[Childcare] Fun Spring Activities: Ideas for Nature, Movement, and Crafts
In spring, when the warm sunlight feels pleasant, colorful grasses and flowers bloom and insects become active, giving children more chances to go outdoors and connect with nature.
So this time, we’re introducing fun play ideas that are perfect for spring.
We’ve gathered lots of engaging ideas that spark children’s curiosity—from nature-based activities unique to spring to fingerplays, eurhythmics, and crafts.
As a new school term begins, let’s incorporate plenty of play so children can spend each day freely and joyfully.
Let’s enjoy spring to the fullest!
Please note: In this text, items made by the children are treated as “works,” so we refer to them as “seisaku (制作).”
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[Childcare] Fun Spring Activities: Ideas for Nature, Physical Play, and Crafts (21–30)
Let’s have fun searching for spring wildflowers
When spring comes, small, cute flowers start appearing along the roadsides, don’t they? Dandelions, white clover, and fleabane are typical examples, but there are also edible plants like horsetails and mugwort.
How about going outside to look for these spring plants? Dandelions, which many children are familiar with, actually come in two types: Japanese and foreign varieties.
You can tell the difference by looking at the back of the flower.
You can also have fun making rings out of dandelions or flower crowns out of white clover.
figure-eight pinwheel
Feel the spring breeze! Here’s how to make a figure-eight pinwheel that’s perfect for preschool activities.
You will need: paper plates, double-sided tape, wood glue, bamboo skewers, beads, and decorations.
Cut out the centers of two paper plates.
Punch four holes, then combine the plates into a figure-eight shape using double-sided tape.
Put a bit of wood glue into a bead’s hole and attach it to a bamboo skewer.
After threading it through the hole, wrap tape around the skewer so the plate doesn’t slide down.
Assemble the second tier the same way, add decorations, and you’re done!
Making dandelions with plastic raffia (suzuran tape)
Here’s a craft project for making dandelions with yellow raffia tape.
Wrap the raffia tape around a piece of cardboard to give the dandelion volume.
About 10 wraps creates a nice, full dandelion.
Remove the tape from the cardboard, tie the center, and then split the strands while imagining the dandelion’s petals.
Stick the raffia tape together with double-sided tape, draw the leaves with crayons, and you’re done! It might also be fun to draw your favorite insects and flowers around it.
Spring snack making
Here’s a spring snack-making craft activity.
Prepare construction paper, paint, tissue paper, pastel crayons, and paper cups to make a delicious-looking strawberry cake.
Paint the paper cup to use it as the cake base.
Tear, crumple, and glue the tissue paper to look like cream.
Add strawberries made from construction paper to finish! Gluing the tissue paper with some volume gives it a three-dimensional look, making it resemble a real cake.
Cutting and gluing can also be good practice for using glue and scissors!
Spring flowers made with blow painting
We’ll introduce a spring-themed craft using blow painting to create spring flowers.
Prepare drawing paper, crayons, paint, brushes, and water.
Draw the leaves and stems of the flowers on the paper, and decide where the flowers will go.
Drop some paint for the flower color slightly above the crayon-drawn stems, then blow through a straw to spread the paint.
The paint will scatter around, forming petal-like shapes and delightful, unexpected patterns.
When blowing through the straw, keep it a little distance from the paint and blow with some force—this is the key.
Give this a try for your spring art project!
yomogi-jōbu nochildren’s song
Do you know the children’s song “Yomogi-jōbuno”? It’s a springtime game passed down in parts of Niigata Prefecture.
Children hold iris and mugwort in their hands and play by smacking each other on the butt—a slightly unusual way to play.
Iris is believed to ward off evil, and mugwort is said to dispel toxins.
The child who isn’t hit until the end becomes the next “oni” (tagger), so everyone runs around desperately to avoid being tagged.
The rules are simple, so even small children can enjoy it.
It’s a lovely game where kids can move their bodies to the fullest in the spring fields and experience the power of nature.
Bug-catching game
Once you’ve got your very own original bug cage and butterfly net, it’s time to head out! Here are some ideas for pretend bug catching.
Bugs are familiar friends to children—whether it’s spotting pill bugs on a walk or chasing butterflies.
This time, let’s make a one-of-a-kind bug cage and net.
We’ll use recycled materials like milk cartons and plastic bags.
Decorate them with pens, stickers, and cutouts of your favorite motifs from construction paper.
Once you’re done, let’s go out to the schoolyard or park!