As the spring season provides gentle shift from winter to summer, discussion topics in preschool turn to those related to rebirth, renewal, and growth. Enhance daycare or preschool curriculum with activities, songs and books that celebrate the spring season.
Spring Seed Sorting Math Activity
Children can practice classification skills by sorting spring seeds.
Materials: Construction paper, four different types of seeds, and glue.
Instructions: Divide a sheet of construction paper into four sections by drawing lines with a marker. Provide children with a bag of four different types of distinctly different seeds. Children will sort the seeds and glue them onto the paper, with each seed in its own individual section. After the activity is complete children can cut along the lines drawn on the paper to separate it into four individual seed cards and plant the cards in individual small flower pots.
Spring Dramatic Play
Playing flower shop is an excellent dramatic play spring activity.
Materials: An assortment of paper, silk, or plastic flowers, plastic vases, cash register, note cards, aprons, telephone, newspaper (for wrapping cut flowers), Styrofoam squares, ribbon, potting smock, tissue paper, gloves, soil, seeds, watering cans, cash register, paper money, telephone, notepad or order book, pencil, plastic garden tools, garden hat, wicker baskets, gardening gloves.
Instructions: Set up a table in the dramatic play area with materials and with space to create flower arrangements. Place the cash register, phone, order pad, and pencil on a table so that children can take orders. Put Styrofoam squares in the bottom of the vases. Children can take turns being a florist by taking orders, creating flower arrangements, and planting seeds. Other children can be customers shopping for flowers.
Spring Preschool Song
Teach the children the song “It Is Spring”* to the tune of "If you’re Happy And You Know It".
It is spring
And it's time to fly a kite!
It is spring
And it's time to fly a kite!
It is spring
That's the season!
We don't need
A better reason!
It is spring
And it's time to fly a kite!
Spring Preschool Books
Share the following books about spring with preschoolers:
Easter Bugs: A Springtime Pop-up by David A Carter [Little Simon, 2001]
Spring is Here: A Story about Seeds by Joan Holub and Will Terry [Simon Spotlight, 2008]
Are you Ready for Spring? by Almaflor Ada and Vivi Escriva [Santillana Publishing Company, 1999]
Splish Splash Spring by Jan Carr and Dorothy Donahue [Holiday House, 2001]
When will it Be Spring by Catherine Walters [Dutton Juvenile, 2001]
What’s Hatching? by Mara Conlon and Hala Wittwer [Grosset & Dunlap, 2003]
*“It is Spring” taken from Perpetual Preschool Spring Songs
Carla Snuggs - As a writer for Suite101.com since 2005, it is a privilege to continue on as theTopic Editor for the subject of Day Care. I received a ...
Join the Conversation