Lean into the season: 35 spring ideas and activities for a fresh start

An illustration of different things to do to make the most of spring, including seeing baby animals, fruit picking, gardening, spring cleaning, nature walks and sunset chasing.

We know it’s a cliché to say that spring is the season of hope and new beginnings and whatever, but clichés are clichés for a reason!

Cute baby animals are being born! Flowers are starting to grow and bloom! The sun is sunning again! THERE ARE FRESH STRAWBERRIES! It’s truly a beautiful time.

If you find yourself wanting to lean into that new-life energy, we have a lot of spring ideas to help make that happen. Read on for tips about creating spring experiences, making special spring memories and expressing your creativity to celebrate one of the best seasons of the year!

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Spring activity ideas  

There are so many fun things to do in spring! Indoors and outdoors, with family and friends, and even just by yourself.

  • Find the flowers. Take a walk in the green spot nearest you, go for a full-on hike, visit a local plant store, journey to a botanical garden or even actually pick flowers yourself (we recommend researching flower-picking places near you rather than trespassing). Spring is also a great time to learn a little flower history and symbolism—check this out for more details! 🌷
  • Get in the garden. Planting a garden is a fun way to get in touch with the spring season and the earth in general. It’s good for us to put our hands in some dirt! Even if you don’t have the green thumb it takes to grow your own garden, you can help a friend or volunteer somewhere to get that garden time in. 🌱
  • Go fruit-picking. Cherries might be the easiest fruit to find an orchard for, but strawberries, rhubarb, blueberries, pineapple, avocados, apricots, mangos, kiwis, grapefruit, lemons and limes are all thriving in the spring. See which family farms and community gardens are near you or brave the wild for some mulberries. 🍒
  • See the baby animals! Rabbits, deer, raccoons, squirrels, waterfowl like geese and ducks, and other birds all have baby fever in the spring, so look for them when you’re on nature walks. Local petting zoos will also have baby animals if you’re looking for a less wild opportunity and/or really want to pet a baby animal without risking your life (or theirs!). You can also bring some critters to you with birdhouses, squirrel feeders and pollinator gardens. 🐝
  • Do a spring craft. Flower crowns and wreaths are some great classics, and garland is still having a moment in décor. For a non-flower option, try making this adorable mushroom garland. If you’re pressed for time and supplies, we also have free coloring pages. 🍄
  • Freshen up your ’fits. It’s time to break out the spring wardrobe! Stow away your sweaters, find your raincoat and ready the shorts. If you want to add some new-to-you pieces we recommend thrifting anything floral or searching for spring staples like rompers and sundresses. 👗
  • Make a spring playlist. Caroling season is over! We know, it’s sad, but console yourself or celebrate by making a new playlist. You can pick a theme—like songs with flowers in them or songs about beginnings—or take the opportunity to check out some new music. The Grammys typically happen near the end of winter, so there will be some fresh recs from some of the best. 🎶
  • Volunteer. The holiday season is when volunteer numbers are the highest, but your community needs help year-round! Reach out to some of the organizations in your area to see how you can help. 🙏

Routines and self-care ideas  

Love it or hate it, routine can help you transition out of winter hibernation mode. Plus routine at any time of the year can help you be more intentional with your time in general. If you have a structure to follow, you’re less likely to get sucked into unplanned scrolling and take better care of yourself.

  • Be a sunset chaser. The sun is going to start setting after 5 p.m. again, so try to see it more often! Drive to a scenic spot once a week or make the time to look from your patio, yard or parking lot. If you’re built for it, you can chase the sunrises, too. ☀️
  • Get outside every day. It doesn’t have to be for a long time but building the habit of getting fresh air every day does wonders for your mental and physical health. 🌳
  • Pick a day for correspondence. Keeping up with people can be hard and it can be overwhelming to always be getting and seeing messages! So why not set aside a day for writing letters, sending cards, making calls and even answering texts? In my opinion, a delayed thoughtful reply is much better than a rushed one. 💌
  • Start (or restart) a hobby. Photography, writing, music, drawing, journaling—whatever it is, pick a day or two and a minimum number of minutes you want to spend doing it. If you want to make it a daily habit, try stacking it with something you already do every day. For example, one of my friends leaves their journal by their coffeemaker to help them write every morning. 📝
  • Do something for your body every day. Stretch, walk, try a new face mask, commit to moisturizing—there are lots of great options that will make a big difference in how you feel. 🚶
  • Break up the spring cleaning. You can do it by chore, by room and in whatever order works best for you. We recommend focusing on the chores that will help you make the most out of the season. That could be cleaning your windows to let the light in or cleaning your outdoor space for more comfy outside time. 🫧

Celebration ideas  

There are so many spring celebrations for you to make a big (or whatever size you’d like) deal of. For celebrations outside your own culture, always prioritize respect by educating yourself on the meanings and traditions of the holiday and acting accordingly, as well as by supporting the people of those cultures in your community.

