35 Things to Enjoy with Your Grandchildren in the Springtime

Spring is – hands-down – my favorite time of year!

I spend a couple of days a week with my four-year-old grandson and his baby sister. Let me tell you, that little boy and I have already been talking the past couple of weeks about getting back outside and…

…playing in the yard.

…going for walks.

…eating popsicles on the backyard bench.

…enjoying some new yard games that we received at Christmas.

Spring brings refreshment for the body and the soul, and today we celebrate its arrival. What activities that you put aside for winter’s cold, will you engage in with your grandchild as the weather warms?

In case it’s been so long you can’t even think, please allow me to give you a helpful nudge.

35 Things to Enjoy with Your Grandchildren in the Springtime

1. Go on a hike.
2. Play in the rain.
3. Pick flowers.
4. Climb a tree.
5. Play flashlight tag.
6. Play a game of H-O-R-S-E.
7. Grandpa/Grandchild or Grandma/Grandchild date. Let the child plan it.
8. Plant a garden.
9. Go garage sale shopping.
10. Make a dandelion necklace.
11. Have a Hula-Hoop contest.
12. Ride bikes.
13. Make a bird feeder.
14. Have a staring contest.
15. Attend an outdoor concert.
16. Decorate Easter eggs and have an egg hunt.
17. Catch butterflies.
18. Go outside. Take your normal indoor toys and activities outdoors.
19. Make a wind catcher.
20. Create shadow puppets on a wall.
21. Puddle jump.
22. Feed the birds.
23. Enjoy a neighborhood baseball game.
24. Watch a storm.
25. Make boats from empty milk cartons. Then race them in a creek.
26. Wash the car.
27. Go outdoor bowling – You’ll need one ball (heavy enough to knock your pins over) and ten bottles (two-liter bottles work well). Fill the bottles a fourth to a third full of water or sand.  Head outside to the patio or driveway.
28. Clean up at a local park or playground.
29. Spring clean.
30. Go on an outdoor treasure hunt.
31. Play catch or follow the leader.
32. Roll down a hill.
33. Explore the familiar with a magnifying glass.
34. Cloud gaze. What does that cloud look like to you?
35. Go on an alphabet scavenger hunt – Give your grandchild a notebook or journal, a pencil, and a camera. Next head outside to your yard, neighborhood, or nearby park.  Beginning at “A” and working through the alphabet, have the child find something that begins with the letter, take a photo of it, and record it in their book.  Leave room in the book for the photos to be added after they have been developed or printed.  (No camera?  Have them draw in their findings.)

Come on. Get outside and party.

And if your grandchildren don’t live nearby, don’t fret. You can still enjoy this beautiful and refreshing season with them. All it takes is a little ingenuity.

For instance:

Mail them flashlights for playing flashlight tag or a magnifying glass for their explorations. Send them clues for treasure hunts or journals for alphabet scavenger hunts. Join them via video chat as they play and explore outdoors.

What ideas can you add to our list for either nearby or long-distance spring play?