55 Fun and Engaging Spring Activities for Toddlers!
Watching your toddler grow up is a bittersweet feeling. From first crawls to first words to becoming their own little person, time seems to fly by too quickly.
As parents, we want to make as many happy memories as possible before they’re all grown up.
Spring is the most beautiful time to get outside and share new experiences together. The world wakes up with fresh colors, gentle warmth, and exciting sounds, perfect for curious little explorers to find alongside you.
In this collection, you’ll find simple spring activities perfect for toddlers. We’ll explore outdoor nature adventures that get little hands dirty in the best ways.
You’ll find sensory play ideas that stimulate their growing minds and mess-free water activities for sunny days. This blog includes easy crafts, backyard games, and learning activities that feel like pure play. Let’s make this spring unforgettable!
Spring Playtime Is Just What You and Your Toddler Need
Spring offers the perfect balance of fresh air, mild temperatures, and natural curiosity triggers for toddlers.
After months of indoor play, toddlers are eager to move, understand, and engage with the world around them. These springtime activities encourage:
- Physical movement to burn energy and build motor skills
- Sensory development through touch, sound, smell, and sight in nature
- Bonding time between parents and toddlers through shared fun
- Mental stimulation with new seasonal colors, textures, and experiences. For parents, these playful moments aren’t just fun; they also help build daily structure, ease transitions, and turn ordinary days into memory-making opportunities.
Outdoor Nature Adventures
Spring is the perfect time to get those little feet moving outside! The season brings so many natural wonders for tiny hands to touch and explore. Grab your jackets and let’s head outside for some fresh air fun!
1. Nature Bracelets
Wrap a piece of tape around your toddler’s wrist, sticky side out. Go for a walk and let them press small flowers, leaves, and grass onto the tape. Watch their face light up as they make their own nature jewelry!
2. Simple Bug Home
Help your toddler gather sticks, leaves, and rocks to make a cozy spot for bugs in a corner of your yard. Talk about how bugs need homes just like people do. Check back each day to see if any tiny visitors have moved in.
3. Puddle Jumping
Put on rain boots and head outside after a spring shower. Hold your toddler’s hand as they splash and jump in puddles. Count the splashes together or see who can make the biggest one.
4. Mud Pies
Set up an old pot, some spoons, and cups in a dirt patch. Add a little water and let your child mix and mold “pies.” This messy play builds hand skills and sparks pretend cooking fun.
5. Be Nature Detectives
Give your child a toy magnifying glass and look closely at tree bark, grass, and leaves. Ask simple questions like “What do you see?” or “How does it feel?” to build their thinking skills.
Sensory Play Ideas
Toddlers learn best when they can touch, smell, see, and hear what they’re playing with.
These sensory activities wake up their growing brains and help them understand their world. Spring brings so many new textures and scents to explore!
These mess-controlled ideas let your little one dig in without turning your home upside down. Get ready for some happy squeals as tiny fingers find all sorts of spring sensations.
6. Flower-Scented Play Clay
Mix food coloring and flower petals into homemade play clay. Your toddler will love squishing and rolling the sweet-smelling dough while building hand strength.
7. Garden Sensory Box
Fill a plastic bin with fake grass, toy flowers, and plastic bugs. Add small shovels and cups for digging and moving things around. This clean indoor activity brings garden fun inside on rainy days.
8. Ice Melt Fun
Freeze small flowers or toy bugs in ice cubes. Put them in a bin with warm water and let your toddler watch and help them melt. Talk about how ice turns to water when it gets warm.
9. Jelly Bean Hunt
Hide colorful jelly beans in a bin of dry rice. Give your child a small cup to collect the beans they find. Name the colors together as they dig for these sweet treasures.
10. Cloud Fluff Box
Fill a box with cotton balls and call them clouds. Let your toddler move them around, stack them, or make shapes. Add blue paper at the bottom for sky and toy birds for extra fun.
