Fun! Spring activities for children: recreation and hands-on play
We’ve gathered springtime games and activities we’d love children to experience.
After making it through winter and with the weather getting warmer, it’s the perfect season to get moving outdoors.
Many children have probably been eagerly waiting for this time of year.
In this article, we’ll introduce recommended games and recreational activities, focusing on those unique to spring.
We’ve included activities you can enjoy near home as well as leisure outings ideal for spring, so please use this as a reference when planning family trips, everyday play, or outdoor activities at daycare or kindergarten!
- Indoor games and recreational activities recommended for spring
- [For Kids] Fun Activities for Cherry-Blossom Viewing: Recreation and Games
- Recreation Activities That Excite Kids’ Clubs! Plans and Ideas Children Will Love
- Play ideas kids can enjoy from 1st to 6th grade [indoors & outdoors]
- [For Kids] Outdoor Recreation Games: Fun Outdoor Play
- [Elementary School Rec] Recommended Games and Performances for a Fun Party
- [April] Spring Origami for Kids: A Collection of Simple and Cute Ideas
- Liven up your children’s club event! A collection of ideas everyone can enjoy
- [For Kids] Fun Indoor Game Ideas for After-School Day Services
- [Elementary School] Quick and Easy! Indoor Recreational Activities Perfect for Lower Grades
- A collection of simple indoor recreational games
- Indoor and outdoor activities that avoid crowding. Enjoyable for students from first to sixth grade.
- [For Kids] Today's Recommended Recreation Idea Collection
Fun! Spring Activities for Kids: Recreation & Hands-on Play (41–50)
Trampoline play at the park
On a spring day, let’s go outside and have a blast playing on the trampoline.
Kids love to jump, don’t they? Indoor trampolines can be noisy depending on your home, but in a spacious place like a park, you can bounce around without worrying about the sound.
In a large area, you can also get creative—connect two trampolines together or combine one with an inflatable pool for even more ways to play.
Fun! Spring Activities for Kids: Recreation & Hands-on Play (51–60)
Go to the zoo
When it comes to classic spring outing spots, zoos are the obvious choice.
These days, many zoos have areas where you can interact with small animals, making them great for children.
Spring is also baby season for many animals, so you can see lots of adorable newborns.
Looking for a four-leaf clover
The four-leaf clover is something every adult has seen at least once.
In Japanese it’s called shiratsumekusa (white clover).
By the way, the one with red flowers is akatsumekusa (red clover).
Each of the four leaves is said to represent good luck, hope, faithfulness, and love, and it’s long been believed that good things happen to those who find one.
Many children are probably hearing this for the first time, so after they hear the story, they might start searching for one in earnest.
It’s a plant you can see a lot in spring.
It’s a perfect pretext to get kids, who tend to stay cooped up indoors, outside! If you find a four-leaf clover, be sure to press it as a keepsake.
wild vegetable foraging
Spring is actually peak season for foraging wild mountain vegetables, and it’s the time when you can harvest many kinds.
How about going out to forage with your kids? You can often find edibles like warabi (bracken), tara-no-me (angelica tree shoots), and fukinoto (butterbur buds), which are great boiled or as tempura.
However, people can get lost in the mountains or accidentally pick toxic plants, so if possible, it’s best to go with someone you know who has experience foraging.
Make a tulip with origami
Speaking of spring, it’s the season when nature sprouts, and among its flowers, tulips are a particularly lovely and famous symbol of the time.
How about making tulips out of origami? It’s easy and approachable.
Fold tulips in a variety of colors and have fun decorating your room or notebook with them.
Making sakuramochi
When it comes to springtime treats, sakuramochi comes to mind.
The salted cherry leaves have just the right amount of saltiness and pair perfectly with the sweet mochi.
Even if you usually buy them ready-made, making them with your children could become a wonderful memory.
Did you know sakuramochi looks and is made differently in the Kanto and Kansai regions? Talking about that while making them together makes it even more fun.
Freshly made sakuramochi is absolutely delicious.
amusement park
Now this is a can’t-go-wrong kind of recreation: the amusement park! From popular theme parks to nostalgically retro parks, let’s enjoy the amusement parks all across Japan.
Depending on age there may be height restrictions, so it’s best to plan ahead.
In fact, the fun of amusement parks starts with everyone making the plan together! Just thinking about the outing is exciting, isn’t it?