Spring Family Activities

Spring Is Coming!

One of the best things about spring showing up is the warmer weather keeps you from being cooped up indoors all day, every day.  While spring weather can still be volatile (all that rain!) it is definitely a step up for families who are starting to go stir crazy.  Here are some of the fun things that you and your kids can do to take advantage of the new spring weather.

You should’ve seen how many flowers these boys planted last weekend!

1. Work together to get the yard in shape for summer gardening.  It’s true that most kids see yard work as a chore that is best avoided.  A good way to get them involved is to give each of your kids a section of the yard that they are responsible for cleaning and clearing out. Time them to see who gets their section looking good the fastest. Hold a contest for the most thorough cleaning.  Give prizes to the winners!

Another option is to give each kid a small plot of the yard to turn into his or her own garden.  Put them completely in charge of that garden from the prepping of the ground for planting (aka clearing out the yard) to planting to the work to maintain the garden in the summer. Your kids will e so proud of what they grow that they won’t hesitate to ask if they can go out with you to help you with the yard.  Give each child his or her own spring flags on a stick to clearly mark which garden plot belongs to which kid.

Bobby loves to walk through the mud puddles on the way to school, and I want  rain boots too!

2. Go on a Puddle Walk.  This is particularly fun on rainy days.  If the temperature outside is warm enough, get everybody into swimsuits and rain gear and go outside!  Encourage your kids to jump into the puddles.  Give prizes for the splashes that are the biggest or spread the farthest.  Swim gear and rain gear are meant to get wet so you don’t have to worry about the muddy water ruining anybody’s clothes!

3. Check out the different outdoor sports teams that are setting up.  Even if you won’t be able to officially sign up for a while, you can see what’s going to be available and start practicing.  You can play soccer, work on catching and batting skills, etc.  It’s a great excuse to go outside and will help your kids feel more confident when they actually start practicing with their teams.

These are just three of the things that you can do to encourage your kids to get up, get out and get active.  If all else fails, you can simply send them out into the yard with orders to “go play” while you do the work outside that you need to get done.  What’s important is that you get out into the fresh air!