Water Fun in the Sun
Toddlers and water play go together like sunshine and spring! These water activities are perfect for those first warm days when your little one is ready to splash.
These ideas contain the mess while letting your toddler enjoy water’s magic. Grab some towels and get ready for some wet and wonderful playtime!
11. Sponge Water Bombs
Cut colorful sponges into strips and tie them in the middle to make soft water bombs. Fill a bucket with water and let your toddler dip and throw these gentle splash-makers.
12. Toy Car Wash
Set up a washing station for bikes, scooters, or toy cars with soapy water and sponges. Your toddler will feel so helpful while having water fun and learning about cleaning up.
13. Colored Water Squish Bags
Fill zip-top bags with water and a few drops of food coloring. Tape them closed and let your toddler press and move the water around on a flat surface. The colors and movement make this a fun, mess-free water play option.
14. Turkey Baster Water Play
Fill a small pool or bin with water and give your child a turkey baster. Show them how to squeeze and pull water into it, then squirt it out. Add cups to fill for more learning fun.
15. Floating Flower Pool
Put fresh or fake flowers in a kiddie pool and let your toddler play among them. They can sort colors, make patterns, or just enjoy the pretty pool of petals on a hot day.
Creative & Crafty Fun
Little hands love to create, and spring gives us so many pretty things to make! These crafts are simple enough for toddlers but still make something they’ll be proud to show off.
These activities help build fine motor skills while letting your child’s creativity bloom. Grab some paper and paint and let the spring art begin!
16. Flower Paintbrushes
Dip dandelions or small flowers in washable paint and press them onto paper. The marks they make create one-of-a-kind nature art that shows how different flowers make different shapes.
17. Spring Sun Catchers
Cut the center from a paper plate and cover the hole with clear contact paper. Let your toddler stick flower petals and tissue paper bits onto the sticky surface for a window display that catches light.
18. Butterfly Feet Prints
Paint the bottom of your child’s feet and help them press them onto paper in a “V” shape to make butterfly wings. Once dry, they can add details with crayons or stickers.
19. Cardboard Birdhouse
Cut a simple house shape from a box and help your toddler paint it. Cut a hole for a door and hang it with a string in a tree. Watch birds check out your child’s handiwork together!
20. Plant Seed Balls
Mix soil, clay, and wildflower seeds with a bit of water until you can form small balls. Let them dry, then plant them in your yard. Your toddler will feel so proud when flowers start to grow.
Backyard Games & Gross Motor Play
Spring days are made for running, jumping, and moving those growing bodies! These backyard games get your toddler’s big muscles working while teaching them basic skills like throwing, aiming, and balance.
The fresh spring air makes any game more fun, and these ideas need just a few items you likely have at home. Head outside and watch your little one light up with the joy of moving their body in the sunshine!
21. Pool Noodle Ring Toss
Cut pool noodles into rings and set up a stick in the ground. Stand back with your toddler and take turns tossing the rings to land on the stick. Move closer or farther to change the game.
22. Garden Bottle Bowling
Set up plastic bottles in your yard and put a flower sticker on each one. Give your toddler a soft ball to roll toward them. Count how many flowers they knock down each time.
23. Chalk Road Track
Draw a road with chalk on your driveway or sidewalk. Add curves, stops, and go signs. Your little one can drive toy cars along the path, learning about following lines and road rules.
24. Nature Crawl Tunnel
Set up a row of boxes with the ends cut out to crawl through. Place potted plants or flowers along the sides to make it feel like a garden tunnel. Crawling is great for building arm and leg strength!
25. Flower Pot Toss
Label plant pots with colors and set them up in a row. Give your child bean bags to toss into the pots. Name each color as they aim for it to build color words while playing.
Spring-Inspired Learning Activities
Toddlers are like little learning machines, soaking up new info every day!
These spring activities sneak in counting, colors, and thinking skills while your child has fun. They won’t even know they’re building brain power as they play with spring items.
