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!
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Fun! Spring activities for kids: recreation and hands-on play (1–10)
Easter egg hunt
An Easter egg hunt is also a top spring idea.
It’s eco-friendly because you can reuse toilet paper rolls.
To make them, first cut a roll to about two-thirds of its length, then make diagonal slits.
Tape the vertical edges of the roll together, then carefully cut a slit in the middle without cutting it apart, and place candy inside.
Close the lid with washi tape, and you’re done.
Hide the finished eggs around the room and go hunt for them together!
Playing in the mud in the rice field
Let’s have adults and kids play together! Here are some ideas for muddy play in a rice paddy.
How about using your whole body to play in a paddy before planting, together with parents or teachers? In this video, you can see them playing dodgeball with soft vinyl balls and racing to grab flags while their feet get stuck in the water.
The kids’ favorite activity was sled play, where adults pull a sled with a child riding on it.
It’s a wonderful idea to enjoy spring with play unique to areas rich in nature.
Spring hand-play song
Feel the seasons through song! Here are some ideas for spring-themed fingerplay songs.
When you think of fingerplays that are about spring or evoke spring, what comes to mind? There are actually many spring fingerplay songs you can enjoy with children! The fingerplay introduced in the video, “What Will You Be When You Grow Up?”, is uniquely fun because after showing numbers with your fingers, you then use those fingers to imitate dream jobs.
It’s a perfect fingerplay to enjoy with children who have moved up a grade and grown a little bigger!
Cherry blossom viewing
Spring is the season of cherry blossoms, and some people just can’t skip hanami every year! How about going out with your kids to a spot where the cherry blossoms are in full bloom and enjoying a picnic under the trees? If you spread out a picnic sheet and share a packed lunch, it will surely become a lasting memory for them.
Visiting famous hanami spots is great, but finding a hidden gem nearby makes it easier and safer to take the kids along.
It might be a good idea to keep an eye out for cherry trees in your neighborhood on a daily basis.
clam digging
When it comes to classic spring activities, shellfish digging at low tide is indispensable.
Digging clams like asari and hamaguri out of the sand is fun for both adults and children.
Freshly harvested clams are fantastic in miso soup or sautéed in butter.
Since it’s an activity around water, be sure to keep a close eye on your children and watch out for accidents.
Making crafts while picking flowers
How about trying some flower picking on a walk while enjoying the spring weather? Especially recommended is a fun arrangement where kids draw pictures on a piece of cardboard and then decorate it by placing the flowers they’ve picked onto it in order.
The key is to use a fine pen to poke holes all over the cardboard after drawing the picture.
If you make the holes in circles or patterns, it will turn out even cuter.
Once you’re done, decorate the cardboard by inserting the picked flowers into the holes and create a lovely arrangement!
wild herb picking
In spring, edible wild plants like mugwort, horsetail, and Japanese parsley sprout in the mountains and along riverbanks.
Try picking them, cooking them, and tasting them.
Tempura is one easy way to enjoy them.
For children, it can serve as a science lesson and an opportunity for food education.
Be sure to carefully check whether a plant is edible, and don’t forget to ask someone knowledgeable!
