Toddlers have never ending energy! Spring brings a new sense of excitement to be outside in the world that I think makes kids even more hyper. Here is a list of spring activities for your toddler that wont break your budget and are easy to set up.
Spring is Only About 3 Months Long
Writing that down makes it feel like it is going to go by quick.
Are you ready for the next one:
You only have about 18 springs with each of your kids. Only about 3 with a toddler.
I know. I went there. I’ll give you a minute.
It hurts I know.
That is why I want to make sure that you have some ideas that are fun, simple, and low cost spring activities for your toddler that help entertain them.
Your toddler loves you and they love to explore. That doesn’t mean that you have to buy expensive spring activities for your toddler to entertain them. Especially, if you don’t want to or can’t right now.
You are a good parent, even if you cannot give them big costly things.
Spending quality time with your kid is the most important gift you can give.
Spring activities for your toddler that are simple to organize and are budget friendly too means that I am more confident as a parent. When I am relaxed and confident, then everyone else is too!
Free Time/Explorer Time
We adults do not always need to come up with the activities for your toddler. Let them know that they are in charge today, what you will be doing, what to boundaries are, and let them be!
What you need:
Nothing
Bucket of Water
I have an extra plastic box and we fill that with water often to entertain my son. He loves lifting it up and dumping it out all over the concrete!
You can fill the bucket with anything you can find: sand, rocks, dirt, etc.
What you need:
Bucket, water, place to get wet that you don’t have to clean
Bubbles
Bubbles are always fun, especially to the young toddler who is learning how to walk around! They are a fun magic trick!
What you need:
Bubbles
Jump Rope
Jump ropes are tons of fun!
Young Toddler: You can use it like a leash for the and tie it to a pinecone or stick for them to drag around. You could even do some tug of war!
Older Toddler: You can pretend it is a snake chasing them, while you wiggle it. It could be a great river or chasm that they have to jump over!
Oldest Toddler: Tie one end to a fence or tree and help them learn the basics of jump rope: over the head, under the feet.
What you need:
Jump Rope, tree or fence, nature
Gardening – seperate bucket for them
I am learning how to garden with extra hands!
Kids love to get messy, so I let them into the gardening. Young kids help break up the soil, but I do the planting. Older kids help with the planting.
I give toddlers their own bucket of dirt. When they are young it is a place for them to dig and play that isnt in my plants. For older toddlers, they can plant and grow in it with little help from you!
What you need:
Dirt, containers, plants or seeds
Chalk
Chalk is the best!
You can draw, scribble, make obstacle courses, have art competitions, add joy to a neighbor’s driveway. Chalk is a never ending amount of entertainment.
You can wash off the art with a watering can when you are done.
What you need:
Chalk, pavement
Visit a Park
Walking to a near by park is a great spring activity with your toddler. There are other people, new play equiptment, new pavement for chalk, endless opportunities!
What you need:
Time to research and walk to a park, stroller, any activities you want to bring
Make a Picnic
Making a picnic together can be a slow process with a toddler, but it is so much fun for older toddlers to help. They love to have control over anything they can in their world.
What you need:
Food, backpack or basket to hold the food, blanket, wipes, dishes, trash bag.
Picnic at a Park
Take your picnic out into the world if you have the energy! Your toddler may even wear the backpack if it isn’t too heavy.
What you need:
A picnic packed, time to walk to the park
Porch Picnic
No way to go all the way to the park? No worries! We have porch picnics at our apartment often.
It is easy to bring out the high chair and we eat with nature.
What you need:
A picnic packed, porch or yard
Ball Fun- Catch/Roll/Soccer
Catch with older toddlers or roll with younger toddlers can be a great way to use up their energy. You don’t even have to use a ball. You can use a pinecone or other nature found item.
Watching your toddler toddle after the ball is suer cute!
What you need:
Something to throw or roll
Eye Spy
Eye spy is a great game to play wherever you are. You can play it inside, outside, on walks, or with friends.
