Spring reading activities just bring a certain joy to the classroom. There’s more sun, the weather starts to improve, and we can almost feel the excitement of summer break creeping in. It’s the perfect time to refresh your lesson plans with engaging ways to foster a love of reading. Whether you’re looking to inspire reluctant readers, spark thoughtful discussions, or make independent reading more fun, spring offers a wonderful opportunity to bring new energy into your classroom. If your students—and you—are ready to see some academic bloom, take a look at my round-up of spring reading activities for secondary ELA. From creative projects to themed literature responses, these spring reading activities are designed to keep students motivated and focused as the school year winds down.
1. Spring Mad Libs
Practice parts of speech with this fun and engaging spring reading activity that will have your students laughing while they learn! These Mad Libs give students the chance to flex their grammar skills in a creative and interactive way. Each prompt encourages students to experiment with nouns, verbs, adjectives, and more as they fill in the blanks to create hilarious, personalized tales.
I have a done-for-you resource that includes five ready-to-use stories that you can print as is— perfect for spring reading activities. Want to brighten your classroom? Print the stories on colorful paper and use them as vibrant class décor showcasing your students’ creativity. They’re also a great option for fast finishers, early spring celebrations, or any time you want to boost class culture with a little laughter and collaboration. Click here to check it out.
Whether you’re wrapping up a grammar lesson or adding some seasonal fun to your ELA block, these Mad Libs are an easy way to celebrate spring while reinforcing essential language skills!
2. “Grow Your Vocabulary” Garden
Create a bulletin board where students add new or unfamiliar words they encounter in their reading, like flowers growing in a garden. Each “flower” can include the word, definition, and sentence from their book. By the end of the season, they’ll have cultivated an impressive spring vocabulary!
3. Roll a Spring Story Creative Writing Activity
This activity invites students to craft a story using their imagination—and a little bit of luck! Before they begin writing, students roll dice to determine their main story elements, such as the protagonist, setting, conflict, or plot twist. The random nature of the rolls adds an exciting layer of unpredictability to the writing process, ensuring that no two stories are ever the same.
What makes this activity a classroom favorite is its versatility and replay value. Students can run through it multiple times, each time generating a completely unique storyline. It’s perfect for sparking creativity, beating writer’s block, or even as a warm-up for longer narrative projects.
To make it even more engaging, I’ve designed this resource to include four beautifully designed writing pages to inspire storytelling, easy-to-follow directions, and a digital option with a built-in dice script—ideal for paperless classrooms or virtual learners.
If you’re ready to bring a fun, dynamic writing challenge to your classroom, you can find my done-for-you Spring Roll a Story resource in my shop right here. It’s a fantastic way to get your students excited about creative writing.
4. Spring-Themed Word Games Activities
Word puzzles are a crowd pleaser, so why not have a few spring-themed ones ready for fast finishers or to build class culture. Think of working word scrambles, word searches and crosswords into your rotation of options. It’s fun, quick, and easy to put together on your own, but I have word puzzles in my shop that you can purchase just for the spring season!
5. Spring Classroom Banner Activity
I really love incorporating activities that help build a positive class culture. While these types of activities may feel more “fun” and less academic, they bring a fresh burst of spring energy to your classroom, making it a more inviting space where students want to learn. One of my favorite spring reading activities involves creating colorful, student-crafted banners. Not only do they brighten up your room with cheerful, festive decor, but they’re also simple, inexpensive, and quick to put together.
To make this even easier for teachers, I’ve created a spring banner resource that includes both pre-made and blank templates. Whether you’re looking for a quick change-of-pace activity, something engaging for early finishers, or a creative task for your next sub plan, this banner project is a perfect fit. Students can personalize their banners with their favorite quotes, book recommendations, or fun designs—adding a personal touch to your classroom’s spring refresh.
It’s an easy way to foster creativity and collaboration while celebrating the season. If you’re ready to brighten your space and engage your students, this activity will add some springtime cheer to your classroom in no time. Click here to check it out!
6. Baseball Informational Texts for Spring Reading Activities
If you’re looking for engaging nonfiction resources to practice close reading skills, my spring reading passages are a home run! This collection features five high-interest, baseball-themed readings that captivate students while helping them hone their ability to analyze informational texts.
In addition to the readings, this resource bundle includes thoughtfully designed writing activities to deepen student engagement and comprehension. The featured passages cover legendary figures like Alex Rodriguez, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, and Mickey Mantle—icons whose stories inspire critical thinking and spark discussions about perseverance, legacy, and the American pastime.
Whether you’re building a sports-themed lesson, tying in historical figures, or looking for a fresh way to approach spring reading practice, these passages provide a rich opportunity for students to refine their close reading, annotation, and analytical writing skills. Click here to grab yours.
7. Go Outside!
This requires no resources to purchase and very little prep. My students always beg to go outside, and after being cooped up all winter I really don’t blame them. The hardest part is making sure students continue to stay engaged, so I like to make sure I have spring reading activities lined up for them to complete besides just reading. Have students work on procedural writing by having them complete an activity building something using items they gather from outside. Write an analysis with sidewalk chalk. Gather some loose parts and “make writing” with instructions from the brilliant Angela Stockman. Create a flat lay for a novel with items from nature.
8. Celebrate Earth Day
Students may not have celebrated Earth Day since they were in elementary school. I remember volunteers passing out saplings and seed bombs to feed the butterflies. There are so many environmentally-focused articles and resources available. Host a debate with students, work on close reading or persuasion writing with Earth Day related topics.
9. Read Poetry
There are so many nature-inspired poets out there – pick a few to study in-depth and have students read and analyze while outside (see above), or have students find their own inspiration in nature. If you don’t have quick access to grass and the breeze, bring out posters or slides or have students find their favorite nature images to draw inspiration from. April is also National Poetry Month, so if you really want to highlight the genre this is the perfect time to do so. For a creative twist, check out my post about incorporating verse novels for the perfect spring reading activities.
10. Do a Bit of Everything
If you’re looking for an easy way to refresh your lessons and strengthen classroom culture, my Spring Classroom Activities Bundle has you covered. This ready-to-go resource bundle includes four engaging activities that blend fun and learning, perfect for practicing essential reading and writing skills. With activities like a festive banner project, Mad Libs-style grammar practice, spring-themed word games, and a creative “Roll a Spring Story” writing challenge, your students will stay motivated and engaged all season long.
The best part? Grabbing the bundle saves you over 20% compared to buying each resource individually! Whether you need a sub-plan option, a quick change-of-pace, or something fun for early finishers, these spring reading activities will bring fresh energy into your classroom. Check out the Spring Classroom Activities Bundle in my shop right here and make springtime learning something your students will remember!
I am so excited for the change of season—you really can’t beat the shift from winter to spring and the buzz of excitement that comes with it. Spring is the perfect time to refresh your classroom with new lessons that inspire creativity and keep students engaged. Whether it’s hilarious Mad Libs, a lucky roll a story, or one of your favorite spring reading activities, these ideas can help you celebrate the season while reinforcing important ELA skills.
If you have spring-themed favorites that your students love, I’d love to hear about them! Drop a comment below and share your go-to activities. I’m always looking to add fresh ideas to my toolbox and try something new. After all, spring is all about growth—and that includes our teaching strategies, too!
Happy teaching!
