Spring Activities for Young Children
The days are getting longer and the outside temps are rising! Spring is a wonderful time to get out and enjoy some activities with your baby and your toddler/preschooler! Read on to to get some ideas for fun and age-appropriate Spring activites.
If the weather is just too good to stay inside, load up the kids and head to a local park. We really like the way Pullen Park has play areas spaced out with some playgrounds being specially designated for toddlers and preschoolers. Of course, all the littles we know love the sand pit and water play feature! If you want to stay close to your home, go on a little neighborhood walk (or just stay in your backyard) and do a scavenger hunt or play “I Spy” to look for birds, squirrels, flowers, pine cones, etc. We love the ideas that can be found at The Toddler Playbook (includes an age-approriate pictoral nature scavenger hunt for toddlers and preschoolers).
It wouldn’t be Spring without a bunch of fun area festivals. Your little one will LOVE going to the free NC State Farm Animal Days April 9-21! They will get the chance to see and touch animals, learn a bit about farming, and even get to sit on some farm equipment. If you are feeling brave, you can hit up the Howling Cow Creamery afterwards for some delicious ice cream. Another fun spring festival is the Junior League’s Touch-a-Truck event on April 22. This event is a kid-favorite, especially if they love watching construction vehicles, emergency vehicles, and the weekly trash pickup. This event requires a ticket to attend.
If you feel like going on a little road trip, pack up the diaper bag and some snacks and head to the NC Zoo in Asheboro. The zoo has paved trails so pushing your stroller should be pretty smooth. The zoo is very large and spread out so go ahead and give yourself permission to not try to see the whole thing in one day. Babies, toddlers, and preschoolers will love looking at the giraffes, elephants, lions, tropical birds, and all kinds of other animals. The zoo also has a few playgrounds if you need a break from pushing that stroller! If you don’t want to drive to Asheboro, consider checking out the much-loved Museum of Life and Science in Durham. Both the zoo and the museum require paid admission.
If it is a sunny, warm day and you want to stay in your driveway, there are lots of fun things you can do with your little ones. Grab a bucket of water and some paintbrushes and let your kiddos go to down with “painting” the driveway. Pick up some nontoxic sidewalk chalk and your kids can chalk your drive. You may want to take a pic and talk them about how the rain may wash it away just to get ahead of some potential disappointment. Blowing bubbles is always a fun activity for young children. Fubbles Bubbles makes a great bottle that won’t tip over and spill so it is toddler-friendly.
Jump in puddles! With Spring comes those lovely spring showers. Throw on some raincoats and boots and head outside. Let your little ones jump in any puddles they see! If you are worried about getting mud inside, leave some towels and clean clothes on your front/back porch to change into before you go in the house.
Spring is a wonderful season to get outside and make some memories with your child. Even if you only have 10 minutes, that’s ok. We go for quality time over quantity around here. We hope some of these activities will help guide some of your time. Your child will be delighted to be with you and to be outdoors enjoying a sensory wonderland.