My favorite part of eye spy is to choose things that the toddler may not know yet. I get to teach them new vocabulary and they will remember it better because it was fun to learn!
What you need:
Nothing
Storm Watching
Watching storms with a toddler can be fun. They tend to get scared during storms, so they actually slow down and want to snuggle!
I will take all the snuggles I can get these days!
We move the couch to face the windows during a storm so that there is more space for storm snuggles.
What you need:
A cozy place to watch a storm, a hot beverage
Dancing In The Rain
One of my favorite things to do when it is raining is dance!
I like to play the song Singin’ in the Rain By Gene Kelly everytime I get to go dancing in the rain. I cannot be grumpy or down, when I am listening to that song!
What you need:
A change of clothes, a towel, a device to play the song (optional)
Puddle Play
After the rain is gone, the puddles are the best part! We splash, run, and jump through puddles whenever we can!
What you need:
A change of clothes, a towel
Dirt Art
Drawing in the dirt or sand is so much fun and a great change of pace from markers and crayons.
You can use sticks, fingers, feet, toes, anything you can think of! You can have competitions to see who can draw the funniest thing. It is tons of fun!
What you need:
A place with dirt or sand, a stick or body part to draw with
Cloud Watching
Watching the clouds can be fun for older toddlers, who get to look at the clouds with you, and younger ones, who will climb all over you because you are on the ground!
What you need:
A blanket
Spring Hide and Seek
You can play hide and seek with people, the normal way.
However you can also play hide and seek with the bugs and nature. If you turn over a rock, can yo find a new type of bug? A worm? The exploration is endless!
What you need:
Nothing
Water Painting
You can pain with only water! When you get pavement wet it becomes darker.
What you need:
Paintbrush, water container, pavement
A Stick Hunt
Who can find the prettiest stick? The most sticks? The longest stick? The ugliest stick? The scariest stick?
Having a stick hunt uses a lot of energy, but also creates a large pile of sticks you can use too!
What you need:
A place with sticks
Stick House/Tower
Did you play with Link N Logs when you were little?
They are basically sticks, so why not try to build a stick house or stick tower after having a stick hunt! You can even try to use the prettiest/ugliest/ longest stick to make a house that is the prettiest/ugliest/ longest too.
What you need:
Lots of sticks, nature decorations
A Leaf Hunt
Who can find the prettiest leaf? The most leaf? The longest leaf? The ugliest leaf? The scariest leaf?
Having a leaf hunt uses a lot of energy, but also creates a large pile of leaves you can use too!
What you need:
A place with leaves
Leaf Tracing
You have a pile of leaves, so lets make some art with them!
Find a flat surface. Lay down the leaves, and then on top put a piece of paper. Unwrap a crayon and use the side to lightly color over the leaves. Beautiful and not so messy art!
What you need:
Leaves, crayons, paper, pavement
Leaf Counting and Sorting
You have a pile of leaves, so lets sort them into categories. You can choose to sort by how they look (color, shape, points), or how you judge them (prettiest, tallest, shortest, ugliest).
What you need:
Leaves
Kids Yoga
You can choose to follow a kids yoga video or you can lead the yoga moves with your toddler. They love to copy you.
This is a great option if you need some time to let go of stress. You can do it together so you both benefit from the exersizes.
My Favorite Yoga Creators are:
Cosmic Kids Yoga – Here is a Spring Bunny Fun Video – 40 Minutes
Yoga With Adriene – Here is her Playlist for Kids
What you need:
A device to play video or time to research poses
Obstacle Course
Creating an obstacle course can be as easy or complicated as you want. I love using neighborhood playgrounds, chalk, and jump ropes. These materials are ones I already own, and are cheap to replace if I need to.
You can draw different paths and even have your older toddler help you create it!
