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Outdoor Spring Activities For Toddlers

Living in Canada means that I’m a wicked snow driver, I adore mid February vacations and by the time April rolls around I am BEGGING to be outside! While I don’t despise the super long winter, I do get sick of it. And with a two-year-old and a baby, I’ve gotten quite annoyed at being so housebound (-20 is a bit to chilly for my new one to be outside!). so while I like to pretend I’m poolside (like with this fizzy watermelon slushie) by the time spring comes I jump at the chance to get out.

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The downside of spring in Canada is that it’s not always promised to be uber warm. Currently, we’re sitting at plus three which, while it does feel nice after such minus temperatures, is still a bit cold.

But that is no excuse not to jump outside!

Thankfully, my toddler is an outdoors lover so even with the chilly temperatures we’re rocking some super fun outdoor spring activities each and everyday.

We tend to watch a bit too much TV in the winter for my liking so my rule is that when we’re outside it’s a technology free zone (mostly).

I aim for activities, games or toys that don’t have batteries, flashes or any kind of screen.

From a mom perspective, outdoor spring activities for toddlers can not only be fun, cheap and easy but I think there’s a lot to learn in this season too!

The below activities are by no means fancy. They don’t require a lot of thought or too much planning- which is why they work for toddlers! Toddlers don’t need things to be complex, they just want to learn and play.

Spring Activities For Toddlers: Puddle Splashing

This is easily a one of the classics when it comes to spring activities for toddlers- and my daughters favorite! We put on our rain boots and walk around the neighborhood splashing in puddles. Sometimes we bring toy boats with us and other times we count how many puddles we see in one block.

Not only does this keep your toddler active but if you’re counting it helps with their memory too!

Save The Worms

This is one I used to do as a kid and my toddler loves it. Plus, I’m a huge advocate that kids need to get dirty (read about the benefits of dirt here) so this one is right up my alley.

After a big rain, go around and pick up the worms off the pavement and put them back in the grass. Once the sun comes out if it gets hot enough the worms will fry so this way you “save the worms”. Make it a game and see who can save more!

Blowing Bubbles

My toddler is OBSESSED with bubbles (which frankly, is adorable). So, a good way to waste away a few minutes outside is to have a bubble blowing contest!

If your toddler is young, we do a blow & catch game (I blow the bubbles and she runs to see how many she can catch before they hit the ground).

If you have slightly older toddlers, or a group you can see who can blow the most bubbles in one breath! Another fun one for us is to blow them for the stray cats outside. It’s really fun to watch them chase the bubbles and wonder why they’ve disappeared ?

Hide & Seek

if you have a big-ish back yard this is a fun one with toddlers are you won’t be hiding too intensely anyways. Or, hit up a park with trees for a quick game.

Any & All Sports

Springtime is when we bust out our soccer ball, bouncy balls and basket balls! While my two-year-old doesn’t really grasp the concept of game rules we do have a lot of fun practicing, moving and kicking.

Obstacle Courses

This one is one of my favorite spring activities for toddlers because it gets them jumping and moving! Buy a couple of cheap plastic hula hoops INSERT LINK and anything else you can think of (we have a big tree stump, a 2 x 4 etc) and set up a big obstacle course! Have them jump in and out of the hula hoops, step over the stump, walk along the wood beam and then see how many times they can do it!

Feed The Ducks

Finally, we can get back outside to our furry friends! Once spring time comes we grab some oats and head to the closest river and feed the ducks and geese (toddlers are kind of like old people :P). This is a wonderful time to teach your kids about the quality of food… for animals!

Foods like bread is actually harmful to our outdoor ducks and geese just like it can be to us. We feed our ducks oats and pumpkin seeds and they love it. Real food is best ?

Stick Collecting

We have a lot of trees in the backyard so one of our tasks in the spring is to pick up all the sticks that fell from winter and tidy up the yard.

Baby bear loves to grab a pail and help us by filling her pail with sticks and “helping daddy”. This one is a great activity for younger kids who just want to follow you around. I love “activities” like this because it helps kids understand responsibility. Plus, you can count them to encourage learning numbers.

Gardening

Depending on where you live it might be warm enough to start a bit of gardening! Here in Canada we can’t really garden until summer but in the spring time we get everything ready. Baby bear always gets seeds in her Easter Basket (here’s some more non candy ideas) so we start our seedlings and keep them on our covered back deck until it’s warm enough to get them in the ground. Like I said, Baby Bear loves playing in dirt!

Get On A Bike

Spring is a great time to check out your bikes and prep them for summer. Your toddlers are never to young to learn how to fill tires (have them pump the tires to wear them out!) and have them measure their seats to see if they grew.

Then the best part… go ride bikes!

Honestly, outdoor spring activities for toddlers don’t have to cost much or be too technical. Toddlers love to learn, move and play so simple is best. And after a long winter- outdoor goofiness is exactly what’s needed! Get some sun, get moving and use these ideas to wear out and stimulate your littles.

Don’t forget to pin these outdoor spring activities for toddlers!