Seven Of The Best Spring Sensory Activities For Toddlers

Hello MLindawrites, family! Who else is enjoying the Spring season with their family today? I hope you and your little ones are doing well. There are various spring sensory activities for toddlers to create with your child and endless possibilities.

These fun and easy DIY sensory bins will create a wonderful world of creative play for you and your toddler.

I have tested hundreds of bins for Anthony, and they have helped modify his emotions and behavior.

Having ADHD is far from easy, and we have had a lot of ups and downs trying to figure out ways to play without Anthony getting into trouble.

Through trials and tribulations, Anthony started to communicate thanks to the use of these extraordinary bins.

His moods changed from gloomy to happier because he felt understood about his needs.

These bins provide a safe and unique way for your toddler to engage and bond with you, their favorite person.

As someone born on Earth Day, in the Springtime, I always seek exciting activities to share with Anthony and others. 

Hop onto the Spring Scene!

The weather is pleasant, and the flowers are blooming, although I understand that the pollen can be terrible for those with allergies, particularly in Florida. I empathize with those who suffer through these unfortunate changes of season.

However, I have discovered exciting ways to enjoy the Spring season both indoors and outdoors with your little ones.

I love creating colorful activities that engage and enlighten my son Anthony. Doing these activities together has led to a closer bond, and I feel my son’s confidence springing up each day.

Anthony has ADHD and cystic fibrosis and requires a stimulating and engaging experience, even with meals. I like to find great ideas to make him feel included in his caregiving.

Going outside is one of the best ways to explore the various sounds and textures of the season.

Spring offers a variety of colors, from blooming flowers to hatching insects like butterflies, which make the world a more enjoyable place.

Using unique spring sensory activities for toddlers, you can bring the season to life and help your children learn about the beautiful world around them in nature.

Fond Memories Creating Activities with Toddlers

This image belongs to MLindawrites.com

You can engage your little one in many activities, from scavenger hunts to water play.

Even something as simple as blowing bubbles can entertain toddlers and caregivers and create a fun afternoon full of precious memories.

I have many fond memories of growing up in the North with my family, especially in Lawrence, Massachusetts, where I lived until I was seven.

Fast-forward to 2024, and my sister and I have a big family of five children! They’re not babies anymore and range from ages 10 to 17.

The seasons are always fun and memorable in our home, which is full of fun activities.

As a mother of two and an aunt to three, I loved doing creative activities with the kids when they were toddlers.

From macaroni rainbows to baking playdough cupcakes, parenthood and caregiving were never dull with toddlers around.

Some of the best Spring activities for toddlers have the most vibrant colors and interesting textures.

It was a joy to help our kids explore and navigate the world safely and positively.

How I long to relive those days again!

Creating sensory activities for toddlers has become a family tradition I still follow.

Eager Beavers Spring into Action: Spring Activities for Toddlers

Toddlers are active and eager learners, ready to engage with and learn about the world around them. It is a beautiful time for them to explore new things.

The seasons’ changes are breathtaking. From blooming flowers to bright green grass, winter is gone, and the days of outdoor activities begin.

Finding ways to explore and experiment with activities together makes the seasons so much fun.

Anthony and I love taking long strolls in the evening and spotting different trees, bugs, and flowers.

Springtime is a time of wonder when sleeping animals stir from a long winter’s nap. I’m sure that they are also busy exploring the world like your little ones.

On my sensory activities hunt, I found eleven fun and engaging activities you and your toddlers will love.

These spring activities for toddlers will help you find fun and fulfilling things to do together this Spring. The season only lasts so long!

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1. Spring Scavenger Hunt Activities for Toddlers

Do you enjoy taking walks out in nature? I can guarantee that taking your child along will create an adventure you both didn’t expect.

A nice stroll through your neighborhood or local park can be a learning and peaceful experience together. You will both find things you never knew were around you.

Turn your daily walk into an adventure with a nature scavenger hunt. This activity engages multiple senses and encourages exploration.

Depending on your toddler’s age, you can use a Nature scavenger sheet or nature scavenger hunt cards. Either option is a winner, and your toddler will have a great time.

Materials needed:

1. Clipboards
2. Markers or crayons
3. White paper
4. Nature Scavenger sheet
5. Nature Scavenger hunt cards
6. Baskets or toat for collecting items
7. Water bottle for the walk

Below are some steps to help you find a new adventure this Spring.

• Create a simple list of items with optional pictures that younger toddlers can easily find. 
• The list should include simple things like colorful flowers, fluffy clouds, different textured leaves such as smooth and bumpy, and chirping birds. 
• Adding texture to the senses provides a beautiful way for children to explore the world around them.
• Encourage the toddlers to check off each item as they find them or collect the objects in a small basket. 
• You can even extend the fun by using their finds to create a nature collage or a sensory bin at home. It’s an excellent way to make your children feel a part of the activity.

