10 Spring Activities for Kids In and Outside of the Pool
Winter is slowly coming to a close, which means a whole host of fun springtime activities is about to open up! Kids will have to say goodbye to sledding and building snowmen, but most will look forward to everything the warmer season has to offer. While flowers bloom and temperatures rise, you might be looking for things to do to keep the little ones occupied. Look no further –– here is a list of indoor and outdoor activities for kids this spring!
Outdoor Activities
As the cold winter season gives way to the mild weather of spring, warm breezes and glimpses of sunshine are enough to lure anyone outside. Kids will naturally be itching to get out of the house.
You might be able to hop into the pool already, in which case, throw on your swimsuit and get splashing! If not, there are no shortages of things to do in the great outdoors. Here are a couple of suggestions to get springtime fun started.
Flower Planting
While some might balk at the idea of gardening in their free time, plenty of kids love to get their hands dirty. Many flowers –– like primrose, daffodils, and tulips –– bloom brightest in the spring, so this is the perfect time to get planting. This is an easy task that doesn’t require a lot of labor or skill, so it’s great for any age and any attention span. Look around your local shops for some flowers, soil, and shovels, and start beautifying the garden together!
Water Fight
In a lot of areas, pools and beaches might still be closed in the springtime––so what do you do when a particularly hot day comes around? The answer is simple –– a water fight, of course! Fill up balloons from the faucet and load up the water shooters. You can even put out the sprinkler and the water hose. Use whatever you have at your disposal; just don’t forget to gear up with some swim shorts and a swimsuit first!
Simon Says: Pool Edition
If you do happen to have access to a pool in the spring, don your swimsuit and play this classic game. The rules are simple: one player is “Simon”, who has to give the other players instructions (for example, “Simon says splash around!”). Occasionally, “Simon” tries to throw them off by giving them instructions not preceded by “Simon says.” If someone does it anyway, they’re out! If the kids are good swimmers, you can incorporate swimming to one side of the pool into the instructions
Diving for Gold
Here’s another pool activity. One great way to entertain your grandkids is with a bit of friendly competition. Gather up a bunch of coins, or whatever you have that will sink, and toss them in the pool. On the count of three, the kids can put on their goggles and dive in. Whoever gathers the most treasure wins! For extra motivation, you can let the kids keep the coins they found.
Sidewalk Chalk
Almost everybody has fun memories of drawing things on the sidewalk as a kid. As a matter of fact, chalk drawings on the street have been a respected art form since as early as the Renaissance.
Whether you create a giant two-dimensional garden of flowers and smiley faces, or a hopscotch path, a bucket of sidewalk chalk is all you need to get a child’s imagination going. For an extra challenge, you can take turns drawing winding mazes in the driveway that the other person has to solve!
Indoor Activities
As the classic saying goes: April showers bring May flowers. This means that as beautiful as spring can be, it’s not without its fair share of rainy days. But while those flowers are outside soaking up the falling raindrops, there are plenty of fun games and crafts to keep you and the kiddos occupied within the comfort of your own home.
Paper Flowers
While most of us have made a paper snowflake at one point or another, now is the perfect time to learn how to make paper flowers! All you need is some colorful paper from the craft store and a pair of child-friendly scissors. If the kids are very young, you can help them cut the flowers and let them decorate them after. Get creative with colorful tape and patterned paper, as well as beads, pom-poms, markers, and glitter glue. Finally, string the flowers up on some yarn and display them by the window!
Butterfly Finger Painting
There’s nothing like a bit of finger painting to turn a dull day into one full of giggles. To keep with the spring theme, ask your grandkids to paint you two pictures –– one of a caterpillar, and one of the butterfly it will grow into. This is a great way to teach kids about nature and butterflies, of which there are over 750 types in the US alone! Not only will they have a blast being creative, but you will also get some neat art to show off on your fridge!
Rainy Day Movie
Sometimes when it’s pouring outside, the best thing to do is to curl up on the couch and enjoy a family flick. Try to get together a couple of options and let the kids choose what they want to see. To prep for the movie and add some extra fun, you and the kids can bake some goodies beforehand –– you can’t go wrong with chocolate chip cookies and a cartoon!
Springtime Pictionary
Most of us know the rules of Pictionary, but in case you don’t: it’s basically charades with drawing! Players split into teams, draw cards with words on them, and then have one minute to draw them for their partner to guess. Whoever guesses first gets a point! To make the game a bit simpler, you can limit the keywords to a spring theme.
Indoor Scavenger Hunt
There’s nothing like a good scavenger hunt to wake the adventurous spirit of any child. It can be as simple or as involved as you want it to be; either way, most kids are naturally curious and love following one clue to the next. For an added bonus, you can add a little treat for every clue that the child finds –– a bar of candy, for example, or some pocket cash. You can even round up some friends for a friendly competition!
Final Thoughts
Spring is a great time to get your kids and grandkids moving in and out of the house. With the sun out and the sweet scent of blooming flowers, it’s a joy to be outside and experience nature for all ages. Even on those days when the chill of winter still lingers, these activities are sure to give you something to do to keep the little ones busy. If you’re having trouble deciding what to do, try looking over this list with your child. Maybe one of these things will spark their interest, and they may even come up with ideas of their own!
Sources:
20 Best Spring Flowers | BBC Gardeners World Magazine
Butterflies | Smithsonian Institution
Why We're Drawing on Sidewalks Again | Curbed