Are you ready for some Preschool Spring activities? There are so many amazing spring activities here, you won’t know which to choose!
Preschool Spring Activities
To begin with, I like to bring spring into every area of my classroom. So, I put up Spring-themed vocabulary posters, and I always have pocket chart vocabulary strips prominently displayed. We even add a Spring Alphabet over our existing alphabet wall! I have an entire collection of themed alphabets in my TPT store. As a result, my class always learns a ton of Spring vocabulary along with their letters!
A play-based classroom will always include a sensory area, block center, and an inviting dramatic Play area! For this reason, our block table will change each theme, and for Spring I like to bring out Legos. Building with Legos will give the kids a chance for some non-theme-related free play.
In addition to that, our sensory bin will have a rainbow of rice or garbanzo beans. You can dye dried garbanzo beans easily by placing them in bags with liquid watercolor overnight and drying them for about an hour afterward. The color is crazy vibrant! And of course, our Spring Garden Center Dramatic Play area is always a fun way to explore Springtime!
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Preschool Spring Activities: Math
I love this Numeral Identification activity! First I created a Number mat, making sure the numbers were not in order. Then I took a Spring scene and numbered it in sections to match the mat. I cut the scene into numbered sections. Next, I give the kids a mat and a set of numbered scene cards. The trick is to match the numbers and make the picture. Consequently…the kids LOVE this activity. Teacher tip: keep a close eye on all the parts so that pieces don’t get mixed up. I use cookie sheets or some amazing plastic trays I found at the Target Dollar Spot. (they always have them in mid-late July! Keep your eyes open!)
This is a FANTASTIC counting activity. Actually, it combines 3 standards in one activity! Counting, Numeral ID, and 1-1 correspondence. First I created flowers from some cute clip art and green chenille sticks. Next, I made mats with numbered flowerpots-which are open at the top. The idea is to have a “bouquet” of flowers in the middle of the table during center time. The kids each get a mat with a numbered flower pot. Next, they will count and “plant” that many flowers into the pot. I’m always there to guide them and help them count. By the time we get to Spring, however, most kids can do this center independently. It’s perfect! The templates for the flowers and mats are in my “All About Spring” 5-Day Lesson Plan in my TPT store.
Above are a few more of the fun and engaging Spring math centers and activities that I love to use in my classroom. Last but not least, remember to choose math activities that cover your standards. The printable activities pictured above do just that! Counting, measuring, numeral writing, numeral identification, patterning, and basic shapes. Make sure your class is getting a well-rounded math experience all year!
Preschool Spring Activities: Literacy
My Pre-K kiddos are really into their letter sounds. So this letter and sound match game is always a big hit. We spend a lot of time thinking of even more things that begin with the same sound. For younger kids or those who are struggling, make sure you begin with only a few letters at a time.
Some other activities that my Pre-K kiddos LOVE during this time of year are anything that has to do with rhyming. I have found that a rhyming sort is such a good way to introduce rhyming word families. That being the case, this Spring Rhyming Sort is perfect for this theme! Just ‘read’ the picture pair cards, and listen for the rhyme. Next, choose the right mat for the word pair. You can also add rhyming puzzles, rhyming word families, and any other rhyme games or activities you can think of…they will learn a lot and have fun doing it!
Letter-matching games always make a great literacy center. I made these cards with uppercase letters in the top section and a series of lowercase letters below. Using those fine motor skills, the trick is to clip a clothespin on the matching lowercase letter for each card… That way, I can do a straight match, or work on matching upper to lowercase letters with the kids. This is an activity that even my 3-year-olds can do. I only use the letters we have learned during the year to make it so they can feel successful!
Above are a few more of the fun and engaging Spring literacy centers and activities that I love to use in my classroom. Remember, just like with math activities, it is important to each to your state standards for literacy as well. All of the above activities will help you reach your goals for the year. Above all, make sure you include letters, initial sounds, letter identification, letter formation, and lots of vocabulary in each theme and unit.
Preschool Spring Activities: Science
Spring and plants go hand in hand. Because of this, I do two of my favorite plant activities with this unit. We begin our unit by talking about how flowers and plants get water from the earth. So, I bought white flowers and placed the stems in different colored water. I use liquid watercolor instead of food coloring because I have noticed it works a lot better and the color will show faster and clearer.
I ask a question at the beginning of our experiment…”Will the flowers drink the colored water and become the color of the water?” We make a simple Yes/No graph with their names and we watch and wait. It normally takes about 2-3 days to see dramatic changes…the kids are always amazed!
And of course, no self-respecting preschool could let Spring go by without planting beans! Beans grow quickly and are fun to take home and plant in their own gardens. I love to let the kids make and decorate their own planting sticks that we then use as a marker in their cups. All you need are cups, craft sticks, dirt, water, and bean seeds. The rest is up to Mother Nature! I like to time our planting so the kids can bring their bean plants home for Spring break. (it gets the responsibility off of me! LOL!)
My Spring Bookshelf
Keep your classroom library full of fiction and nonfiction books about Spring, Gardens, Seeds, and Plants. As a result, you’ll encourage more interest in books. As well as curiosity that will last a lifetime!
Preschool Spring Activities: Art
When Spring begins, I start by making puffy paint clouds and raindrops. My idea is to make different Spring elements over a 2-3 day period to create an amazing spring bulletin board. I cut out big cloud shapes from 12 x 18 construction paper, raindrops from light blue, and mix up some white glue and shaving cream o make the puffy paint. the kids love the puffy paint so much! I always make a fresh batch for each group…watching it being made is their favorite part!
Next, we make coffee filter flowers. It’s so easy! We like to take coffee filters and let the kids color them with markers…all over! Next, we give them spray bottles…which brings in a motor skill element…and let them spray the filters with water like rain. The end result is beautifully blended colors too make a flower. Add a stem and a leaf or two and you have a garden!
Another of my favorite art/literacy/fine motor activities is “Planting a Rainbow”. We will read the Lois Ehlert book by the same title during whole group time first. For center time, I assembled a template page and a few price dot stickers in rainbow colors for the kids. They love to make a rainbow “garden” by turning the stickers into beautiful flowers. it is one of my favorite art-literacy connections of the year!
If you like these centers and activities, you can find them in my TPT store in All About Spring 5-day Lesson Plans for Preschool, PreK, K, & Homeschool.
I hope you enjoyed these Spring activities!
