Spring Flowers Spotter: Free Printable Game for Year 1

Spring Flowers Spotter is a free printable game for Year 1 (ages 5 to 6), in Key Stage 1. Spot spring flowers on a walk and cross them off. It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, a growing library of free printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795.

It is two A4 pages. Page 1 is the activity for children. Page 2 is for the grown-up: it has notes on how to use the sheet, help for children who find it hard, and a stretch idea. Print it at home or in the classroom. Black and white printing works well.

What is on the sheet

This game includes a bingo card ready to cut and play.

A look at what children will meet:

• DAFFODIL
• BLUEBELL
• PRIMROSE
• SNOWDROP
• TULIP
• DAISY
• CROCUS
• DANDELION
• BUTTERCUP

Who this is for

Year 1 (ages 5 to 6) in Key Stage 1.

Key Stage 1 covers Years 1 and 2, ages 5 to 7. Children are building secure foundations in reading, writing and number, and short playful practice at home helps those foundations stick. Use it at home, in class, on a rainy afternoon or at a family gathering.

What children practise

• Observing
• Plant names
• Nature

Children learn the names of common spring flowers and practise looking closely at nature.

Learning focus and curriculum link

Subject: Science. Key stage: Key Stage 1. It supports the subject at this level through short, focused practice.

This sheet is a practice and play activity. It supports classroom learning and is not a replacement for it.

How to use it

1. Print both pages. Page 1 is for the child. Keep page 2 for the grown-up.
2. One or more players, about 30 minutes outside. Do not pick wild flowers. Look, point and take a photo instead. Wash hands after the walk.
3. Work through the activity together the first time. Talk about each choice.
4. Check against the notes on page 2.
5. Come back to it another day. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.

If it feels too hard

Look at pictures of each flower before you go out.

To stretch confident children

Draw one flower you found and write what colour it was.

Make it a game

Race a friend or family member to get a line first.

Tips for parents and teachers

• Read the rules out loud together before you start, so everyone plays the same game.
• Take turns being the person who reads or checks. It builds listening as well as knowledge.
• Keep rounds short. Two quick games beat one long one.

A screen-free science activity for Year 1

Children spend a lot of time on screens. This is a screen-free science activity that needs only paper and a pencil. It works as quiet time after school, a rainy day activity, a holiday boredom buster or a calm moment before bed. Screen-free learning gives eyes a rest and gets children talking, thinking and writing by hand.

Free science resources for teachers

Teachers can use this game as a starter, a plenary, an early finisher task, a supply teacher resource, a homework task or a table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. The learning focus and skills are listed above so you can match it to your planning, and page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.

Science ideas for parents at home

You do not need to be a teacher to use this. Read the sheet through, sit with your child for the first go and let them lead. Short bursts of ten to fifteen minutes work better than long sessions. If you are looking for free science worksheets for Year 1, or simple home learning for the weekend or school holidays, this is a good place to start.

Home education and tutoring

Home educators and tutors can print this as part of a wider science plan. It pairs well with books, outdoor play and everyday talk. Because the sheet is free and printable, you can use it again for brothers and sisters or for revision a few weeks later.

Why it helps children learn

Hands-on, paper based activities slow learning down in a good way. Children read carefully, think before they answer and see their own progress on the page. Games and challenges add a reason to keep going. That mix of play and practice is why printable activities like this are popular with parents, teachers and home educators.

Why spring flowers matter

This game is a bingo card of nine flowers: daffodil, bluebell, primrose, snowdrop, tulip, daisy, crocus, dandelion and buttercup. Children look for them outside and cross them off.

The Woodland Trust describes primrose as one of the first flowers to bloom in spring. It also calls wood anemone one of the first spring blooms. Snowdrops, it says, are one of the first signs of spring.

What the research says children find hard

We did not find a study of Year 1 pupils and a flower bingo game, or of how many children can name common flowers, that we could open and check. So we give no figures for that. What we can say comes from two sources we did read.

