Free Spring Scavenger Hunt Printables and Montessori-Inspired Activities

Scavenger hunts are so much fun! We already had a fall scavenger hunt unit and winter scavenger hunt unit! Now we’re ready for a spring scavenger hunt unit! It has many activities and resources that can be used for any spring unit, but we have scavenger hunt variations.

Here, you’ll find links to free spring scavenger hunt printables used to prepare hands-on activities and a new Montessori-inspired spring scavenger hunt pack for our free newsletter subscribers’ resource library! This unit has resources for preschool through early elementary.

Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).

Montessori Shelves with Spring Scavenger Hunt Themed Activities

You’ll find Montessori-inspired spring scavenger hunt themed numbers, letters, and and more (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) Note: The Montessori-inspired spring scavenger hunt pack isn’t designed as a complete spring scavenger hunt unit but as supplemental materials. I design the packs using realistic images that I’ve often looked for when preparing a unit study (such as font cards and phonogram cards featuring the letter and phonogram related to the theme and math cards with realistic images that fit the theme and can be adapted for math activities at a variety of levels.)

You could mix your spring scavenger hunt themed activities among your shelves according to curriculum area. Or you could have a special spring scavenger hunt themed area something like the one pictured. My shelves at the beginning of our unit have a mixture of skill levels. Many of the activities can be adapted for a variety of levels. If you’re a homeschooler, just choose the activities that work for your child’s interests and ability levels. If you don’t have room for all the activities you’d like to do, simply rotate them.

Montessori Shelves with Spring Scavenger Hunt Themed Activities and Renoir Art Print

Notice the framed art print Two Sisters (On the Terrace) (1881) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It’s a free download from the Art Institute of Chicago.

For our monthly featured art print, I purchased a Li’l DAVINCI art frame that opens in the front for easily changing a free art masterpiece printable or vintage illustration to fit with the month’s theme. The frame can be switched from horizontal to vertical without changing the hanger, which is perfect!

If you’re wondering about the rugs and rug box I use, both the rugs and wooden rug holder are from Montessori Services. I love the Montessori Services rugs and rug holder! I used to use an umbrella stand something like these. I loved that for 1-3 rugs, but I needed something different when I had more grandchildren and some projects that needed more than one rug.

Favorite Shelves, Trays, Baskets, and More for Montessori Homeschoolers

I often get asked about the trays, baskets, etc., that I use, so I published a post with many of the items. You can find lots of helpful resources here. They’re not all essential, so don’t feel you need to have everything. Just choose what’s best for your budget and your unique family’s needs. You’ll find more ideas in the Living Montessori Now Amazon shop

Books for a Spring Unit

Even though I have books on shelves, I’m now keeping many of my themed books in a forward-facing display after placing a plant where the themed book basket was before.

For toddlers and preschoolers, about ¾ of the books I use are typically Montessori friendly (focusing on reality without smiling or talking animals or smiling or talking vehicles).

Books for a Spring Theme

Top Shelf of Themed Shelves:

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring is part of the lovely, Montessori-friendly seasonal series by Kenard Pak. It’s about a boy and his dog going on a walk in the countryside and seeing signs of spring. It’s perfect for Montessori classrooms and homeschools. The book is recommended for ages 2-7.
The Backpack Explorer series is lots of fun for nature explorers. These books have lots of beautiful photographs and engaging illustrations along with lots of ideas for nature activities. I have the 5-book set, which also includes a nature collection box to display nature treasures.
Everything Spring from National Geographic Kids has beautiful photographs as do all National Geographic books, and it gives a nice introduction to spring for preschoolers.

Top Shelf of Forward -Facing Display:

A New Beginning: Celebrating the Spring Equinox
Spring (I had this from homeschooling my own kids. Now you’d have to see if it’s available used at a reasonable price.)
Nature Anatomy (I have this fabulous Julia Rothman collection and some other Julia Rothman books.)

2nd Shelf:

Another sweet book that I like to keep forward facing on a shelf for older toddlers and young preschoolers is When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes. It’s a gentle, Montessori-friendly introduction to spring. The book is recommended for ages 4-8, but I like it best for ages 2-5.
And Then It’s Spring
Another book from The Backpack Explorer series. These books have many beautiful photographs and engaging illustrations along with lots of ideas for nature activities. I have the 5-book set, which also includes a nature collection box to display nature treasures.