Each activity takes just minutes to set up but helps build the skills they’ll need for years to come. Learning through play is the toddler way, especially with these spring-themed ideas!
26. Petal Color Sorting
Collect flower petals of different colors. Draw circles on paper and help your toddler sort the petals by color into each circle. This teaches them to notice the same and different.
27. Nature Walk Counting
Take a walk with your toddler and count things you see: three birds, two red flowers, one butterfly. This makes a simple walk into a fun number game they’ll want to play again and again.
28. Leaf Matching Game
Find different leaves and trace them on paper. Then help your child match the real leaves to the right shapes on paper. This builds looking skills and shapes knowledge.
29. Spring Sound Game
Play recordings of bird calls, buzzing bees, or rain while outside. Ask your child, “Do you hear that sound in our yard?” Then try to find the real thing making that sound nearby.
30. Egg Carton Counting
Put number stickers in each cup of an egg carton. Help your child count flower petals, small rocks, or beans into each cup to match the numbers. This hands-on counting connects numbers with amounts.
Story & Imagination Play
Spring is a time when stories come to life! Your toddler’s mind is full of big ideas just waiting to burst out like spring flowers.
These activities help them step into make-believe worlds where they can be anything from a hungry caterpillar to a garden queen. Pretend play builds language skills and helps little ones work through their feelings.
Join in their spring stories and watch their faces light up with joy!
31. Hungry Caterpillar Game
Read the book, then go outside and pretend to be hungry caterpillars. Crawl around looking for pretend foods from the story. End by curling up in a blanket “cocoons” and coming out as butterflies.
32. Busy Bee Hunt
Hide yellow pom-poms around your yard. Give your toddler a small basket to be their “hive” and help them buzz around collecting the “pollen.” Count how many they found at the end.
33. Flower Crown Making
Cut flower shapes from colored paper and tape them to a strip of paper sized to fit your child’s head. Let them wear their crown while they pretend to be garden kings and queens.
34. Spring Dress-Up Day
Pull out bright colors, flower prints, or butterfly wings if you have them. Let your toddler dress up in spring colors and dance around to fun music like tiny flowers growing in the sun.
35. Garden Fort Fun
Spread a blanket over a table or chairs in your yard. Put stuffed animals and books inside this “garden house.” Your child will love having their special spot to play and read.
Mini Gardeners in Training
Toddlers love to copy what grown-ups do, and gardening is the perfect spring activity to share! These simple growing projects let little hands dig, plant, and water without needing a big garden space.
Watching things grow teaches patience and care, and your toddler will beam with pride when their very own plants sprout.
Even the tiniest apartment can fit these mini garden ideas that bring the magic of growing things to your little one.
36. Tiny Herb Garden
Let your toddler help fill small pots with soil. Show them how to poke a hole with their finger and drop in basil or mint seeds. They’ll feel like real gardeners when they water their plants each day.
37. Painted Flower Pots
Give your child a plain clay pot and washable paints. Let them cover it with handprints or brush strokes. Plant a small flower in their special pot when the paint dries.
38. Grass Head Buddy
Help your toddler fill an old stocking toe with soil and grass seed. Tie it off and put googly eyes on it. Place it in a cup with water at the bottom. In a few days, the “hair” will start to grow!
39. See-Through Worm Farm
Put soil and a few worms in a clear jar with small holes in the lid. Let your child watch how worms move through the soil. Talk about how worms help plants grow by making the soil better.
40. Plant Markers
Help your toddler glue pictures of vegetables or flowers onto craft sticks. Stick them in your garden or pots to show what’s growing there. Your child will feel proud helping in the “big garden.”
Fun with Food & Snacks
Spring brings fresh colors and flavors that can make snack time more exciting! These simple food ideas turn everyday eating into playful moments that even picky toddlers will enjoy.
These snacks need just minutes to make but bring big smiles to little faces. Get ready for some tasty spring fun that’s as good to look at as it is to eat!