• Naming and sorting needs knowledge. The Ofsted science research review, published on gov.uk, says that classifying flowering plants scientifically requires knowledge of floral parts to place specimens in appropriate groups. It is a review of science education in general, not of Year 1.
• Real plants are part of science. The same review says there are concerns in biological education that pupils do not encounter the full range of living organisms in the classroom, such as fungi, protists, bacteria and plants. It also says pupils encounter the full range of objects and phenomena they are studying through both laboratory and fieldwork.

Neither point is a claim about this game. They are general points about science education.

What Year 1 children are expected to learn

The national curriculum for England, in its Year 1 science programme of study on plants, says pupils should be taught to:

• "identify and name a variety of common wild and garden plants, including deciduous and evergreen trees"
• "identify and describe the basic structure of a variety of common flowering plants, including trees"

The non-statutory notes say pupils "should use the local environment throughout the year to explore and answer questions about plants growing in their habitat". They add that pupils "should become familiar with common names of flowers", and they list plant structures that include "leaves, flowers (blossom), petals, fruit, roots, bulb, seed, trunk, branches, stem". The notes suggest pupils might work scientifically by "observing closely, perhaps using magnifying glasses, and comparing and contrasting familiar plants".

The Year 1 curriculum also says pupils should "observe changes across the 4 seasons". A spring walk is one small part of that.

Why a spotting game can help

We want to be honest. We did not find a study of a flower bingo game that we could open and quote, so we do not promise a result. What we can offer is reasoning from the sources above.

The curriculum asks pupils to name common flowers and to explore plants in their local environment. A bingo card gives a short list of names to look for, which is one way to turn a walk into a task. The Ofsted science review says classifying plants needs knowledge of floral parts. Our own suggestion: while you look, point to the petals and the stem and say their names, so that the parts and the names arrive together.

The game is play and practice. It is not a lesson, and it does not replace one.

Safety note: look, do not pick, and do not eat

This note combines what the sources say with our own advice, and we label which is which.

• Do not pick wild flowers. Our own advice, which matches the printed rules on the sheet: look, point and take a photo instead. Separately, the Woodland Trust says the bluebell is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), and that digging up the plant or bulb in the countryside is prohibited. Its page does not say that picking is illegal.
• Do not eat any of them. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) advises: "If it is not a food plant, do not eat it". It also advises teaching children not to play with or eat growing plants. The RHS says bulbs can be toxic if eaten, and names daffodils as an example.
• Keep it in proportion. The RHS says serious poisoning by plants is very uncommon in the UK. It adds that children are mostly at risk from eating plants.
• If a child eats a plant. The RHS advice, which we repeat as its advice and not ours: seek medical advice immediately from a hospital Accident and Emergency department, take a sample of the plant with you, do not panic, and do not try to make the person sick.
• Wash hands. Our own advice, which also appears on the sheet: wash hands after the walk. The RHS school gardening guidance also insists on good hand washing.
• Adults stay close. Our own advice: an adult should walk with young children and choose where they stand.

How to get the most out of Spring Flowers Spotter

1. Look at pictures first. Our suggestion: find a picture of each flower before you go out, as the sheet says.
2. Look before you name. Our suggestion: ask your child what colour it is, how many petals it has, and whether the leaves are long or round. Then check the facts below.
3. Point, do not touch. Our own safety advice: cross the flower off the card and take a photo.
4. Stay on the path. The Woodland Trust says bluebells can take years to recover from the damage caused by trampling. Our own safety advice: keep to paths.
5. Wash hands at the end. Then talk about which flowers you found and which you missed.

What to look for

These are the facts from the Woodland Trust species pages. We could open pages for the flowers below. We did not find an identification page we could open for tulip, daisy, crocus, dandelion or buttercup, so we do not describe those. Use a field guide or a trusted gardening site, and ask an adult.

