Top 12 Creative Gardening Activities For Kids

Make your little one go green, not with jealousy, but with gardening.

Reviewed by Elisa Yi, Early childhood educator Elisa Yi Elisa YiEarly childhood educator MomJunction on FacebookFollow MomJunction on Instagram Specialty: Early childhood educationExperience: 17 years
Written by Manjiri Kochrekar pintrest_iconFollow MomJunction on Twitter Specialty: Kids Fun and Activities
Edited by , B.Com, PG Dip Harshita Makvana B.Com, PG Dip Follow MomJunction on Linkedin Specialty: Child Education, Storytelling, Activities and LearningExperience: 7 years
Fact-checked by , B.Tech Nisha Bharatan B.Tech Follow MomJunction on Linkedin Specialty: Kids Fun and Developmental ActivitiesExperience: 6 years
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Kids Doing Garden Activities

Image: Shutterstock

Gardening is a rewarding activity that teaches children several essential life skills. It keeps them close to nature, hones their senses, and improves their mental and physical wellbeing. Gardening activities provide kids with a wonderful opportunity to connect with nature, fostering a sense of responsibility and curiosity. Louise Curley, a blogger, shares her experience of gardening as a kid. She says, “I loved gardening when I was little. My first real gardening memory is being given a small part of my parents’ garden and spending my pocket money on alpines from my local DIY store. I would spend hours with a trowel digging, weeding and just generally messing about in the soil. I loved it, being outdoors and watching the bees and butterflies landing on the sedums I’d planted (i).”

So, here we bring you some engaging gardening activities for kids that you and your child can work on together. These activities are simple yet interesting enough to keep your child captivated. Besides, they will teach your child about the beauty of nature and how to take care of it with patience and dedication.

In This Article

Which Plants Attract Children?

Children are attracted to bright flowers

Image: IStock

Kids usually get attracted to bright colors and big things. Also, they get bored and discouraged easily, so the first gardening experience should be fun and fruitful.

Make a kid-size garden for the little ones to handle easily. Start out with wild flowers. They are of various colors and are easily available in the market. They also look good in small colored pots.

Here are some choices of plants for your kids to start their gardening expedition with:

  • Wild Strawberries
  • Lavenders
  • Sunflowers
  • Cherries

Besides being fun and educational, it can help your kid develop a sensory experienceiActivities that help children develop a better understanding of the world around them by using their five senses. which will help them to connect with the world.

Your child learns to use his senses from birth. Through gardening activities, your child will quickly establish connections with the world by feeling, observing, touching, exploring, creating, and more.

Things Which Develop Sensory Inputs

The following activities while gardening will help develop sensory inputs in your child:

  • Touching and rubbing various plants and flowers
  • Touching soil, worms and such
  • Picking flowers
  • Harvesting home grown vegetables
  • Digging holes
  • Shoveling
  • Carrying pots

Top 12 Fun Gardening Activities For Kids

Here are some interesting activities for kids. Let your kid pick out the best one, and don’t worry about them getting dirty or pulling out worms and plants.

1. Watering plants

It is the most basic of all gardening activities.

  • It can be easily accomplished by children of almost all ages.
  • Get your child a cute watering can. These you can easily get from any departmental stores.
  • Fix a time or day for watering.

2. Cleaning garden

Teach children to clean the garden

Image: Shutterstock

It is important that you teach your kid to clean the garden.

  • This will help to make the atmosphere hygienic.
  • You can buy some good child rakes to remove dead leaves and flowers from the garden.

3. Pulling wild plant

Teach your child to pull weeds from the flower beds.

  • Weeds make the garden look dirty and have no use.
  • Teach your child about different types of wild plants, as well as the methods of pruning and weeding them.

4. Picking fruits or vegetables

This is one of everyone’s favorites of all time.

  • Children love picking fruits and vegetables from their home garden.
  • You can make them get involved in the kitchen too, to make some delicious food, pickles or jellies.
protip_icon Be watchful
Albeit playing in the garden with kids is enjoyable. Ensure your garden is safe for kids to play in by providing them with the right tools, secure fences, gates, and pathways.

5. Composting the soil

Teach children about composting

Image: IStock

Teach your children the process of compostingiA process of recycling organic materials into nutrient-rich soil through natural decomposition. soil.

  • Teach them the significance of rich organic soil.
  • Tell them how good soil helps plants grow quickly.
  • Also, teach them the importance of mulching.

Here a post on composting for kids with interesting activities.

6. Build bird feeder

Make a bird feeder with your kid with old plastic bottles.

  • Drill holes in it and keep food for the birds.
  • This will encourage birds to visit your garden regularly and your kid too will start appreciating nature, and grow a love for birds.

7. Learn about insects

Learning about insects could be one of the best spring activities for kids.

  • A pair of magnifying glasses would be helpful.
  • This will surely help them to get over their fear of bugs.

8. Paint the pots

Encourage children to color the pots, garden activities

Image: IStock

Let your child color the pots.

  • This will make the garden look bright and colorful.
  • Engaging your child in drawing, painting and designing pots can ignite their passion for art.

9. Fairy garden

Let imagination drive your kids wild.

