.
Why Spring Activities Matter
Spring activities support:
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Physical development through movement
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Emotional wellbeing through outdoor play
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Curiosity and learning through nature
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Quality family time without screens
They don’t need to be expensive or complicated—simple moments are often the most meaningful.
Make Spring Memories Together
At Nutmeg and Bentley, we believe childhood should be filled with calm, connection, and intentional moments. That’s why I’ve created a FREE Spring Scavenger Hunt Printable you can download and use again and again—perfect for babies in prams, curious toddlers, and adventurous children alike.
Save this list, print the scavenger hunt, and enjoy a slower, more joyful spring with your little ones.