41. Fruit Flower Plate
Cut fruit into shapes and arrange them on a plate like flowers. Let your toddler help place the pieces, and then they can enjoy eating their pretty creations.
42. Butterfly Snacks
Place two round crackers side by side with a celery stick in the middle and pretzel sticks on the sides. Your toddler will love eating this butterfly snack they helped make.
43. Flower Cookie Fun
Bake simple sugar cookies and let your child spread icing on top. Give them sprinkles and fruit pieces to make each cookie look like a spring flower.
44. Rainbow Veggie Sticks
Help your toddler put colorful veggies on a skewer in rainbow order. Talk about each color as you go. This makes eating vegetables more fun and teaches color order too.
45. Spring Green Smoothie
Let your child help put Mint, Grapes, and an apple in a blender with a little water. Call it “spring juice” when you serve it. They’ll feel so grown-up drinking something they helped make.
Quiet Time & Wind Down Activities
After all that spring energy, little bodies and minds need time to slow down. These gentle activities help transition your busy toddler from play mode to rest time.
They’re perfect for those moments when the day’s excitement starts to turn into tired fussiness. These quiet spring ideas keep the day’s theme going while helping your little one find calm.
Settle in together and enjoy these peaceful moments that are just as important as the active ones.
46. Make Up a Spring Story
Cuddle up and start a story about a spring animal. Then ask your toddler, “What happened next?” Write down their ideas to read back later. Their silly stories will make you both smile.
47. Cloud Watching
Lie on a blanket outside and look up at the clouds. Ask your toddler what shapes they see. This calm activity helps build talking skills and teaches them to use their mind to see pictures.
48. Calming Jar
Fill a plastic bottle with water, glitter, and a drop of food coloring. Seal it well and let your child shake it and watch the glitter fall slowly. This can be a perfect way to calm down after a busy play.
49. Spring Coloring Time
Print simple flower or bug pictures and color them together. Talk about your color choices and what you like about spring. This quiet activity builds hand skills needed for writing later.
50. Listen to Bird Songs
Find bird sound recordings or just sit quietly outside. Ask your toddler if they can hear birds singing. Try to copy the sounds together for a giggly wind-down time.
Bonus Activities
Just when you thought we were done, here are five more spring favorites! These extra ideas give you even more ways to enjoy the season with your little one.
They mix different skills and interests for those days when you need something fresh and fun. Keep this bonus list handy for when you hear those dreaded words, “I’m bored!” Each one brings its special spring magic to your toddler’s day.
51. Bug Matching Game
Draw pairs of simple bugs on cards. Turn them face down and take turns finding matches. Even young toddlers can play with just a few pairs to start.
52. Building Block Garden
Use blocks to build flower shapes or garden beds. Add small toys as “plants” and toy animals to visit your block garden. This builds both hand skills and pretend play.
53. Streamer Windsock
Help your child glue or tape colorful paper streamers around the edge of a paper plate with the center cut out. Hang it outside to catch the spring breeze and dance in the wind.
54. Toy Picnic Time
Set up a small blanket with tiny plates and cups. Let your toddler arrange their toys around it for a spring picnic. Serve pretend tea and snacks to all their stuffed friends.
55. Spring Song Dance Party
Play happy songs about sunshine and flowers. Hold hands with your toddler and spin, hop, and wiggle to the music. Singing and moving together build joy and language at the same time.
That’s All, Folks!
We’ve reached the end of our spring adventure list! I don’t know about you, but just writing these ideas has me excited to get outside with my own little ones.
Remember when I said these activities build skills?
The truth is, they build memories too – the kind your toddler might not remember in detail but will feel in their heart forever.
I still laugh thinking about my daughter’s face the first time she jumped in a puddle and realized getting messy could be FUN. What moments will become your family stories?
I’d absolutely LOVE to hear which activities you try! Did your toddler have a favorite? Did something wonderfully unexpected happen during your spring play?
Maybe you have a brilliant idea I missed? Please drop a comment below, your stories make this community bloom!
