Gardening with Kids: 37 activities, crafts, and resources
At the end of last month, for the first time, I tried planting with my toddler. Yeah, it was hard on me, but he loved it so much, it was worth every moment! Here are some great resources for gardening with kids that I’m sure you’ll find helpful!
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Even now, he keeps talking about his plants to everyone he sees. He enjoys showing off the spot he planted it and the first sprouts of his cilantro. He won’t stop asking me to water it (we haven’t forgotten yet!) and he is so excited to see them grow. I got him his own set of gardening tools and let him take the reins.
You can see us planting here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BE9D5S7IXvt/?taken-by=menuchadesign
Overall, planting with my son has been a very positive experience for him. I do hope to make it a yearly tradition.
Meanwhile, here are some top tips and resources I gathered from a very lovely group of kid-focused bloggers. In this list, you’ll find amazing crafts, resources, and activities, plus some fun free printables. All of these will help make your experience planting with young children easier and more complete!
Please note: any images featured below are the property of the featured blogger. When sharing this post, please use the last or first image in this post, and not one of the individual activities.
15 Activities for gardening with kids
- Planting a Salad with toddlers
- Planting an Easy Backyard Gardenby My Bored Toddler
- Seed Germination Observation by The Resourceful Mama
- Sunflower Garden Project (indoors!) by Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds
- Cress World Map Tuff Spot by Tuff Spot Play
- Make a Fairy Garden with Kids by The Magic Onions
- Easy 3-step Indoor Herb Garden by The Soccer Mom Blog
- Dissect a Bean Seed by Buggy and Buddy
- Preschool Gardening Project by Munchkins and Moms
- After-Gardening Fine Motor Skills Practice by Uno Zwei Tutu
- Make a bee bar! by Emma Owl
- Sensory Garden Ideas by The Jenny Evolution
- Start Seeds in Eggshells by Apple Green Cottage
- Growing Pumpkins in Pumpkins by Life with Moore Babies
- Planting a Surprise Garden by Little Bins for Little Hands
10 Crafts for gardening with kids
- DIY Garden markers inspired by Vegetable Soup by Playground Parkbench
- Upcycled Paper Pots by Nemcsok Farms
- Repurposed Tin Can Planters
- Upcycled Yogurt Cup Planters by Arts & Crackers
- Flower Seed Packet Craft by Mosswood Connections
- Textured Fower Pots
- Painting with Herbs by Mama Miss for The Educator’s Spin On It
- Parts of a Plant printableby Adventure in a Box
- Colorful Pour Pots by EDventures with Kids
- Upcycled Toy Herb Planter by Crafts on Sea
12 Resources for gardening with kids
- Planting an herb and veggie garden with toddlers by @busytoddler on Instagram
- Building a Butterfly Garden with kids by Nemcsok Farms
- Fast Growing Seeds – perfect for growing with kids! by Craftulate
- How Gardening Can Teach Children Self-Sufficient Living by Simple Acres
- Planting an Easy Backyard Garden (with free printable garden markers) by Sunny Day Family
- 5 Easy Ways to get Toddlers Excited about Gardening by Nerdy Mamma
- How to make your garden kid-friendly by Our Whimsical Days
- Growing Vegetables and Herbs with Kids by Sallie Borink
- Parts of a Plant printable by The Kindergarten Connection
- Preschool-approved Plants by Little Sprouts Learning
- Gardening with Kids: Making it Fun & Easy by Preschool Toolkit
- Planting a Rainbow of Carrots by Having Fun at Home
Do you have any tips for gardening with kids to suggest? Comment below!
Thank you for this wonderful resource for the summer! Some super ideas!
Thanks for the gardening post! I can tell you’re a pro when it comes to getting kids excited about nature and growing their own food.
My favorite post was “Planting a Salad with Toddlers.” It’s so important to start teaching kids about where their food comes from at a young age. I love the idea of giving them their own little garden plot to tend to.