23 Spring Butcher Paper Activities for Preschool, Pre-k, and Kindergarten

Birds are chirping, green is starting to sprout on the vegetation, and warmer weather is on its way! So, I have created some new spring butcher paper activities for your preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten classrooms! I love using butcher paper activities for morning arrival, table time, small groups, center time, and so much more.

If you aren’t familiar with butcher paper activities, let me give you a quick overview. They are hands-on activities that are on a large scale so that students are up moving around while learning. This helps them burn off energy and build their larger muscles to help their fine motor skills develop. These are great for moving larger body parts while developing gross motor skills. They help students learn with their peers in a multi-sensory, play-based activity that is educational. They also help students develop social skills while focusing on math concepts. Butcher paper activities are great for morning time, table time, small groups, or center time.

Grab the Butcher Paper Activity Guide for ideas for the whole year! Grab my favorite butcher paper supplies from Amazon here.

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Spring Butcher Paper Activities for Literacy

Bird Nest Letter Match! I drew some quick bird nests with x’s and then wrote a capital letter in the nest. Students used letter manipulatives to match and sort to practice letter identification. If you want to make this activity easier, write only 10 letters for students to match.

Bug Letter Swat! Draw some bugs and write letters or numbers inside of them. Then, give students fly swatters to swat the bugs while they say the letter or number. This is a great way to practice letter identification with your busy students and get them moving!

Planting Letter Matches! Draw some sprouts and put letters inside. Then, I wrote letters on some lima beans for the students to use for their letter manipulatives. They loved pulling a seed out of the packet and finding the matching letter. Students can say the letter name and letter sound.

Pond Letter Match! I glued a blue pond to some green grass to create my pond area. Then I wrote letters in the pond. Lastly, I created my own letter manipulatives to match the pond theme with green linking cubes and rubber ducks. I used dot stickers with letters on them so I could use the manipulatives again for other themes.

Flower Sight Words! Practice sight words with this cute butcher paper idea. Draw flowers and write a sight word inside. I made letter manipulatives with lime beans that the students used to spell the sight words. You could also make this a name activity by writing students names on the flowers instead of sight words. Keep reading for more spring butcher paper activities!

Dragonfly Color Sort! I drew some colorful dragonflies and had students sort letters and bug manipulatives by color. Students could say the letter’s name as they placed it inside the wing.

Ladybug Sight Words! Draw some ladybugs and write a sight word on them. Students then read the word and write it in the wing area. If this is too difficult for your students, write letters or numbers instead.

Flower Names! Practice classmate’s names with this flower butcher paper activity. I wrote their names in the flowers, and then the students used letter manipulatives to spell the names. Students can also trace the names using crayons! Crayons are great to use for butcher paper activities because it’s easy to see he bright marker even if many students have traced the letters.

Spring Butcher Paper Activities for Math

Cloud Count! Draw clouds and write numbers inside. Then give students number manipulatives and other loose parts for them to count. I gave my students cotton ball clouds and numbered glass gems to match and count. It’s a fun way to practice one-to-one correspondence and number identification.

Worm Non-Standard Measurement! Draw some worms on brown paper and give students things to practice nonstandard measurement. I set out mini popsicle sticks, small rocks from the dollar store, glass gems, and linking cubes. This would work for an Earth Day theme, planting theme, or bird theme. I also like to take pipe cleaners and make worms and then place them in a sensory bin. Then young children pull them out and measure them. 

Caterpillar Patterns! I used a dot marker to start some patterned caterpillars, and then the students used magnetic bingo chips to continue the patterns. When it was time to clean up, they used magnet wands to pick up all the chips. My students loved this activity to practice math skills by extending patterns. Make the patterns to best fit your students level. Make AB patterns, ABC patterns, AAB patterns,  AABB patterns, or ABB patterns.

Raindrop Roll and Count! This roll and count game is so much fun and very simple to create! Draw a cloud and give students a die and dot markers. Young children roll the die and put that many raindrops on the paper to practice one-to-one correspondence. To make it harder, give students two dice and have them practice addition.

Rainbow Color Sort! Practice sorting by color with this adorable rainbow butcher paper activity! Students can sort letters, numbers, or loose parts.

Pond Count and Number Identification! I created some lily pad numbers with green foam. Then, they were placed on blue paper. Students counted the manipulatives and placed them on the lily pad. I set out mini erasers, small bugs, and small rocks; you can use whatever you have that matches your theme. Older kids may be able to decompose the number and use 2 manipulatives to show a math problem.

Recyclables Color Sort! Celebrate Earth Day with this hands-on recyclables color sorting activity. I gave students all kinds of lids to sort by color. You could also sort them by size if that is a skill that they need.

Farm Map! Have students create a map with stickers and markers. They can communicate and share their background knowledge with their peers while they work together to create a farm. This works for many other themes, too, like a town, school, bedroom, zoo, or other familiar place your students know.

Spring Butcher Paper Activities for Fine Motor

Easter Egg Pre-Writing Lines! I drew some eggs. Then, I made some line dice with white stickers and drew different kinds of lines on a foam cube. Students rolled the die and drew the line in the Easter egg. This is a fun activity to help little hands develop fine motor muscle and practice the various types of lines that form letters.

Kite Pre-Writing Lines! Draw some kites and have students add their tails using the line dice that are mentioned above. It is important for students to practice writing different types of lines that go across and go down. Those are two different motor paths students will need to be able to create to write letters.

Outside Vertical Painting! Take your butcher paper outside and hang it on a fence or wall. Give students tempera or watercolor paint to create an open-ended art project. This is one of my favorite ways to get little kids outside but still engaged in fun crafts. Little hands will be developing fine motor muscles and gross motor skills. Plus when students are using a vertical surface to paint they are strengthening their upper arms and shoulder muscles.

Construction Pre-Writing Types of Lines! For a construction theme, I drew some different kinds of lines on yellow and orange construction paper, and students picked one and drew it in the dirt (brown paper). Then, they used small construction machinery to trace the lines.

Spring Day Loose Parts! Give students the chance to decorate and design a spring day. I drew the grass and clouds to get them started, and then they used the manipulatives to finish the picture. I set out green tubing for wreath making, glass gems, wood slices, mini erasers, pom poms, and small fake flowers. I love fun spring crafts that are the perfect multi-sensory activity for little hands. 

Camping Food Lines! Students began by placing stickers all over the butcher paper. Then, they used markers to connect the food. This is great for practicing drawing lines, pencil grip, hand-eye coordination, and crossing the midline. This is a fun project for camping, sweets, healthy foods, gardens, or any other theme you have stickers for kids of all ages. 

Rock Sorting! Go on a rock hunt, and then have your students sort them by texture, size, or color. This rock sort was done by texture, and my students enjoyed touching and talking about all the different textures.

I can’t wait for spring to get here, and these spring butcher paper activities are going to be so much fun for your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten students! I love that butcher paper activities use manipulatives I already have in my classroom! Butcher paper activities are a hands-on way to practice math problems, letter recognition, fine motor skills, and so much more! These butcher paper ideas are fun activities to help develop skills students need. 

Grab the butcher paper activity guide to get over 100 butcher paper ideas! These will make your lesson plans complete with less effort from you!

Click on the pictures to see more fun ideas with butcher paper for other seasons and topics. 

Need butcher paper ideas for back-to-school time? Check out this video!

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