March is the trickiest month of the year, isn’t it?
One day it’s sunny and warm, and you’re convinced spring has finally arrived. The next day you’re digging out the winter coats again because somehow it’s snowing. Make up your mind, March.
I’ve given up trying to predict the weather. Instead, I’ve learned to roll with it. Rainy day? We’ve got activities. Sunny afternoon? We’re going outside. St. Patrick’s Day? Time to break out the green.
This list of 31 March activities covers everything — leprechauns, rainbows, spring science, and plenty of ways to survive whatever weather March throws at you.
Why March Activities Need Flexibility
March is a transition month. Winter is (mostly) over. Spring is (sort of) starting. Kids can feel the change. They’re restless, excited, and ready to be outside.
The best March activities:
- Work indoors or outdoors depending on weather
- Embrace spring themes — rainbows, flowers, baby animals
- Include St. Patrick’s Day fun without going overboard
- Get kids moving after being cooped up all winter
FYI, I keep a “weather check” each morning and pick activities accordingly. Sunny = outdoor adventure. Rainy = rainbow crafts inside.
31 March Activities to Try
St. Patrick’s Day Fun (March 17)
1. Make a Leprechaun Trap
This is a March tradition in our house. Gather a shoebox, craft supplies, and imagination. Build a trap to catch a leprechaun. Set it up the night before St. Patrick’s Day. In the morning, leave chocolate coins and “evidence” of a leprechaun visit — maybe a tiny shoe, some glitter, or a note. The excitement is unreal.
2. Rainbow Scavenger Hunt
Hide colored objects around the house or yard. Give kids a list of colors to find in rainbow order. Or hide one object per color and have them arrange their findings in a rainbow.
3. Green Food Day
Everything turns green. Green smoothies, green pancakes, green scrambled eggs, green yogurt. Add a drop of food coloring and watch their faces. My daughter once refused to eat green eggs. Dr. Seuss lied. :/
4. Shamrock Salt Painting
Draw a shamrock on cardstock with glue. Sprinkle with salt. Drop food coloring mixed with water onto the salt with a dropper. Watch the color spread. Let dry. Beautiful and science-y.
5. Leprechaun Footprints
Cut small shamrock shapes from green paper. Sprinkle them on the floor the night before. Leave green glitter footprints leading to the leprechaun trap. They’ll lose their minds.
6. Rainbow Toast
Toast bread, spread with cream cheese, and let kids arrange colored cereals (Fruit Loops) in rainbow stripes. Eat. Repeat.
7. Catch a Leprechaun Story
Write a story together about what you’d do if you caught a leprechaun. Would you ask for his gold? His secret? His rainbow? Illustrate it.
Rainbow & Weather Activities
8. Make a Rainbow Mobile
Cut rainbow strips from colored paper. Hang them from a hanger or stick. Add cotton balls for clouds. Hang in the window and watch it spin.
9. Rain Cloud in a Jar
Fill a jar with water. Top with shaving cream “cloud.” Drop blue food coloring on top. Watch it rain through the cloud. Science experiment and art project in one.
10. Color Mixing Experiment
Set up cups of red, yellow, and blue water. Give kids empty cups and droppers. Let them discover what colors they can make. Red + yellow = orange. Blue + yellow = green. Red + blue = purple. Magic.
11. Rainbow Hop
Use colored paper to create a rainbow path on the floor. Call out colors. Kids hop to the correct one. Great for burning energy indoors.
12. Cloud Watching
On a partly cloudy day, lay on a blanket outside. Look up. What shapes do you see? A dragon? A dinosaur? A giant ice cream cone? Free entertainment.
13. Make a Windsock
Decorate a paper tube with streamers. Hang it outside and watch the wind catch it. Talk about wind direction and speed.
14. Puddle Jumping
Rainy day? Put on boots and raincoats. Find the biggest puddles. Jump. Repeat until exhausted. Dry off with hot cocoa after.
Spring Nature Activities
15. Go on a Spring Walk
Look for signs of spring — buds on trees, flowers starting to bloom, birds building nests. Take a bag for collecting treasures (rocks, sticks, interesting leaves).
16. Start Seeds Indoors
Fill egg cartons with soil. Plant fast-growing seeds — beans, peas, sunflowers. Water and place in a sunny window. Watch them sprout. Transplant outside when weather warms.
17. Make a Nature Bracelet
Wrap masking tape around their wrist, sticky side out. On a nature walk, stick small treasures to it — tiny leaves, flower petals, interesting seeds. Beautiful and keeps them focused.