  • Ask them to make a fairy garden with color pebbles, sticks, shells and pots.
  • You would be amazed to see their faces lit up with joy.

10. Color the rocks

Color can play a great role in brightening up your garden.

  • Ask your kid to color various rocks.
  • Let them dry and then arrange them near your flower pots.

11. Garden scavenger hunt

Organizing a garden scavenger hunt for kids is easy and enjoyable.

  • Create a checklist with items like flowers, leaves, and insects.
  • Distribute clipboards, pencils, and bags for collecting.
  • Explain the rules, emphasizing respect for nature.
  • Start the hunt and set a reasonable time limit.
  • Kids can explore, collect, and meet at a designated point.
  • Review the checklist together, discussing their findings and observations.

12. Garden yoga

Garden yoga for kids is a delightful outdoor activity.

  • Set up mats in a garden, introduce nature-inspired poses like Tree and Butterfly, and add animal-themed poses.
  • Incorporate imaginative games, group activities, and a calming meditation.
  • It fosters physical activity, mindfulness, and a connection to nature in a playful way.

Make Gardening More Enjoyable

Buy kid-sized tools for garden activities

Image: IStock

Here are some quick ways to let your kid enjoy gardening:

  • Give your kid her own space to enjoy the dirt.
  • Let your child have some knowledge and learn things on her own.
  • Buy kid size tools for your little ones.

Do let them plant seeds and seedlingiA young plant, one that grows from the seed. , you will be amazed to find out how eager they are to see the first sprout popping up from the ground.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a sensory garden for kids?

A sensory garden is designed for kids to activate and use all their senses. Such experiences help trigger neurological sensations and introduce them to new experiences (1).

2. What plants are sensory?

Examples of sensory plants include:

  • Chamomile
  • Lavender
  • Basil
  • Curry plant
  • Rosemary
  • Aloe

3. Why is gardening important to kids?

Gardening activities can help your child practice several skills at the same time. For example, moving from one plant to another engages locomotor skillsiThe abilities that are crucial for a child’s mobility and physical growth, including crawling, jumping, running. . Smelling and touching flowers or plants activate their senses and teach them to care about nature. Engaging in gardening can be a learning activity that teaches children responsibility, boosts their creativity, and helps build self-confidence (2).

Whether you have a child who is always glued to their screens or enjoys the outdoors, these garden activities for kids are perfect for both. Staying connected with the soil through different activities such as rock coloring, soil composting, or simply planting and watering can keep your children engaged and stimulate their senses. So go ahead and encourage your children to spend more time outside and help them make it enjoyable and easy. You never know; your little gardener might become an expert in no time.

Infographic: Different Types Of Gardening Tools For Children

Gardening can be a fun-filled activity for children. Introducing gardening to your child can be easy with safe and convenient tools. However, selecting the proper gardening tools is challenging, considering the variety of available equipment. Read through the infographic below to learn about various gardening tools for children.

beginner's gardening tools for your child (infographic)

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Key Pointers

  • Gardening improves your child’s physical and mental well-being.
  • Gardening helps children develop their sensory inputs.
  • Maintaining a garden enhances your child’s botanical knowledge.
  • Vegetable gardening teaches children the values of hard work and patience.
  • Decorating the garden with painted pots fosters your child’s creativity.

Illustration: Top 12 Creative Gardening Activities For Kids

garden activities for kids_illustration

Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team

Explore the fun of gardening with children! Watch this video and discover how to make a captivating dinosaur garden.

Personal Experience: Source

MomJunction articles include first-hand experiences to provide you with better insights through real-life narratives. Here are the sources of personal accounts referenced in this article.

i. Gardening for kids – The campaign for school gardens.
https://wellywoman.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/gardening-for-kids-the-campaign-for-school-gardens/

References

MomJunction's articles are written after analyzing the research works of expert authors and institutions. Our references consist of resources established by authorities in their respective fields. You can learn more about the authenticity of the information we present in our editorial policy.
  1. Sensory Gardens.
    https://naturalearning.org/sensory-gardens/
  2. Gardening for children.
    https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/gardening-safety
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Elisa Yi
Elisa YiEarly childhood educator
Elisa has 17 years of experience in early childhood education as a teacher and a director. With a passion to work with young kids, she did her post graduation in Education and received her online teaching certificate from California State University, East Bay.

Read full bio of Elisa Yi
Manjiri Kochrekar
Manjiri Kochrekar
Manjiri is a freelance writer with experience in writing on a wide range of topics, including travel, education, yoga, and children’s activities, fun and learning. She is passionate about creative writing and loves to put her thoughts into words.

Read full bio of Manjiri Kochrekar
Harshita Makvana
Harshita MakvanaB.Com, PG Dip
Harshita is a graduate in commerce and holds a PG Diploma in Patent and Copyrights Law from NALSAR University. She has also pursued CA and has more than three years of internship experience in auditing. Her love for travelling has taken her to various parts of the world, and writing the travelogues was what brought out her love for content writing.

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Nisha Bharatan
Nisha BharatanB.Tech
Nisha Bharatan is a writer with six years of experience. After completing her engineering from Savitribai Phule Pune University, she did content marketing courses to complement her interest in writing. Nisha discovered her passion for writing in 2016 when she started documenting her journey into motherhood.

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