There’s always a point in early spring when I realise I don’t want to be indoors quite as much (or rather, I realise I don’t have to be indoors) and I start thinking about spring activities.
Nothing dramatic has happened – it’s still cold in the shade and you still need a coat most days. But, the light feels different, and that changes everything. I find myself hovering by the back door a bit more, opening windows earlier, and standing in patches of sun for no particular reason (grab it while it’s there, after all!)
Spring doesn’t require a reinvention, it just asks you to notice it. These are the types of activities I tend to lean into once the days start stretching — small shifts that make the season feel real and ready.
1. Plan a Picnic (Even If It’s Not Scenic)
I think we’ve all got to admit that food tastes better outside…I don’t know why, but it just does! But a picnic doesn’t need rolling countryside or a carefully packed wicker basket – though there’s nothing wrong with planning these into the weekends too.
Sometimes I’ll just throw lunch into a bag and walk to the nearest bit of green space. Even if it’s slightly uneven grass with traffic not far away, it still feels different from sitting on the sofa or at the table.
If you want it to feel like a bit more of a treat with your partner, family or friends (but still easy and comfortable to grab and go) a quality insulated picnic backpack set with plates and cutlery saves that last-minute scramble for napkins and forks.
Or, if you don’t want to carry too much with you, just a large waterproof picnic blanket with carry strap is one of those things you never truly appreciate until you sit down on damp grass without one…and think ‘I could’ve done this so differently!’
Picnics as spring activities don’t have to be planned or elaborate. Bread, cheese, fruit, something sweet – even a meal deal with a range of snacky bits (hello M&S) outside of home feels different somehow. The point is the change of setting.
2. Grow Something You’ll Actually Use
Every spring I feel the urge to plant something. Usually herbs, because they’re forgiving and immediately useful – whether that’s mint for drinks, basil for pasta, or rosemary for spring lamb and so much more.
However, you don’t need to be a pro gardener with a full vegetable patch outside. If you’re short on space or just want to start small, a set of ceramic herb planters with drainage trays on a windowsill is more than enough to start.
If you do have outdoor space though, investing in this stainless steel gardening tool set with wooden handles makes the whole thing more satisfying. Let’s be honest, tools matter far more than we like to admit!
And if you end up kneeling longer than planned (and at whatever age you are, protecting your knees is realy important), a folding garden kneeler with side pockets saves your knees – and gives you somewhere to put the secateurs you’ve immediately misplaced.
You don’t need to transform your entire garden – just take some joy in watching something grow.
3. Take Your Coffee Outside Before You Think About It
The first time it’s mild enough, I take my coffee outside almost on impulse. Sometimes it lasts ten minutes, sometimes longer, but it shifts the morning (and no morning is complete without a solid cuppa – or three!)
A stainless steel insulated travel mug helps when it looks warmer than it actually is (which, in the UK, is most of March…)
If you’ve got a small patio or balcony, a couple of weather resistant outdoor cushions in neutral tones make it feel like a space you’re meant to sit in rather than just pass through.
It doesn’t need over styling, it just needs to be used.
4. Walk With No Agenda as Part of Your Spring Activities
I am known to love being active and I’m into my running (and food), but a walk doesn’t always have to be a fitness walk or a step-count mission. Just a wander will do your head the world of good!
Spring has small details everywhere — blossom that wasn’t there yesterday, light bouncing differently off buildings, gardens slowly filling out.
I’m also a music fiend, but I think it’s important for all of us to try and leave the headphones at home this time of year, even if just for a handful of times. It makes you look up more, absorb your surroundings, and check back in with yourself.
For spring activities, if you enjoy capturing what you see beyond the memories stored in your mind, a compact mirrorless camera for beginners changes how you pay attention. It’s a small investment beyond your phone camera, but one with a range of functions that stands the test of time.
Or, you could veer away from technology entirely, and keep it simple with a hardcover lined journal to jot down what you notice instead. Spring will always reward you if you give it some attention!
5. Invite People Over Without Overthinking It
Spring gatherings feel lighter by default with the windows opening slightly, drinks poured without the pomp and ceremony, and everybody seems to be more lax on checking the time.
You don’t need a full dinner party to enjoy socialising, just something informal often does the trick better than something grand anyway!
A glass drinks dispenser with stand lets people help themselves, which I always prefer – it takes the pressure off me and actually off of them too.
And a large ceramic serving platter in a neutral glaze works for nibbles like salads, pastries or fruit without feeling tied to a specific occasion.
If you want food ideas to match that kind of afternoon, my Relaxed Spring Lunch Ideas for Slow, Sunlit Weekends fits perfectly here.
6. Try Some Creative Spring Activities (Just Because)
Spring has a way of making you want to make something, and arts and crafts are so good for mental health (and a big hobby of mine!)
Why not incorporate some crafty spring activities into your daily routine? Press flowers…sketch a view…rearrange a shelf. Bake something seasonal and eat it slightly too quickly (as quickly as one or two sittings).
A wooden flower press kit with blotting paper is inexpensive and surprisingly absorbing. Spring flowers are so beautiful, and this is such a calming way of appreciating them. Or, if you want to give a go at drawing them yourself, a hardback sketchbook with thick paper helps you capture your own interpretations.
It doesn’t need to be impressive or sellable – it just needs to feel like you spent time on something for yourself, to calm your mind away from the hustle and bustle of life.
7. Let the Evenings Stretch
Spring evenings are very inbetween-y at first. Lighter, but still cool. I find myself turning lamps on later and letting the natural light fade properly before adding anything artificial.
A rechargeable dimmable table lamp makes that transition softer, especially if you’re eating later. To embrace the outside even further, a set of warm white outdoor string lights means you don’t have to rush back in the moment it dips.
Those extra twenty minutes outside can make all the difference to how you feel.
The Point of Spring Activities
Spring activities don’t need to be productive or have a solid purpose – they just need to respond to what’s changing around you.
Eat outside, plant something small. Walk without rushing and invite people over without all the forward planning. When I lean into these small shifts, the season feels more fulfilling without the feeling of added bustle.
If you’re building more seasonal rhythm generally, How to Live More Seasonally at Home explores the wider mindset. And, if food is your favourite way into the season, What to Cook in March is a good place to start.
Spring is brief, so don’t let it skip by without fully appreciating it with the little things!