  • The Vernal Equinox. That’s right, equinoxes are not just deadlines for Percy Jackson to save the world but celebration opportunities that we have cute DIY decorations The vernal (or spring) equinox is when there is a nearly equal amount of daylight and darkness. 🌤️
  • Lunar New Year. Celebrate the lunar calendar’s new year by spending time with loved ones, eating delicious dumplings, seeing a lion dance and/or supporting the local AAPI businesses in your area. Learn more about Lunar New Year here! 🧧
  • Holi. Celebrate the Hindu Festival of Colors by spending time with loved ones, throwing color at each other in the form of confetti (indoors) or powder (definitely NOT indoors) and supporting local AAPI businesses in your area. Learn more about Holi here!
  • Easter. Celebrate this religious holiday by dressing up and attending a church service together, hunting for plastic eggs hidden by the Easter Bunny, painting real eggs and spending time outdoors with loved ones. Learn more about Easter here!
  • Passover. Celebrate this religious holiday by eating unleavened bread, talking about the story of the Israelites escaping Egypt and spending time with loved ones. Learn more about Passover here!
  • Mother’s Day. We have a ton of Mother’s Day ideas here, but our best advice will always be to listen to the moms in your life about what they want. And if you’re the mom, do what YOU want!
  • Weddings. Spring is the season of weddings! We have lots of resources for both the wedding-havers and the wedding-goers here, as well as for wedding anniversaries! We’ve also got you for advice on gift etiquette and giving meaningful toasts.
  • Graduation. Spring is also the season of graduations, which we also have lots of resources for! For a fast track to party ideas, click here, and for gift ideas, click here.

Connection ideas  

It’s ALWAYS important to connect with your loved ones—and doing so can make your spring better whether you’re a fan of the season or not.

  • Give flowers. Whether they’re pressed, fresh or made of metal, plastic or paper, flowers are always a lovely gift for the people you care about. We have tips for arranging bouquets, but sometimes a single flower can feel just as sweet. 🌹💐
  • Send cards and letters. If the aforementioned weekly correspondence routine sounds like too much but you still want to have fun with snail mail, you can just pick a day or two to post up. Pun intended. 🤭
  • Be that neighbor! Help organize a block party or community picnic, host a porch party and/or start a little library for books or garden seeds.
  • Go for walk-and-talks. For both old friends and new, strolling while you chat is a great way to enjoy the spring weather, move your body AND connect. Triple-threat territory!

Home and decor ideas  

Going outside has been emphasized a lot already, but what about when you need a lazy day in? Or it’s rainy and you don’t feel like getting muddy? You can still feel like you’re celebrating spring even when you’re staying home!

  • Switch up the linens. As the weather gets warmer, your bedding can get lighter. It’s hard to sleep if you’re not at a comfortable temperature, and it’s a fun bonus to change up your environment—especially if you have different seasonal patterns and colors to bust out. If you want to hang on to the cozy winter blankets a little longer, you can opt for sleeping with the window open. 🛏️
  • Swap the scents. You can find spring simmer pot recipes for some of the produce you don’t end up eating, and/or you can buy or make new candles to create a springier aroma. Even just switching the scent of your fabric softener to something floral can feel like a good refresh. 🕯️
  • Change out the dishware. Maybe you have multiple sets of dishes, some more floral than others. Now’s the perfect time to use them—no matter how fancy they are. Or maybe you’re like me and have a gajillion themed mugs you can’t get rid of. Pick out the springiest ones to keep in regular use for the season. 🍽️
  • Once again, do some spring cleaning! We have this built into our routines section, but if it sounds better to you to have a marathon cleaning day (or week, if you’re deep cleaning), Godspeed. Consider coordinating with neighbors to make chores go faster, build community and have the chance to swap goods or set up a yard sale weekend together! 👏

Food and drink ideas  

Spring is such a fun season for food. We start to move out of the comforting, hearty winter foods and into lighter-feeling meals with a fresher taste (thank you spring crops)!

  • Homemade flavored water. Cucumbers, strawberries, lemons—there are so many good options to flavor your water, and it’s such an easy way to both celebrate spring and make your hydration feel a little more exciting. You can also go for floral flavors OR a combo! 🍋
  • Herby stuff. Spring is primetime for herbs like basil, mint, thyme, rosemary, cilantro, parsley, chives, dill and lavender. Even if you’re not a culinary whiz, a little freshness makes a big difference—try putting fresh basil on that frozen pizza from the grocery store! 🍕
  • Fruity stuff. Improve your yogurt, adorn your pastries and bake sweet treats like pie and cobbler! The latter are great for using a lot of fruit at once, like from a farmer’s market haul, and a great use for the less visually appealing fruit. 🫐

As always, keep in mind that this isn’t a to-do list—no one has that much time! Please feel free to pick and choose whichever ideas sound the most fun for you and yours or just keep them in the back of your mind as the seasonal opportunities start to sprout. No matter what, we hope this article helps put a little extra spring in your step. 😉

 

Looking for more ways to get out and enjoy all the season has to offer? We have them!