blank'/> Promoting Success: April 2023
         

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Top 10 Spring Activities for Elementary Students

Spring Classroom Activities and Crafts for Kids

Fun and Educational!

As we approach the end of the school year, it's important for me to take a moment to appreciate the hard work and dedication of all you teachers! This past year has been particularly challenging with teacher shortages, increased work loads, and behavior challenges.

Despite these challenges, YOU have continued to inspire and motivate your students, providing them with a safe and supportive learning environment. As we head towards the end of the school year, it's the perfect time to celebrate the amazing work of all of you and to help you explore some fun and educational classroom games and activities that can keep students engaged and motivated until the very end.





As the weather warms up and the flowers start to bloom, it's the perfect time to incorporate fun and educational classroom games and activities that celebrate spring. Here are a few ideas to get started:

1. Planting and Gardening Activities:

Spring is the perfect time to introduce your students to gardening and planting. You could start by having your students plant seeds in small cups or containers, and watch as they sprout and grow over the course of a few weeks. You could also have them create their own mini gardens using a variety of materials, such as soil, rocks, and plants.




2. Spring Scavenger Hunt:

Create a list of spring-related items for your students to find around the classroom or schoolyard. Items could include flowers, birds, insects, and other signs of spring. This activity is not only fun, but also helps students to develop their observation skills and knowledge of the natural world.




3. Spring Themed Art Projects:

Get your students' creative juices flowing with spring-themed art projects. Students can create spring-themed paintings, drawings, or collages using materials such as construction paper, paint, and markers. You could also have them create their own 3D flowers or other spring-themed objects using clay or other materials.


From Amazon Associate store, set of 24 Spring Gnomes:


Here is a cute way to make spring flowers for your bulletin board:

Materials:
Colored paper
Scissors
Glue
Pencil or pen

Instructions:
Give each student a piece of colored paper.
Ask them to fold the paper in half, and then in half again, so that they end up with a small square.
Have them draw a half flower shape on the folded paper, starting at the top and going down to the folded edge.

Next, have them cut out the half flower shape through all the layers of paper.
Once they have cut out the flower shape, they can unfold the paper to reveal a flower with four petals.
Have them repeat steps 2-5 with different colors of paper to create a variety of flowers.
Finally, they can glue the flowers onto a larger piece of paper or cardstock to create a spring scene.


4. Spring Writing Prompts:

Encourage your students to explore the theme of spring through writing prompts. These could include writing about their favorite spring activities, creating a descriptive paragraph about a particular flower or plant, or writing a short story that takes place in spring.



Here are five creative writing prompts to get you started:

  1. Imagine you are a bee, buzzing around the flowers on a sunny spring day. Write a story about your adventures, the flowers you visit, and the other animals you meet along the way.
  2. Spring is a time for new beginnings. Write a story about a caterpillar that transforms into a butterfly and all the challenges it faces along the way.
  3. Think about your favorite outdoor activity in the spring. It could be playing soccer, jumping in puddles, or flying kites. Write a story about a character who loves this activity as much as you do.
  4. Spring is a time for growth and renewal. Write a story about a garden that is just starting to bloom. What kinds of flowers and plants are growing there? Who takes care of the garden, and what challenges do they face?
  5. Imagine you are a bird that has just flown back north after spending the winter in a warmer climate. Write a story about your journey home, the sights and sounds you encounter along the way, and the excitement of reuniting with your family and friends.

5. Spring Science Experiments:

Spring provides a great opportunity to conduct science experiments that explore the natural world. For example, you could have your students investigate how plants grow by placing seeds in different environments and observing their growth. You could also have them explore the life cycles of insects, or study the properties of water and how it affects plant growth.


From Amazon Associate store: Sprout and Grow Window Plant Kit



6. Spring Bingo: 

Create a spring-themed bingo game with images of flowers, insects, and other spring-related items. This is a fun way to reinforce vocabulary and observation skills while also having fun.

7. Spring Cooking Activities:

Spring is a great time to introduce your students to healthy eating habits and teach them how to cook simple, healthy meals. You could have them make their own salads with a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, or have them create a healthy smoothie with fresh fruit and yogurt.

8. Spring Poetry: 

Encourage your students to explore the beauty of spring through poetry. You could have them write haikus or other types of poems that celebrate the season, or read and analyze famous spring-themed poems by poets such as William Wordsworth or Emily Dickinson.


A haiku is a traditional form of Japanese poetry that consists of three lines. The first and third lines contain five syllables, while the second line contains seven syllables. Haikus often focus on images from nature and aim to capture a fleeting moment or feeling.

Here are some to get you started:

Blossoming flowers,
Warmth and light fill the air,
Spring has arrived here.

Birds chirping softly,
Butterflies dance in the breeze,
Nature awakens.




9. Spring Math Activities:

Incorporate spring-themed math activities into your curriculum to reinforce mathematical concepts such as addition, subtraction, and measurement. For example, you could have your students count and graph the number of flowers or insects they observe in the classroom or outside, or measure the growth of plants over time.

10. Spring Cultural Celebrations:

Spring is celebrated in different ways around the world. Take the opportunity to teach your students about cultural celebrations such as Holi in India, Sakura in Japan, or Easter in many parts of the world. Have your students learn about the customs and traditions associated with these celebrations, and participate in related activities such as creating traditional crafts or trying traditional foods.

Stay tuned for a reading comprehension activity on how different cultures celebrate May Day!

By incorporating a variety of fun and educational classroom games and activities for spring, you can keep your students engaged and motivated while also helping them learn important skills and knowledge.

Please feel free to message me with any requests or comments.

Thank you so much!

❤️ Shelly Anton

Promoting Success for You and Your Students!




Shelly Anton is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. ** This means there are Amazon affiliate links in these blog posts. This does not mean you pay a dime more when you purchase a product through the link. It just means I am trying to save you valuable teacher time by making it easier for you to find valuable resources for your students, and I earn a few cents for my research and time. Thank you for all you do for kids!