Rachel Kiser
Blogger | Mom of Two
Now that the warm weather is officially here to stay, it’s time to get outside and enjoy the longer days with our families! Weekends can easily feel jam-packed with activities or errands, but it’s always a good idea to slow down and take moments where you can get them. Lots of these ideas are doable in the evenings before dinner or bedtime, too!
1. Go to a berry patch. I practically watch my calendar and local berry patch websites to see when their berries are ripe for the picking. It’s been one of my favorite activities to do with my daughter since she was one year old; as the years tick by, she picks berries at least as much as she eats them, now, and it’s a great way to involve your kids in the process of putting food on the table. Not to mention plenty of berries for fresh popsicles, jam, and other treats!
2. Take an evening walk. Save the after-dinner dishes for later and head out for a family stroll after you’re done eating. It’s a great time to get some pre-bed sillies out, and provides an opportunity to talk about the day.
3. Plant some seeds. Another lesson in teaching children where healthy food comes from, putting some easy-to-grow seeds in the ground would be a great way to get your kids involved in mealtime. Green beans, tomatoes, and sunflowers are some easy and fast-growing garden-dwellers. Your kids will enjoy seeing the first flowers form on their plants, and the satisfaction of growing part of your meal will be priceless!
4. Peek at bird’s nests. Or, as a prerequisite, put some birdhouses in or on trees in your yard! Each spring it will be a fun activity for you and your kids to check on any nest-making or egg-hatching progress.
5. Turn over some logs. Recently my four-year-old discovered what a roly-poly was, and now she’s on the lookout for friendly bugs everywhere we go. Take a walk and turn over some rocks and logs– learning about new insects is a great way to interact with nature together.
6. Go to the Flea Market. Our city has a great outdoor flea market every weekend, and we love to go walk around and see what we can find. There are always lots of other families, children, and dogs to look at, and we often come away with some neat trinket, too!
7. Eat dinner outside. I don’t know about your family, but mine sometimes benefits greatly from a change of scenery, especially during one of the toughest times of day. Take your dinner out onto the deck tonight, or, if you don’t have one, to the park picnic tables! It’ll bring up some fun conversation, and the fresh air will relax everyone before bedtime.
8. Head to the Farmer’s Market. The hustle and bustle of farm-fresh food stands and shoppers can be an invigorating Saturday-morning activity! Yet another way to talk to your children about where our food comes from is available at the Farmer’s Market. You’re often able to taste certain fruits and vegetables before you buy them, and having your kids help you pick out the ripest fruit is a great lesson. They can even help you come up with some fun ways to cook what you bring home!
9. Stop by the feed store. In my parents’ small town, there is a local feed store for area farmers. There are always open-air runs of baby chicks and turkeys, too! The kids get a great kick out of being able to interact with these tiny animals, and (added bonus), you get to avoid the long lines at the petting zoo!
10. Play in the driveway. Chalk, bikes, jump rope, bubbles, water play… the possibilities are endless!
What are some of your favorite springtime activities? Feel free to leave a comment below!
About Rachel Kiser
Rachel is a wife and mother living in Raleigh, North Carolina. She’s a fan of good coffee, wearer of gray t-shirts, and is constantly starting books she will never finish. Her family is her joy, and she loves to engage with other moms and dads on matters of parenting. Her blog posts have also been featured on the Today Show Parenting Blog and Scary Mommy.
View all posts by Rachel Kiser here.
50 Comments on “10 Outdoor Spring Activities for Families”
Thanks for such a fun list,we can’t wait to get outside but we are still getting snow here in Newfoundland!
These are great ideas!! I wish we had a place nearby to go berry picking, but unfortunately, we aren’t that cool. Lol I love all these ideas though!
I love to take my kids to the park. My middle son also loves drawing on our driveway with chalk. I love to see all the things he comes up with.. he has such an imagination.
Great post! Before I read this, I had started walking with my 6-year-old and my 2-year-old joins us in a pushable cart. I had started originally for myself, just trying to get as close to possible to the 10k steps that the American Heart Association recommends. A wonderful, yet unexpected side effect is that my kids love walking now. They enjoy being able to get out and see new things. My older one looks to add another block or so every time we walk. And he’s actually asking me to go, rather than the other way around! Great way to spend quality, healthy time with the kiddos.
Your berry patch mention just made me realize I need to look up dates! I know the kids will love that. :)
Thanks for the ideas!
I take my grandkiddo’s to the park and have a picnic, we go swimming quite a bit, play with the water table and toys anything to try to stay cool in the summer heat.. We live in OK it gets hot in summer!
Great ideas. We do a lot of these but I love the dinner outside idea. My 5 year old would think it was the greatest to have dinner by candlelight.