• Primrose. A small plant that grows no more than 10 cm high. The leaves are wrinkly with hairy undersides, in a rosette at the base. The flowers are pale to deep yellow with darker yellow-orange centres, and each has five notched petals.
• Bluebell. The flowers are usually deep violet-blue, bell-shaped, with six petals and up-turned tips. They nod or droop to one side of the stem. The Woodland Trust says they flower from April onwards.
• Snowdrop. About 7 to 15 cm tall, with white bell-shaped flowers at the end of an erect stem. The Woodland Trust says snowdrops normally flower in January and February, and that they are not native to the UK.
• Wild daffodil. The Woodland Trust says wild daffodils are smaller and paler than cultivated ones, with a deep yellow trumpet and much paler petals. It also says they are rare.

The sheet does not list lesser celandine. We mention it because the Woodland Trust describes it as a small plant in the buttercup family, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and yellow star-like flowers. Our own advice: check against a flower guide before you cross off buttercup.

Common mistakes, and what to say

• Picking the flower to "show" someone. Our own safety advice: say: "Let us take a photo so it can keep growing."
• Calling every yellow flower a daffodil. Our own advice: ask "Does it have a trumpet?" Primroses have five notched petals.
• Mixing up bluebells. The Woodland Trust says Spanish bluebells grow upright, with flowers all around the stem, not drooping to one side.
• Feeling let down if a flower is missing. Our own suggestion: do not worry if you cannot find all nine. Missing one is part of the game.

Why teachers matter to us

We are a games company, and we have been making games for families since 1795. A printable does not replace a teacher. A 2011 interim report for the Sutton Trust looked at how much teachers affect pupil achievement. It found that in one year with a very effective maths teacher, pupils gain 40% more learning than with a poorly performing maths teacher. That finding is about maths teachers and not science, so we do not claim it for science. We cite it because it shows how much teaching can vary.

The report also said that for poor pupils the difference between a good and a bad teacher is a whole year's learning, and that paper credentials explain less than 8% of teacher quality. A University of Bristol working paper found considerable variability in teacher effectiveness. A teacher who takes a class outdoors to look at real plants is giving them something a sheet cannot, and we are grateful for it.

A caution on the Sutton Trust figures: the report draws on US studies as well as English ones. The 40% compares a very effective teacher (at the 84th percentile) with a poorly performing one (at the 16th percentile). The figure that paper credentials explain less than 8% of teacher quality comes from US research. We use them as pointers, not as a promise about any one child.

Why education matters to us

Our own view: learning the names of the things around us is a way of paying attention. We want every child to look closely at the world and enjoy it, and to start with something small they can find themselves. Jaques of London has made things for children for generations. The Mini Minds Hub carries that on: free, screen-free, and simple enough for a parent on a walk to use alongside a teacher in a classroom.

Spring Flowers Spotter: 20 questions and answers

1. How does the card work?

It lists nine flowers to look for. You cross each one off when you see it.

2. Where is the best place to look?

Our suggestion: a garden, a park or a woodland path. The Woodland Trust says primroses are found in woods and often grow in grassland and woodland clearings.

3. How do I know a primrose?

It is small, no more than 10 cm high, with wrinkly leaves in a rosette and pale to deep yellow flowers with five notched petals.

4. How do I know a bluebell?

Look for deep violet-blue bell-shaped flowers that droop to one side of the stem, with six petals and up-turned tips.

5. How do I know a snowdrop?

It has white bell-shaped flowers on an erect stem, about 7 to 15 cm tall, with narrow grey-green leaves.

6. Are snowdrops British?

The Woodland Trust says they are not native to the UK, and that it is unclear when they were introduced.

7. Are the daffodils in gardens wild?

No. The Woodland Trust says wild daffodils are smaller and paler than cultivated ones and are rare.

8. What is the difference between a primrose and a cowslip?

The Woodland Trust says cowslip flowers form in clusters and are usually bell-shaped and a darker orange-yellow.