3rd Shelf:

I love A Nest Is Noisy. You’ll find nests from a variety of animals along with gorgeous illustrations. It includes a lot of information, but the illustrations are extra inviting. The Montessori-friendly book is recommended for ages 5-6.
A Seed Is Sleepy – The illustrations of a wide variety of seeds in this book are gorgeous, making it a wonderful addition to a study of seeds and plants around the world. (Recommended for ages 5-10.)
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt is a lovely Montessori-friendly book recommended for ages 5-8.

4th Shelf:

Another book from The Backpack Explorer series. These books have many beautiful photographs and engaging illustrations along with lots of ideas for nature activities. I have the 5-book set, which also includes a nature collection box to display nature treasures.
Good Morning Clouds – beautiful mindfulness book with a QR code for a lovely song that goes with the book.
Worm Weather – a lovely rhyming book for young children, but it’s not about worms. It’s about a rainy day (“worm weather”).

Bottom Shelf

The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burach (A hilarious book that my grandkids LOVE!) – Books by Ross Burach are awesome! This whole series is so much fun and has a message in each book, too! )
Make Way for Ducklings (a classic favorite)
Spring by Gerda Muller is a wonderful Montessori-friendly, wordless board book recommended for ages 1-3. Its detailed pictures are perfect for vocabulary development and storytelling. I love having the whole series.

In a basket on the other side of the room are relevant books from other units:

The Ultimate Book of Scavenger Hunts: 42 Outdoor Adventures to Conquer with Your Family is a great book for lovers of scavenger hunts! It has a specific seasonal scavenger hunts along with fun ideas for scavenger hunts throughout the year.

Shelf with Fun Spring Fiction Books

We also have some fun spring fiction books on a shelf across the room:

The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman is a classic. My children loved it, and now so do my grandkids. (Recommended for ages 3-7.)
Curious George Flies a Kite (not a Montessori-style book but another fun classic)
Frog and Toad Together (a classic)
Make Way for Butterfly (Another hilarious book by Ross Burach. This whole series is so much fun and has a message in each book, too! )
Goodnight, Butterfly (Another hilarious book by Ross Burach. This whole series is so much fun and has a message in each book, too! )

You can see many spring books here: Spring Books for Kids (including books as they’re published)

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring Book with Spring Scavenger Hunt

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring with Spring Scavenger Hunt

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring is part of the lovely, Montessori-friendly seasonal series by Kenard Pak. It’s about a boy and his dog going on a walk in the countryside and seeing signs of spring. It’s perfect for Montessori classrooms and homeschools. The book is recommended for ages 2-7.

Free Printable: Spring Scavenger Hunt from The Montessori Room

I love these clipboards with storage for outdoor scavenger hunts!

Some other great options for outdoor spring scavenger hunts:

Free Printable: Spring Scavenger Hunt from Homeschool Share
Free Printable: Spring Scavenger Hunt from Imagination Soup
Free Printable: Outdoor Alphabet nature Scavenger Hunt/ ABC spring nature walk by Zippi Kids – Teacher Resources at TPT
Free Printable: Spring Scavenger Hunt Worksheet Nature Activity (great for elementary-age kids) by Fourth Grade Frenzy at TPT

On the Nature Trail Book with Spring Word Puzzles

On the Nature Trail Book with Spring Word Puzzles

The Backpack Explorer series is lots of fun for nature explorers. These books have lots of beautiful photographs and engaging illustrations along with lots of ideas for nature activities. I have the 5-book set, which also includes a nature collection box to display nature treasures.

Free Printable: Spring Themed Activities (88 pages full of Art, Math , and Language activities) by Montessori Tube Academy at TPT

Finding and Completing Spring Word Puzzles

There are many activities for a variety of ages in this 88-page spring pack. I chose the spring word puzzles that are appropriate for older kids. There are also number puzzles in the printable. For a scavenger hunt, I would hide the parts of the puzzle and have the children find the pieces and complete the puzzles. For older children, I’d have more than one puzzle for them to find and sort. Younger children could just find the pieces of one puzzle.

Everything Spring Book with Spring 3-Part Cards

Everything Spring from National Geographic Kids has beautiful photographs as do all National Geographic books, and it gives a nice introduction to spring for preschoolers.

Free Printable: Spring Montessori 3-Part Cards by Marissa’s 1-2-3 Dollar Steals at TPT

3-part cards are easy to use in a scavenger hunt. Simply hide the part of the card that’s appropriate for a child’s level (such as the word label for children who can read or the picture for toddlers and preschoolers who don’t read yet)

Sand Writing Tray for a Spring Scavenger Hunt Theme

Free Printable /b/ for buds font cards (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber). They come in print, D’Nealian, and cursive.

You’ll see a variety of simple letter writing trays in my previous unit study posts. I often used the wooden tray from the Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Shapes. You can use whatever tray or container work best for you, though.