Love your ideas. We always try and walk everyday. We love picnics and tea parties
I love these ideas! Eating outside is so much fun – we go to a nearby lake and have a picnic on the dock sometimes…it’s always peaceful & perfect for reconnecting with the kids…without electronics.
These are all great ideas!! we’ve already done a few of them actually. thanks for sharing
Thanks for the great ideas! I have tried some of these with my kids but will have to try some of the others. We’ve never done the feed store thing and I know they’d love it!
Such great ideas, especially the feed store. My grandson would love this.
Loved all of the ideas! I can’t remember the last time we stopped at a feed store. Since moving to a big city, I think we lost sight of some of more fun things we can do besides going to movies.
Deborah, I’m sure there are some really neat things you can find to do in the city, too– and with all of the cute movies coming out this summer, you’re sure to have fun. I’m personally excited to take my kids to see Finding Dory!
There are some really great ideas that I can do with my 4 grand kids this spring and summer. I myself have never been to a Farmer’s Market.
Paula, that would be so much fun to take the grandkids to the Farmer’s Market! I’m sure they’d have a blast. It’s strawberry season… better take advantage! :)
Some great ideas that I haven’t thought of. Thanks!! We love taking the grandkids for a walk and we take the dog and they love walking the dog!
You are so welcome, Keely- what a great idea, getting the kids involved in taking care of the pets. Enjoy the warm weather with your grands!
We love doing almost all of these!! And bike riding is a must, with two boys :) Nature walks are great, because it’s good excercise AND educational. I pull out my phone and we look up bugs, flowers, trees, etc., as we come across them.
What a great idea! An awesome opportunity to turn an adventure into a learning opportunity. I’ll have to do that too! Thank you for commenting!
Great ideas! My kids and I love to be outside.
Nancy, It’s the perfect time of year for outside time, isn’t it? Before all of the bugs come out and the heat hits us!
Some really neat ideas at little to no expense. The idea is to spend time together. Thanks for posting this!
Thanks Leanna! I hope you have a great Spring full of quality time with your family!
Love these ideas! Thanks!
Thanks for commenting and reading, Stacie!
Wonderful ideas! I can’t wait until the Farmers Markets start up again , my 5 year old daughter loves filling up the grocery bag with healthy goodies. We always make sure to try at least one item that “looks funny” lol. Thank you for the berry patch reminder, we love going but I always forget.
What a cute idea, Desirae!! I love that! I think my 4 year old would love finding a funny looking fruit or vegetable, too!
I like picnics in the park. I also like to get out to the Zoo or the Butterfly Pavilion. We have the gorgeous Rocky Mountains a short distance away. I like to keep an eye out for things to do this weekend from one of our local news stations to find out what going on in the community.
That is a very smart idea, Teresa– I’m sure there are some great newsletters. I don’t know how you’d ever get bored with those beautiful mountains nearby!
Wonderful ideas! I ❤️ Evening walks
Thanks, Elizabeth! I hope you’re having a great Spring!
We are all bird watching a nest in our carport with 2 baby birds. My husband and I love evening walks. And one of our favorite things to do in spring is to grill. Here in AL our weather is already perfect for grilling out!
Gotta love the southern states– keep enjoying and keeping an eye on those baby birds, how sweet to have front row seats like that!
Chalk can be used for alot of stuff
That is so true, Ashley! Glad you guys enjoy it as much as we do.
These are awesome ideas for great money free family bonding. We currently take walks or play ball after dinner. Next I think we will start flipping logs. My boys will live that!!!
I love that– what a fun way to be together as a family, and as you said, without spending a dime! That’s what is really important, isn’t it, Kerri? I hope you continue to enjoy the Spring with your family!
My 4 year old son loves flea markets. We always find fun retro toys.
Maria, I am with you! We found a hilarious solar-panel dancing dog the other week. I couldn’t talk my daughter out of it :) I hope you continue to find treasures with your son!
Driveway play is a must in our family. especially since they found sidewalk paint :-)
How fun is that, bonnie! I bet they come up with some beautiful creations!
We get outside when ever we can. Great list to mix it up
Christina, I know it’s as refreshing to your spirit as it is to mine. Keep on enjoying!
My grandparents always took us for a walk after dinner at their house. They would give us lollipops as a treat sip er called it the lollipop walk. Great memories.
That is the sweetest, Sharon! the Lollipop walk. You’ll never forget that, what precious memories.
we love to play in our driveway we just recently put a lil plastic pool there and soon there be a sand table joining it
I love your blog – We are planning our own trip to the local berry patch! You have a lot of great idea for families!
Patricia, I am so glad you enjoyed it– have a blast at your berry patch, I’m sure you’ll have a great time together!
We love using sidewalk chalk! It’s fun and enjoyable on a nice day. Thanks
Thanks, Crystal! Have a great Spring with your family, such a beautiful time to be outdoors.