What you need:
Chalk, jump ropes, a playground to visit, sticks
Popcorn and a Movie
Movie nights can be so special for kids. I love having a few popcorn toppings available to change up the flavor and watching a favorite movie.
Remember you can get movies from the library, so you don’t have to buy any!
What you need:
Popcorn, movie player or streaming
Visit Your Library
There is always something fun to find at your local library.
There is usually a storytime, but there may even be a play space you can visit. You never know until you visit!
What you need:
Time and a way to get to the library
Build a Fort
Building a fort is as easy as putting a blanket over two chairs. You can add more if you want, but it is as complicated as you make it!
What you need:
Blanket, chairs, pillows
Build a Movie Fort
Building a fort with a purpose, can help convince a reluctant child to help!
What you need:
Blanket, chairs, pillows, movie player or streaming service
Game Night
Game nights can be fun once you find the right games!
Some of my favorites are:
Gobblet Gobblers – tic tac toe with a twist
Pick Up Sticks – Pick up a stick without bumping any others
Yeti in my Spaghetti – Pick up Sticks with a Yeti
Zingo – Bingo with Words and Pictures
Jenga – Block Stacking and Balancing
Twister – Twist your Body to a Color
Uno – Color and Number Strategy Game
Out Foxed – Like Clue and the whole group is working together, so less competative!
What you need:
A game, maybe snacks
Fly a Kite
An older toddler could run around to keep the kite up in the air for a long time! You will have to help get it up, but after that they can take over!
What you need:
A Kite, a yard or playground
Adopt a Park
Adopting a park to clean up is a great way to help your community. Modeling care for our planet is a great way to instill that value into your toddler at a young age too!
What you need:
Trash bags, gloves
Toddler Led Nature Walk
Find a nature path or playground in your area and let your toddler lead the way! If they want to sit and watch the ant colony, sit and observe with them.
Letting them lead shows them that you value their interests too.
What you need:
Stroller for when they get tired
Make Your Own Drum Set
Sound is facinating to toddlers! Bring out your bowls or pots and let them explore!
You can use ear plugs or set it up outside to help with the noise.
What you need:
Metal bowls or pots, wooden spoons, ear plugs
Storytime Outside
Reading stories outside makes them exciting and new. Your toddler may walk away in the middle of stories and that is okay too. If you force them to stay, then the joy of reading is lost because it is forced.
What you need:
Blanket, storybooks
You Made it!
There are so many spring activities for your toddler to do! I hope you are able to choose a few to try out this spring!
If you do one of these spring activities for your toddler every few days, you will have plenty of ideas to last this spring!
Keeping the activities simple and budget freindly helps you feel more confident in your parenting!
Which One of the Spring Activities for your Toddler was your Favorite?
I want to know which spring activity was your toddlers favorite? Write your answer in the comments down below!
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Pin For Later
Spring is such a wonderful time for toddlers to explore and burn off their endless energy. Simple activities like playing with water, bubbles, or jump ropes can be both fun and affordable. Letting your toddler take charge of their playtime can also boost their creativity and independence. Spending quality time together doesn’t have to involve expensive toys or outings. What other budget-friendly ideas do you have for keeping toddlers entertained this spring?
Great question!
Right now, I can’t think of any other activities for spring, but I have started thinking about going to the pool with my son because it is getting warmer out. He LOVES water and a pool would be a great way to spend a day! Thanks for your comment!
Spring is such a wonderful time to let toddlers explore and burn off their endless energy! Simple activities like playing with water, bubbles, or jump ropes can bring so much joy without costing a fortune. It’s amazing how creative kids can be when given the freedom to lead their own play. Spending quality time together is what truly matters, and these budget-friendly ideas make it easy to enjoy the season. What other low-cost activities could you try with your toddler this spring?
I love spending time outside with our son! The amount of fun he has with some sticks and leaves alone seems endless. Spring is a great time to get outside after being inside for the winter! Enjoy the time you have with your little one!