This blog was originally published on March 18, 2022, and updated on March 12, 2025, with new information. After three months of winter, spring is finally here! It’s time to celebrate with these five fun activities you can do with kids at your child care center to celebrate the changing of the season. Let’s get started!
1. Plant a Garden
Gardening is the quintessential spring activity and a fantastic way to get kids outside to teach them about the natural world. Imagine their delight as they watch a tiny seed — one that they planted, no less — grow into a fully fledged flower or tomato plant in the following weeks!
If you care for older children, you can dig deep into plant science. Teach them about the different parts of the plant and photosynthesis.
One of the best things about gardening is that you don’t need a lot of space. You don’t even need to go outside. If your child care center has a small yard, try using window-sill containers such as small flower boxes or even mason jars.
2. Embark On a Nature Hunt
Nature hunts are similar to scavenger hunts. But instead of looking for plastic eggs, small candies and other random prizes, participants search for items found in nature such as sticks, rocks, flowers and squirrel sightings.
Nature hunts are a ton of fun for kids and are an amazing way to celebrate spring.
Best of all, nature hunts require zero preparation!
You don’t need to hide goodies in the yard. You don’t need to brainstorm clues. You don’t even need to come up with a list of things for kids to look for. You simply have to walk into your center’s yard, spot an item and then ask the kids to find it.
To make things even more enjoyable, buy a few sets of cheap magnifying glasses. Then distribute them to your kids so that they can get a closer look at the things they find during their hunt.
3. Make Spring-Themed Crafts
Spring is known for plants and sunshine, but it has its fair share of rainy days, too. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to celebrate spring while remaining indoors: make spring-themed crafts!
The internet is filled with crafts that you and your kids can do to celebrate the changing season.
Here are some ideas:
Pipe Cleaner Daffodils
Pipe cleaners are cheap, fun and can be used to create a wide variety of crafts, including these cute flowers. Here’s how to make a beautiful floral arrangement of your own:
- Fold three yellow pipe cleaners in half to find their midpoints. Then open each one back up and twist their middles together and arrange them into a six-point star.
- Take each of the six points and roll them up like a snail. Make them as tight as you possibly can. Stop when you get to the center of the star.
- Grab a green pipe cleaner and bend it at about the one inch mark. Then loop the bend through the center of the yellow flower that you just made. Twist the stem to secure it.
- Take an orange pipe cleaner and wind it up tightly like a snail — but stop after a couple of rotations. Then wrap the rest of the pipe cleaner around your finger.
- Pull the orange pipe cleaner off of your finger and squish it between your fingers to compress the spirals. Then glue it to the middle of your flower with hot glue.
Ladybug Stones
Ladybug stones are a fun and creative craft that every kid in your child care center will enjoy. Make one or two (or three or four!) of your own to display in your garden, around bushes, etc.
- Head outside and collect a few stones. Gather at least one stone for each child. Bring the stones inside and wash them with soap and water.
- Cut out small pieces of red and black tissue paper. Then arrange the paper on the stone so that it resembles a ladybug. Paint over the tissue paper with Mod Podge.
- Twist two small pieces of black tissue paper between your fingers and Mod Podge over them to create antennae. Glue the antennae onto your ladybug.
- Finally, glue two googly eyes to your ladybug and let the craft dry. When your ladybug has dried for a sufficient amount of time, display your creation to the world.
Paper Plate Rainbow
After seeing rainbows in the sky, kids may want to make one of their own. Here’s how:
- Grab a paper plate and cut it in half. Then cut out a small semicircle from the flat edge of your severed half. This will give you the rainbow shape.
- Paint your rainbow-shaped plate with the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Or let your kids go crazy and paint them how they want.
- When you paint has dried, glue white cotton balls to each end of your rainbow. The cotton balls represent clouds.
4. Go Crazy With Bubbles
Have you ever met a kid who doesn’t love bubbles? Nope.
Head to the store and purchase bubbles. Or combine water, dish soap and glycerine to make your own. Then take your kids outside and blow bubbles until their little hearts are happy and content.
If you’re looking to spice things up, try playing a bubble game or two.
For example, you could gather all the kids in your center together. Then play music and blow bubbles into the air, while your kids dance and pop them. As soon as the music stops, have your kids freeze in place — no more dancing or bubble popping allowed. Kids who don’t freeze are out and can’t participate in the next round. (Skip this last step if very young kids are playing.)
Or you could play bubble tag, which is basically the same as normal tag, except the child who’s it must blow bubbles on the other kids rather than tag them.
Bubbles and spring just fit. Plus, they’ll give you another excuse to get kids outside and enjoy the improving weather!
5. Get Ready For Easter
There are tons of Easter-themed crafts you can do. For example, you can dye eggs, make popsicle stick chicks and clothespin carrots or draw Easter bunnies.
Swing by your local Walmart or Target and you’ll see that both retailers are already selling Easter-themed candies. Pick up a few bags and give your kids treats for winning games, completing projects or displaying good behavior.
While you’re at the store, buy a few decorations, too. Then let your kids help you hand them out around your center.
Finally, pick up a few Easter and spring books. Here are a few ideas:
- Llama Llama Easter Egg
- Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure
- Little Blue Truck’s Springtime
- Construction Site: Spring Delight
- Happy Easter, Little Critter
- The Great Eggscape!
- The Donkey Who Carried a King
- Peek-a-Flap Hop
- There Was an Old Lady WHo Swallowed a Chick
Spend More Time Outside and Less Time on Bookkeeping!
The 2025 Procare Solutions Child Care Business Report found that about a quarter of daycare and early childhood education programs surveyed had no plans to implement child care management software. This means they are spending time stuck inside handling administrative tasks that an all-in-one software solution could handle.
