A spring bucket list for toddlers that doesn't require a Pinterest board

The problem with bucket lists for toddlers is that they're all secretly bucket lists for the parent. They assume a kid who will hold still for a photo, cooperate with a themed outfit, and not eat the paint.

Here is a list that assumes your toddler is a small, damp, opinionated animal. Because they are.

Slow things

These are the ones that look like nothing is happening. They are the ones that work.

1. Watch a single anthill for ten minutes. Don't narrate.
2. Find three kinds of moss. "Kinds" can just mean "colors."
3. Put a hand on the bark of five different trees. Which one is warmest?
4. Stand in a puddle until the water settles and you can see your face.
5. Let them hold a pill bug until they decide it's time to let it go.

Slightly faster things

6. Go to the same playground three days in a row. Notice what they get better at.
7. Splash in a creek wearing shoes. The shoes will dry.
8. Walk through an empty parking lot and count the cracks.
9. Bring a magnifying glass to a park and hand it over without instructions.
10. Blow dandelion seeds. Blow until they're bored. They won't get bored.

The social ones

11. Greet every dog you pass. Ask the owner first. This teaches three things at once.
12. Wave at a construction worker. (They will wave back. They always wave back.)
13. Visit a library story time even if you think you're too cool for one.

The ones you'll remember

14. Have lunch outside on a bench with no plan for what's next.
15. Lie on your back in grass and look up for as long as they will.

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None of this requires a printable or a themed snack plate. The whole point is that spring with a toddler is mostly about noticing things at a very low speed. If you can let go of doing and settle into pointing, the six weeks will feel a lot longer in the good way.