9. Why can I not pick a bluebell?

Our own safety advice: do not pick any wild flower. Separately, the Woodland Trust says the bluebell is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), and that digging up the plant or bulb in the countryside is prohibited. Its page does not say that picking is illegal.

10. Are flowers poisonous?

Some can be. The RHS says serious poisoning by plants is very uncommon in the UK, but advises not eating a plant that is not a food plant.

11. Can I eat any of the flowers on the card?

Our advice: no. Do not eat wild or garden flowers on a walk. The RHS also says bulbs, including daffodils, can be toxic if eaten.

12. What if my child puts a flower in their mouth?

The RHS says to seek medical advice immediately from a hospital Accident and Emergency department, take a sample of the plant, and not try to make the person sick.

13. Why wash hands after the walk?

The sheet says to wash hands. The RHS school gardening guidance also advises good hand washing. Our own reason: it is a simple habit after touching plants or soil.

14. Can I use the game in winter?

Not for every flower. The Woodland Trust says snowdrops normally flower in January and February, and primroses can flower from December through to May.

15. What if we find none of the flowers?

Our suggestion: keep the card for another walk, and draw one flower you do find.

16. How do I make it harder?

Our suggestion: ask your child to describe a flower without saying its name, so you can guess.

17. How do I make it easier?

Our suggestion: look at pictures first, as the sheet says, and start with the flowers you find easiest to name.

18. What does Year 1 science say about plants?

Pupils are taught to identify and name a variety of common wild and garden plants, and to identify and describe the basic structure of a variety of common flowering plants.

19. Does this cover the seasons?

A little. Year 1 pupils are taught to observe changes across the 4 seasons. A spring walk is one example.

20. Is this a replacement for science lessons?

No. It is a game. The Sutton Trust interim report found that a very effective maths teacher gives pupils 40% more learning in a year. That is about maths. Our own view: a game works best beside good teaching.

Sources

1. Department for Education, National curriculum in England: science programmes of study: gov.uk.
2. Ofsted, Research review series: science (2021): gov.uk.
3. Woodland Trust, Primrose: woodlandtrust.org.uk.
4. Woodland Trust, Bluebell: woodlandtrust.org.uk.
5. Woodland Trust, Snowdrop: woodlandtrust.org.uk.
6. Woodland Trust, Wild daffodil: woodlandtrust.org.uk.
7. Woodland Trust, Lesser celandine and Wild garlic: lesser celandine, wild garlic.
8. Royal Horticultural Society, Potentially harmful garden plants: rhs.org.uk.
9. Royal Horticultural Society, Health and safety in the garden: rhs.org.uk.
10. Sutton Trust, Improving the impact of teachers on pupil achievement in the UK, interim findings (2011): dera.ioe.ac.uk.
11. Slater, Davies and Burgess, University of Bristol CMPO Working Paper 09/212 (2009): bristol.ac.uk.

Frequently asked questions

What age is Spring Flowers Spotter for?

It is written for Year 1 (ages 5 to 6), in Key Stage 1.

What will children practise?

Children learn the names of common spring flowers and practise looking closely at nature.

How do I use it?

One or more players, about 30 minutes outside. Do not pick wild flowers. Look, point and take a photo instead. Wash hands after the walk.

What if it feels too hard?

Look at pictures of each flower before you go out.

Is it free?

Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use.

Is Spring Flowers Spotter suitable for teachers to use in class?

Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing.

Is this a screen-free activity?

Yes. It is a screen-free printable that needs only paper and a pencil, so it works well for quiet time, rainy days and school holidays.

Can I use it for home education?

Yes. Home educators and tutors can use it on its own or as part of a wider plan. It is free to print again for brothers, sisters or revision.

How long does it take?

Most children finish page 1 in 10 to 20 minutes. The notes on page 2 suggest ways to make it shorter or longer.

Do I need to print in colour?

No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper.

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