Hang up your nature collage or show your sensory bin online to share your idea. You and your toddler worked hard, so give yourself a round of applause and enjoy a picnic to celebrate.

2. Planting Power: Spring Sensory Activities for Toddlers

Do you have a garden that you will start in the Spring? Spring is the ideal time to introduce your child to the magic of growing things.

As a child, I always enjoyed gardening. From tomatoes to cilantro, there are beautiful things to grow and enjoy together.

Growing things is fun and can be a fantastic way to explore nature and different textures.

A planting power garden bin can be the perfect option for helping your toddler explore gardening without danger.

When you see that your toddler is also comfortable engaging with the sensory bin, you can move on to the next step, natural gardening.

Pretend gardens are wonderful spring activities for toddlers because of the many different ways you can create your garden.

You can adjust the beans and rice you purchase for your sensory bin and the container size depending on how many children play with it.

I found 4-8 bags of beans to be a perfect amount. I get rice and beans relatively cheap at my local grocery stores.

Materials needed:

1. Beans of your choice (garbanzos, black beans, etc.) 4-8 bags
2. A large plastic storage container
3. Bugs so they can roam around the garden
4. Little plastic jars to capture bugs
5. Magnifying glass (for inspecting bugs)
6. Shovels to scoop “soil” (magic beans)
7. Artificial flowers (or real flowers)
8. Small pots for gardening (works well for sensory bins and natural gardening)

Below are some helpful steps to help your child transition to a natural garden. 

• Get a small pot, some potting soil, and easy-to-care-for seeds like sunflowers or beans. Pinto beans provide the fastest growth and are fascinating to watch when sprouting. 
• Let your toddler help you scoop the soil, plant the seeds, and water them gently.  
• Explain the growth process and make it a routine to check the progress together. I find this YouTube video extremely helpful in explaining gardening to your toddler.
• Watching their tiny seeds sprout into life will be a rewarding experience for both of you.

3. Make Your Own Ocean Sensory Bin!

When the weather gets hot in Florida, everyone heads to the beach. However, the beach is enormous, especially for a toddler.

There are more straightforward ways to break down and adjust to water that will help your toddler see water as a positive thing.

Water play is a delightful way to cool down and have messy fun as the weather warms.

Over the years, I have found that transitioning from a bin to a mini pool is one of the best investments when you have a toddler who is afraid of the water but intrigued by it.

With this fun and friendly ocean bin, your toddler will be eager to learn about the sea. Movies like Finding Nemo were wonderful in introducing my sons to the world of the sea—our favorite place to be!

Materials needed:

1. One large clear storage bin
2. Measuring cups
3. Ocean animals
4. Green pom poms (for the ocean plants and moss)
5. Tongs for capturing sea animals

Instructions

Here are some steps to ensure your toddler is ready for the beach before the big trip.

• Fill a large plastic bin with a shallow layer of water.  
• Add colorful plastic cups, floating toys, and bath sponges for your toddler to play with.
• The green and blue pom-poms add a serene, colorful, and peaceful atmosphere to your ocean world.
• Remember to supervise closely and keep the water level age-appropriate.

4. Bubble Extravaganza Spring Activities for Toddlers

Photo by Drew Beamer on Unsplash

From age 0 to 99 and above, bubbles have always been around to enlighten us with the simplest things. Two simple ingredients—water and soap — can make fun for hours. That’s it!

Something mesmerizing about bubbles captivates toddlers and people of all ages. Bubbles can range from small to large and offer the most simple way of having fun. 

Bubbles are great spring activities for toddlers because they are so much fun, especially on a hot day.

I found this machine to be really cool and fun to use. It kept my children entertained for hours.

Here are some fun tips for having your toddler’s bubble extravaganza this Spring:

• Whip a simple bubble solution with dish soap and water, or buy a pre-made bottle.
• Let your child chase the floating bubbles, pop them with their fingers, or try blowing their own with a small bubble wand.  
• Try blowing bubbles onto a piece of construction paper for an added twist.
• They leave behind colorful circles as they pop, creating a unique and beautiful “bubble art” masterpiece.
• Add in some glowsticks for a fun neon bubble glow night.

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5. Ocean Spring Sensory Activities for Toddlers

One of my son’s favorite pastimes is sensory bins that involve water play. It gets hot here in Florida, and I can only imagine the heat in other parts of the U.S. and globally.

This ocean-themed sensory bin is beautiful and contains various items for your toddler. However, I would avoid water sensory beads unless they are edible, like these.

Recognizing the dangers of water beads and toddlers is crucial. Instead, create edible water beads using tapioca and food coloring to construct a safe and enjoyable sensory bin for your toddler this spring.

This is a fantastic idea, provided regular water beads are not in your home to avoid confusion and accidental ingestion. Ultimately, the decision is yours to make, and there are numerous other sensory toys to consider.

