5 (Frugal) Ways to Enjoy Spring with Your Kids

Written by contributing writer Sarah Dees

One benefit of having young children is the opportunity to savor the simple things in life, such as the change of the seasons.  Celebrating the different seasons of the year is exciting (especially for preschoolers who don’t remember last year!) and a source of lasting family memories for older children.

It’s so easy to distracted by all the tasks that need to be done (laundry, bills, cleaning) and forget to enjoy life, and so this year, I decided that rather than get caught up with my to-do list over our spring break, I would be intentional about spending a week on enjoying the arrival of spring!  The kids and I had a great time, and I definitely plan to do it again next year!

Here are five ways to enjoy spring with your family:

1.  Enjoy a “park week.” Visit as many parks as you can in the span of a week!  Find new parks in your area to explore.  Play on the playground, take a picnic, and find some walking trails to enjoy.

2.  Do a Nature Scavenger Hunt. We did a nature scavenger hunt in the fall as part of our home school curriculum, and it helped us to be more observant and see things we would have missed!  Make a list of things for your children to find.  Some ideas:  a butterfly, a tree with new leaves, a bird singing, a grasshopper, flowers that are purple, etc.  Then head out to the park or walk around our neighborhood!

3.  Plant some seeds and watch them grow. Last week we planted herbs and flowers in pots inside, and we planted grass seed in cake pans to create a “forest” for playing with dinosaurs or other small toys.  We also planted beans in a glass jar with paper towels so that we would be able to watch the beans sprout.  We have had so much fun watching our plants sprout!  Spring is a great time to enjoy the miracle of life that God created.

4.  Paint or draw some spring trees. For young children, draw a tree trunk for them, and let them add leaves by dotting on some green watercolor paint.  One trick for getting young children to use green for the leaves is to cover up the other colors on the watercolor tray with masking tape.  Encourage your older children to choose a tree from your yard or neighborhood to draw.  Draw or paint on spring leaves.

5.  Visit the library to find seasonal books to read. One book that we ran across this year at our library was A Gardner’s Alphabet by Mary Azarian.  This is a great book to introduce preschoolers to the vocabulary of gardening!

How do you celebrate the arrival of spring? Do you have any tips?

About Sarah Dees
Sarah is a Christian mom of three sons who shares inexpensive ways to keep boys busy at Frugal Fun for Boys. She features activities, homeschooling tips, and thoughts on teaching boys God’s Word. You can connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.
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