I typically now use this lovely spelling/alphabet tray from FamilyTreeWW on Etsy. I like it for writing more than one letter or spelling words. (Note: That sand tray is currently unavailable, but you’ll find lots of other options for Montessori sand trays on Etsy.) I found some colored sand in 12 colors on Amazon that I started to use instead of salt or colored salt. I love it because it’s so soft and feels great!

If you would like help with introducing phonetic sounds, introducing objects with sounds, or beginning phonics in general, check out my DIY Beginning Montessori Phonics with Preschoolers.

I have a post and video on how to introduce words starting with phonograms, even with very young children.

Wor in Worm Card with Phonogram Bingo

Free Printable /wor/ in worm phonogram cards (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber). They come in print, D’Nealian, and cursive.

Free Printable: Phonogram Bingo by Jessica Martin at TPT

This isn’t specifically a scavenger hunt except for children having to find the matching phonogram on their bingo card (or working together on one card if played cooperatively).

The bird buttons are from a previous unit, but go well with the saying, “The early bird catches the worm.”

Matching Chick Alphabet Cards to Grooved Letter Tiles

Free Printable: Chick alphabet cards (part of my subscriber freebies, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber).

I love the Amazing Child Mini Grooved Letter Tiles: Lower Sassoon Case with Tray and Stylus! They can be used as a sort of movable alphabet for CVC words, although I’m using them with individual letters for children learning their phonetic sounds. There’s a little sand tray that comes with the set as well.

Here, the chick alphabet cards are hidden, and children find the chicks that matching the letter tiles.

The alphabet cards in print and cursive are easily adaptable, depending on the child’s level. They can be used for a variety of activities, such as matching letters with sandpaper letters, matching print to cursive letters, or movable alphabet word building.

Nature Color Wheel Activity

Free Printable: Nature Color Hunt by Mother Natured at TPT

This is such a fun idea for multiple ages (with older children focusing on finding items in nature that are shades of the colors)! I have extra copies on the tray for older kids to cut out their own nature color wheels.

Using the Nature Color Wheel on a Nature Scavenger Hunt

My 7-year-old grandson, Caleb, and I went on a spring nature scavenger hunt using the Nature Color Wheel. It was a lot of fun, and we were able to find all the colors/shades of colors except the lighter blue!

Using His Tree Clipper Invention on Our Scavenger Hunt

Caleb even got to use his tree clipper invention, which worked well!

Free Printable: Free Printable “Sticky” Nature Scavenger Hunt By Color (another great idea for a color scavenger hunt) from Something Turquoise

Finding and Adding Spring Garden Items

Free Printable: Spring garden number cards 1-30 or however many you choose to use and addition symbols (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber).

Free Printable: The large number cards I used are no longer available, but you’ll find free Montessori number cards on TPT by Owl Key Curriculum or The Learning Ark Montessori.

You could hide garden stickers on wood circles (or another spring manipulative, such as acrylic flowers) around the room. The child (or children if playing cooperatively) could find as many wood circles as possible and add up the different symbols or then identify the number using bead bars and the symbol cards. If you have more than one child playing, each child could change the number when adding another spring manipulative to the layout. If the children are able, they can exchange 10 for a 10 card when playing the game.

There are so many different activities you can prepare using the math cards! This is just one example. You’ll find many ideas in our previous units.

Spring Metal Inset Designs on Another Shelf

Spring Metal Inset Designs

I love the plastic insets from Alison’s Montessori for home use, but they seem to be discontinued. Alison’s Montessori does have the traditional metal insets, of course. And I found some inexpensive wooden insets on Etsy that look like a great option for home use. There are also DIY insets you can make for home use. My grandkids love the metal inset design cards from MindfulMontessoriMe.

Now, we’re having fun with MindfulMontessoriMe’s Spring Themed Montessori Metal Inset Design Cards on Etsy. They aren’t free, but they’re a great extension to work with the metal insets! These aren’t exactly a scavenger hunt except that the child has the find the shape that’s needed to make the design.

Free Montessori-Inspired Spring Scavenger Hunt Pack

Montessori-Inspired Spring Scavenger Hunt Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).

More Spring Resources

Don’t miss our themed monthly packs! You’ll get the link and password for the Living Montessori Now subscriber library with the current pack and all the past monthly packs if you subscribe to the Living Montessori Now weekly newsletter!

If you’d like ideas for calendar-based themes throughout February and March, see my February Themed Activities for Kids. and my March Themed Activities for Kids.

I hope you have a happy spring!

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