While it feels like this winter season has lasted longer than usual, spring is (hopefully) right around the corner! As the earth starts to thaw, the trees start to bloom, and the birds start to sing, there will be more time to spend outside. This is the perfect time to plan fun activities for your children. While we still may not be able to do some of the activities we usually enjoy in the spring due to the pandemic, there are still so many ways to enjoy the springtime with your children!
At Growing Kids Learning Centers, we know how beneficial doing different activities with your kiddos can be! Not only does it get them moving, stimulate their minds, and get them away from the screen, but it is a great way to bond as well. We offer a variety of child care programs that allow your children to learn and develop new skills. Plus, we have a summer camp that allows children to spend time outside, take part in different activities, and make the most of summer!
In this blog, we are going to give you some ideas for some fun spring activities to do with your kiddos at home! Read on to learn more and be sure to enroll your children in our summer camp today!
Make an Outdoor Fort
Forts are always fun for children and can give them a place to hang out and play. While indoor forts are always a great idea, you can make your fort building even more exciting by building a fort outside!
Be sure to check the forecast to ensure that it won’t rain that day or for a few days after in case you want to leave the fort up. Use a tarp to lay on the ground and use as the floor of the fort. Try to find an old sheet that you no longer use and hang it from a tree, staple it to the fence, or throw it over a ladder to get the fort started. You can use the natural aspects of your yard to help you create a fort that is fun and unique.
Let your children play where they want the fort and how they want to build it. This will help them learn decision-making and problem-solving skills! Plus, it allows them to create an outdoor fort that includes their favorite natural aspects, whether it is a tree, a garden bench, or the soft green grass that covers your lawn.
Create a Fairy Garden
You may have seen fairy gardens in your neighborhood before. These gardens include small figurines of cottages, bridges, fairies, and other pieces to create a little fairy village. You can head to a local nursery or shop online to find some fun pieces to add to your fairy garden. It may be more fun to go to a nursery and have your children pick out the pieces they want to include.
If you don’t want to buy pieces for your fairy garden, you can also make some! Walk around your yard with your kiddos and gather pine cones, leaves, pine needles, old flower pots, and any other things that could be used for your fairy garden. Use your craft supplies to create different pieces and then head back outside to help your children set up their fairy garden. This can be a fun way to spend time outside and help your children enjoy nature more! Plus, they will be able to set up, rearrange, and move their fairy garden whenever they want.
Go On a Nature Scavenger Hunt
Create a scavenger hunt for your kiddos to do in your backyard or when you are at the part together. Add things like bugs, birds, squirrels, flower buds, bird nests, and other natural aspects to the list for your kiddos to find. They will love running around and looking for these different things.
This is a great way to get outside and help your children get excited about nature. It will also cause them to actually look around and take in the beauty that is all around them. This is a great activity that can help keep your kiddos busy outside and running around for a while!
Start a Garden
Gardens can be a fun thing to do with your children and can be beneficial for a number of reasons, from teaching them how to grow their own food and patience to teaching them to care for something other than themselves. And the spring is the perfect time to start a garden!
Decide whether you want to grow a flower garden or a vegetable garden and take your kiddos to go pick out plants or seeds! This can be a fun project that will last all spring and summer long, giving your child something to look forward to and keep track of throughout the warmer month.
As the plants start to grow, your child will become even more excited and begin to learn more about plants and how amazing nature truly is. Plus, it can help them learn how to eat healthier if you choose to plant a veggie garden!
Make a Bike Course
A bike course can be a fun and unique way to spend time outside with your children! While riding bikes is fun for the whole family, a bike course can keep your children entertained for hours. Use chalk, cones, and other items you have in your garage to create a course in your driveway, on the sidewalk, and in the street (if it is safe).
You can either create a racetrack that is big enough for multiple children to ride around at the same time or just make it a fun course that they can take turns doing. Your kiddos will love working on their bicycling skills in their course and they can even throw on some rollerblades or use a scooter to go through the course! The best part is, if you make the course with chalk, you can make a new one after it rains or by simply hosing off the old course.
Make Bird Feeders
Bird feeders are a fun item to have in spring. They can invite all sorts of birds into your yard, which can be fun to watch and even more fun to listen to! While you can always go out and buy a bird feeder, making one with your child is even more fun!
Whether you make it out of wood, make-your-own bird feeder kit, or come up with some other creative way to make a feeder, this can be a fun activity to do with your kiddos that they will absolutely love. They will get excited every time a bird swoops down to enjoy the feeder they made!
These are a few of the many great spring activities that you and your children can do to enjoy the beautiful outdoors and spend more time together. If you are looking for something for your kiddo to do during the summer months, be sure to check out our summer camp program and enroll them today! Contact Growing Kids Learning Centers today to learn more and start planning some fun spring activities to do with your kids!