From registration, attendance tracking, staff management and lesson planning to family engagement, tuition collection and reporting, Procare Solutions helps ease the challenges faced with managing a child care business.
Want to know how much time and money you could save by using the Procare all-in-one solution to run your child care center? Enter some details into this online calculator to learn about your potential savings and start planning more time outside and less time drowning in paperwork:
Procare Cost and Time Savings Calculator Automated Payment Processing Cost & Time Savings Calculator Digital Curriculum Cost and Time Savings Calculator
Calculate your potential cost and time savings by using Procare’s all-in-one child care management software. All we will need from you is some information about your child care location*: Calculate your potential cost and time savings by using Procare’s secure and effortless child care payment processing. All we will need from you is some information about your child care location*: Calculate your potential cost and time savings by using Procare’s classroom management. All we will need from you is some information about your child care location*:
* Our data model is based on our experience working with over 100,000 child care centers, before and after school programs and youth organizations since 1992.
Switching to Procare will save you 28.73 hours and $485.54 a month!*
| Manual | Procare | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) | Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) | |
| Family Registration | 0 hr | $0.00 | 0 hr | $0.00 |
| Attendance Tracking | 1.5 hr | $25.35 | 0.25 hr | $4.22 |
| Family Communication and Engagement | 1 hr | $16.90 | 0.1 hr | $1.69 |
| Financials | 10 hr | $169.00 | 1.2 hr | $20.28 |
| Payment Processing | 10.8 hr | $182.52 | 2.52 hr | $42.59 |
| Classroom Management | 10 hr | $169.00 | 0.5 hr | $8.45 |
| Family Registration | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual | Procare | ||
| Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) | Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) |
| 0 hr | $0.00 | 0 hr | $0.00 |
| Attendance Tracking | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual | Procare | ||
| Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) | Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) |
| 1.5 hr | $25.35 | 0.25 hr | $4.22 |
| Family Communication and Engagement | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual | Procare | ||
| Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) | Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) |
| 1 hr | $16.90 | 0.1 hr | $1.69 |
| Financials | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual | Procare | ||
| Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) | Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) |
| 10 hr | $169.00 | 1.2 hr | $20.28 |
| Payment Processing | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual | Procare | ||
| Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) | Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) |
| 10.8 hr | $182.52 | 2.52 hr | $42.59 |
| Classroom Management | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual | Procare | ||
| Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) | Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) |
| 10 hr | $169.00 | 0.5 hr | $8.45 |
We understand that smaller centers and in-home daycare providers are operating on a tight budget, and that is why we provide all these features for the affordable price of just $25 per month. Let us handle the business of child care so you can get back to caring for your children.
To learn more about Procare home version, click below.
*Please note that the report you see only factors in cost and time savings for the in-home solution features. For Procare home version users that are interested in seeing how they can benefit from Procare’s full suite of capabilities, contact us today to speak to a Procare representative. *Please note that the report you see only factors in cost and time savings for the in-home solution features. For Procare home version users that are interested in seeing how they can benefit from Procare’s full suite of capabilities, contact us today to speak to a Procare representative. *Please note that the classroom management functionality is not available for in-home users. For Procare home version users that are interested in seeing how they can benefit from Procare’s full suite of capabilities, contact us today to speak to a Procare representative.
| Cost & Time Savings | |
|---|---|
| Date | 2025-04-13 |
| Automation | Child Care Management Software |
| Number of Staff | |
| Number of Students | |
| Hourly Rate | $16.90 |
| Savings per Month | $485.54 and 28.73 hours |
Procare Cost and Time Savings Calculator
| Family Registration | Manual | Procare | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task | Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) | Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) |
| Enrollment | 0 hr | $0.00 | 0 hr | $0.00 |
| Waitlist / Lead Management | 0 hr | $0.00 | 0 hr | $0.00 |
| eDocuments | 0 hr | $0.00 | 0 hr | $0.00 |
| Family Data Entry / Management | 0 hr | $0.00 | 0 hr | $0.00 |
| Health and Immunization Records | 0 hr | $0.00 | 0 hr | $0.00 |
| Total per month | 0 hr | $0.00 | 0 hr | $0.00 |
| Attendance Tracking | Manual | Procare | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task | Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) | Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) |
| Check-in/Check-out | 0 hr | $0.00 | 0 hr | $0.00 |
| Class Roster Management | 1 hr | $16.90 | 0.05 hr | $0.85 |
| Teacher-Student Ratio Tracking | 0.5 hr | $8.45 | 0.2 hr | $3.38 |
| Total per month | 1.5 hr | $25.35 | 0.25 hr | $4.22 |
| Family Communication and Engagement | Manual | Procare | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task | Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) | Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) |
| Child Activity Tracking | 0 hr | $0.00 | 0 hr | $0.00 |
| Family Messaging | 0 hr | $0.00 | 0 hr | $0.00 |
| Staff Messaging | 0 hr | $0.00 | 0 hr | $0.00 |
| Meal Planning | 1 hr | $16.90 | 0.1 hr | $1.69 |
| Total per month | 1 hr | $16.90 | 0.1 hr | $1.69 |
| Financials | Manual | Procare | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task | Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) | Time(hr/month) | Cost($/month) |
| Payroll | 0 hr | $0.00 | 0 hr | $0.00 |
| Financial Reporting | 8 hr | $135.20 | 1 hr | $16.90 |
| Business Planning and Reporting | 2 hr | $33.80 | 0.2 hr | $3.38 |
| Staff Time Tracking / Scheduling | 0 hr | $0.00 | 0 hr | $0.00 |
| Total per month | 10 hr | $169.00 | 1.2 hr | $20.28 |
