Free spring maths activities for early years | Easter maths ideas for nurseries
Spring is the perfect time to refresh your approach and bring maths into everyday play in simple, engaging ways. Whether you’re planning for Easter or just making the most of the season, there are plenty of opportunities to build maths naturally into what you already do.
To get you started, here are some free Maths Champions activities you can try straight away in your setting.
Mathematical hunt eggtravaganza
Create a maths-rich egg hunt using cut out eggs with dots and numerals, or refillable eggs filled with objects to count and explore.
This is a great way to support subitising and cardinality, while also encouraging children to use positional and directional language as they search.
You can extend this by hiding eggs in sand or other sensory materials, giving younger children the chance to explore, scoop and compare as they play.
Springtime sensory maths
Bring maths into sensory play using seasonal foods and natural materials.
In-season ingredients such as cabbage, cauliflower and herbs can be used to explore patterns, shapes and textures.
Cutting a red cabbage in half, for example, opens up conversations about patterns and symmetry, while counting ingredients in a garden kitchen supports early number skills.
You can take this further by adding seeds to a muddy tray for planting, or offering a mix of cooked and raw vegetables to explore different shapes and measures.
Puzzle Hunt
Use eggs as a playful way to explore shape, size and sorting.
Create an egg-themed puzzle hunt by matching eggs to spaces in a box sorter, grouping them by colour, or pairing patterns and numerals.
This can be as simple as using an egg carton with refillable eggs or creating your own paper versions to customise the activity.
It’s a great way to support counting, numeral recognition and early data handling in a hands-on way.
Subitising in Spring
Spring offers plenty of natural opportunities for subitising.
Encourage children to notice small quantities without counting, whether it’s daisies growing in a patch, birds sitting together on a fence or clusters of clouds in the sky.
These everyday moments help develop number sense while also encouraging children to slow down and observe the world around them.
Springtime song time
Bring maths into music and storytelling with spring-themed number rhymes.
Songs like “Five Little Ducks” or “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush” can support counting, pattern and sequencing.
Adding props or small world resources helps children visualise numbers and build confidence as they join in.
These can easily be woven into role play, whether it’s a garden centre, farm or outdoor exploration.
Other Springtime celebrations
Spring is full of opportunities to explore different cultures and celebrations.
Holi, the Festival of Colours, is a great example. Outdoor messy play with coloured paint or sponges can support pattern making, movement and early understanding of measure.
It’s also a chance to reflect on the backgrounds of children in your setting and create meaningful, inclusive experiences.
These activities are designed to be simple, flexible and easy to adapt, helping you bring maths into everyday moments without adding extra pressure.
What settings have been up to this Easter
It’s been brilliant to see how settings are already putting ideas like these into practice.
At Carr Mill Primary School, children explored “making flowers using natural loose parts this spring”, combining creativity with counting, sorting and pattern making.
Another setting introduced a “dinosaur egg matching” activity, using children’s interests to encourage problem solving and early maths skills.
Elsewhere, an “Easter themed colour matching activity” has been helping children build confidence with colours and develop key mathematical language through play.
These examples show just how effective simple, seasonal ideas can be in keeping Maths Champions activities going over the holidays.
Join the Maths Champions Programme
Register your interest today to be among the first to hear when applications open for the next cohort of the fully funded NDNA Maths Champions programme. Don’t miss the opportunity to strengthen your team’s confidence in teaching maths and support children to build strong foundations for learning.
The Maths Champions programme is a fully funded initiative, the only criteria for nurseries is that:
- they must have one or more three or four-year-old child in their setting
- the Maths Champions must be at least Level 3 qualified.
The next round of places will start between July and November 2026 and nurseries can express an interest in places now. The programme will continue to run until June 2029.
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