18. Press Flowers
Pick small flowers or petals. Place between two pieces of paper inside a heavy book. Wait a week. Use pressed flowers for cards or art projects.
19. Worm Observation
Find worms after rain. Place them in a container with dirt. Observe how they move. Talk about how they help gardens. Release them where you found them.
20. Build a Fairy House
Use sticks, leaves, moss, and acorns to build a tiny house for fairies. Place it near a tree or bush. Check back to see if fairies visited. (Leave tiny footprints or glitter just in case.)
21. Plant a Potato in a Bag
Cut a potato with eyes into chunks. Plant in a bag of soil with the eyes up. Water and wait. Potatoes grow fast and kids can harvest them later.
Spring Arts & Crafts
22. Coffee Filter Flowers
Color coffee filters with markers. Spray with water. Watch colors blend. Let dry, then scrunch into flower shapes. Add pipe cleaner stems.
23. Egg Carton Caterpillars
Cut an egg carton into strips. Paint. Add googly eyes and pipe cleaner antennae. Instant caterpillars.
24. Handprint Flowers
Trace and cut out handprints from colored paper. Arrange them in a circle to make flowers. Add stems and leaves. Great for grandparents.
25. Bubble Wrap Prints
Wrap bubble wrap around a rolling pin. Dip in paint. Roll across paper. The texture is amazing. Looks like honeycomb or bubbles.
26. Rain Painting
Sprinkle watercolor powder or food coloring on paper. Take outside in a light rain. Let raindrops create art. Bring inside to dry. Nature did the work.
27. Paper Plate Suns
Paint paper plates yellow. Add orange streamers for rays. Hang in the window to bring sunshine inside.
Outdoor Spring Play
28. Fly a Kite
March is perfect kite weather — windy but not too cold. Find an open space. Run. Watch that kite soar. Or crash. Either way, fun.
29. Sidewalk Chalk Gallery
Draw spring scenes on the driveway — flowers, rainbows, sunshine, butterflies. Add hopscotch for extra fun.
30. Blow Bubbles
Make homemade bubble solution (water + dish soap + a little corn syrup). Use shaped wands or just a straw. Chase and pop. Hours of entertainment for zero dollars.
31. Spring Picnic
Pack a blanket and snacks. Eat outside. Even if it’s a little chilly, bundle up. Fresh air and a change of scenery work wonders.
March Books to Read Together
Add these to your library pile:
- “The Tiny Seed” by Eric Carle — A seed’s journey through the seasons
- “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover” by Lucille Colandro — Silly St. Patrick’s Day fun
- “When Spring Comes” by Kevin Henkes — Beautiful illustrations of spring arriving
- “How to Catch a Leprechaun” by Adam Wallace — Perfect before building traps
- “Planting a Rainbow” by Lois Ehlert — Gorgeous flower-themed book
March Sensory Bins
Sensory bins save my sanity. Here are March-themed ideas:
- Green bin: Green rice, green pom poms, plastic gold coins, leprechaun figurines
- Rainbow bin: Colored pasta, rainbow spoons, small pots of “gold”
- Spring bin: Fake flowers, small pots, scoops, seeds
- Weather bin: Blue water beads, cotton balls (clouds), small umbrellas
Put everything in a plastic bin. Let them explore. Vacuum after. Worth it.
March Printable Pack
Create or find a March-themed printable pack with:
- St. Patrick’s Day coloring pages
- Rainbow tracing sheets
- Spring word searches
- Weather tracking chart
- March calendar to color each day
Print a few and keep them in a folder for quiet times.
What to Do When Weather Cancels Plans
March weather is unpredictable. Here’s my backup plan:
- Movie marathon with spring-themed movies
- Fort building with blankets and cushions
- Baking cookies in spring shapes (flowers, butterflies)
- Indoor obstacle course using pillows and furniture
- Dance party with high-energy music
Final Thoughts
March is a month of waiting. Waiting for spring to really arrive. Waiting for the weather to make up its mind. Waiting for St. Patrick’s Day so we can eat green food and hunt for leprechauns.
Pick 5-6 activities from this list that fit your family. Maybe you’re all in on leprechaun traps. Maybe you just want to blow bubbles and call it a day. Both are perfect.
The goal isn’t to do all 31. It’s to have options. Something for sunny days. Something for rainy afternoons. Something to make March feel less like waiting and more like living.
Now go catch that leprechaun. 🙂