Instead, create edible water beads made of tapioca and food coloring to make a delicious and safe bin for your toddler this Spring.

The Heated Edible Water Beads Debate (sigh)

Some argue that children should not be taught to use edible water beads. Others argue that various candies are shaped like Legos and other edible things.

I believe this a safe and creative idea as long as you avoid having regular water beads inside your home so they won’t get confused and accidentally eat them.

However, either option is completely up to you, and multiple sensory toy options exist.

There are various spring activities for toddlers, and either way, you choose to navigate, just be mindful of the type of sensory activities you offer your child. Research saves lives!

Materials needed:

1. One large clear bin
2.  Ocean animals
3. Green pompoms as plants (optional)

Here are some fun tips to create a realistic oceanic effect for your toddler’s bin or mini pool.

• Create fun games with this activity by telling your toddler intriguing things about each animal. 
• Ask them to tell you which is the largest animal in the bin and which is the smallest animal.
• Teach your toddler about the different plants and animals that live in the ocean and what their purpose is.
• Create a story by describing your sensory activities.
• Have your toddler help you find each interesting sea creature that you describe.

6. Simple yet Gorgeous Spring Gardener Sensory Bin

The bins on this list are a collection of beautiful sensory activities that I try individually.

This pin awakens the springtime child in me. Your child will also enjoy planting flowers and carrots inside this colorful bin.

To create this look, you will only need a few materials, which I will provide below. Most items on this list can be found around your home or kitchen.

As mentioned earlier in this post, I get relatively cheap rice and beans at my local grocery stores.

We eat it a lot, so it’s a common food around our home! Scope around your town and see which store has the best price. 

Materials needed:

1. Black beans
2. White beans
3. White rice
4. Green food dye (for green grass)
5. Artificial Flowers
6. Mini Carrots
7. Wooden bunnies
8. Bumblee and caterpillar life cycle toys

Try These Excellent Tips Below to Create a Realistic Effect for Your Toddler’s Sensory Activities Bin!

• Add essential oils like lemon and lavender to the flowers to make this bin come to life.
• Sprinkle white beans over the black beans, but only a few so that they stand out.
• Watch this cool video to learn how to dye your rice!
• Plant miniature carrots in the black beans to resemble a garden, and see if your toddler can count how many there are.
• Place artificial flowers on the rice to make it look like a field springing to life. 
• Place wooden bunnies around the black beans to make it look like they will get the carrots.
• Pretend the Bumblebee will pollinate the flower, and pretend the caterpillar is turning into a butterfly.
• You can help your child safely understand nature scenes by making playtime enjoyable.
• Explain to them what they are seeing and feeling so that they are more in tune with nature and different textures.

7. Fingerprint Ants: Bug Crafts for Toddlers

The ants go marching one by one; hurrah, hurrah! It’s time to get messy with some black paint and a canvas.

Bug crafts can be fun for toddlers because they allow them to study new insects and inspect their spring surroundings safely, and they can draw or paint.

Painting sensory activities are excellent outlets that help toddlers experience new textures and emotions.

The materials you need are common and available at most Walmarts and local crafting stores.

Materials needed:

1. White paper
2. Black paint (toddler-safe)
3. Cute little thumbs and fingers for painting the ants
4. Thin Paint brushes to paint the aunt’s legs and antennas
5. Wet Rags to clean up messy thumbs

Follow these tips below to paint a fun bug craft with your toddler. 

• Take white paper and help your toddler dip their finger or thumb in black paint to create a cute black ant.
• Make sure to create three dots to make the ant’s head, body, and tail. 
• Use a thin paintbrush to create the ant’s legs and antennas.
• While doing this activity with your toddler, ask them interesting questions about ants, like their color and how many dots they made.
• You can also ask them what they like the most about black ants.

Enjoy Your Spring Sensory Activities for Toddlers!

Remember, the key to keeping toddlers engaged is to keep things simple and fun. Feel free to modify the activities to suit your toddler’s better needs.

From bins full of beans to scavenger hunts, the list continues! These activities can also be done in the summer.

The best thing about these bins is you can use the same bin all year, changing the theme for each season and saving tons of money.

Most importantly, spend quality time together, explore the wonders of Spring, and create lasting memories with your little one.

If you’re looking for more fun with your Toddlers, check out the article below about Ocean sensory fun!

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Marlenny Linda

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Marlenny Linda is more than just a writer; she's a passionate bilingual advocate for families with children with medical conditions. With a background in teaching English (TESOL/TEFL) and a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts, she crafts engaging, SEO-optimized content that informs, inspires, and connects with these families.

Her specialty is long-form content, where she dives deep into the topics that matter most, from navigating educational resources to fostering a fulfilling life for your child. Marlenny's innovative approach keeps audiences engaged and coming back for more.

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