Spring is coming, and it’s the perfect time to get outside with the kids. Exploring the great outdoors, staying active and connecting with nature are some of the best gifts we can give to our children.
To make these easier, we have created a free Spring Nature Scavenger Hunt Printable to share with you all – actually, we have created two different versions, and you can download both of these at the end of this post.
How does a Nature Scavenger Hunt Work?
Doing a nature scavenger hunt with the kids is super easy. Take your scavenger hunt sheet outside, and see how many of the things you can spot.
Once you spot an item that’s on your scavenger hunt page, circle it, color it, or mark it off on the page however you like.
The aim is to see how many of these nature items we can spot. Springtime is full of nature and blossoming new life, from plants to animals to Spring weather – spotting these will keep the kids busy and excited about the changing seasons.
Things to look for in a nature scavenger hunt this Spring
Here’s a list of all the Spring themed items included on our free nature scavenger hunt printables. Ask the kids, what else could they add?
- Ant
- Leaf
- Flower
- Tree
- Bee
- Rain cloud
- Rain drops
- Cloud in the sky
- Butterfly
- Bird
- Sunshine
- Rainbow
- Grass
- Spider
- Spider web
- Snail
“Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.”
The best thing about these nature scavenger hunt printables is that we can spot all of these nature items and collect them on our sheets, just by ticking it off. We don’t need to pick the flowers, disturb any animals from their habitats or disrupt the natural flow of nature doing it’s thing in Spring.
This quote “take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time” is an easy way for children to understand how to minimise our impact on the environment and nature. We can enjoy nature without spoiling it, and that is the best way!
Photo Scavenger Hunt
A twist on the nature scavenger hunt is to make a photo scavenger hunt for the kids. This one is great for older kids, as a way to work on photography skills and bring in their own creativity.
With a photo scavenger hunt, every time you find one of the nature items on the list everyone needs to take a photograph.
This is so much fun to come together and compare everyone’s photographs at the end of the scavenger hunt and see how everyone did.
Color and Find Spring Nature Scavenger Hunt
This free printable gives kids the chance to take part in the scavenger hunt, which is a fun way to get kids running around outdoors, staying active and getting connected to nature.
It also gives them the chance to do some coloring, as this color and find scavenger hunt doubles up as a Spring coloring page for kids.
With 13 different Spring pictures to color, kids can learn about all of the different things to spot in nature during Spring time.
This option is perfect if you have a black and white printer, rather than a color printer, or if you are low on ink.
Coloring is great for kids fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination so this version brings all of those benefits too!
Full Color Spring Nature Scavenger Hunt
If you prefer to go with a full color nature scavenger hunt which is already filled with bright colors to grab your little one’s attention, then go with this version.
The great thing about this colorful nature scavenger hunt printable is that you can use it again and again. Print and laminate, or use some of these great re-useable pockets (affiliate link) and this activity will be ready to pull out again and again as you can write and then wipe.
Download in PDF Format
Click the download link below for your free instant digital download of the Nature Scavenger hunt PDF file.
The file contains both the black and white, and full color versions.
Terms of use: Download and print this file free for personal use – free for classroom use – free for community group use.
Supplies
Here’s an affiliate link to the re-usable wipe clean pockets we mentioned earlier, they are great for this type of printable activity and are super versatile.
You can also get the wipe clean pens in packs of multiple colors, which makes using them even more fun. We have a set with all kinds of fun colors, which my 5 year old little girl loves!
Using clipboards can also be really useful to keep the printable page steady while kids are running around outdoors. You don’t want the print outs flying away in the wind, so keeping it steady on a clipboard can make the whole activity run much smoother.
Bringing along a magnifying glass can also be a fun addition to this Spring nature activity. Kids of all ages enjoy using magnifying glasses for nature hunts, so they can see things in a little more detail. Flowers, leaves, tree bark, ants, ladybirds and other bugs all look so cool and fascinating when you can see a little closer!
More Spring Activities and Crafts for kids
- Spring Activities for Kids
- Dried Pressed Flowers Suncatcher Craft
- Cardboard Tube Bumble Bee Craft
- Garden Collage Leaf Craft
- Rainbow Sun Catcher Shadow Art
- Popsicle Stick Rainbow Craft
- Scrunched Tissue Cherry Blossom Tree Craft
Spring Themed Free Printables
- Tractor Ted Free Spring Printable Activity Sheet
- St Patrick’s Day Lucky Printables Pack
- Rainbow Poem for Kids (Free Printable Worksheet)
Share this Activity
We hope you enjoy this free printable Spring scavenger hunt for kids, and have fun exploring nature together!
Please go ahead and share this blog post with friends and family, other parents and educators so everyone can make use of this free activity.
Why not pin to your Pinterest board? Thanks so much!
Enjoy and happy nature hunting!
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
Ah this is fab! My six year old loves nature and we have a day out planned at a local botanic gardens in half term next week, so it’ll be perfect for that.
I love this as a way of entertaining your children while they have exercise and learn new things. When I was young I enjoyed filling in I spy books.
This looks like such a good idea to keep little ones busy in the fresh air!
This is a great idea. I’m going to download some of your printables for my niece. She always gets bored during school holidays so this is a great way to keep her occupied. x
We did a scavenger hunt as part of a birthday party when my daughter turned 7. The kids loved it and it made a what was actually a walk in the forest an awesome birthday party.
What a genius idea! My partner’s nephew would definitely be up for this… I’ve downloaded a copy to send to his grandma!
Great printables and tips thanks so much
These are so cute! Scavenger hunts are always great fun.
Oh I love the printables so much fun to keep the kids entertained especially with half term this week. Thanks
This is a great idea, and I appreciate you sharing it. I will use these printables to have some activities with the students in my class.