5 Gardening Activities for Children

The garden is a great place to let your child loose. It is a place where they can have fun, and learn a few things whilst doing so. 

Here are some exciting garden activities for children that will not only get them outside but encourage a love for nature and the environment.

 

1. Paint and Decorate Plant Pots

What better way to get your children excited about gardening than letting them paint their own plant pots!

You can buy small terracotta plant pots (which will need to be painted with a base coat of emulsion and varnish first to preserve your children’s creations). Decorating plant pots leaves room for customisation, from stencilling on your child’s name to adding foam stickers.

Or, alternatively, you can use what you have at home! Try empty play dough pots – it might even be fun to have your children look for something creative to use.

 

2. Plant a Vegetable Garden

Planting vegetables and looking after them is a great project to keep your children busy for a few weeks. This is because children love planting the seeds, watching them sprout and harvesting what they have grown. 

It is also something you can do together as a fun bonding activity, such as what to grow and helping with the soil preparation. Just make sure that your chosen site gets plenty of sunlight and an ample supply of water. Once your plant turns into a sapling, monitor the different growth stages of the plant together, from seedling to ripening.

A vegetable that is easy to grow and grows very quickly is tomatoes (a great healthy snack), making it perfect for your children to get involved without growing impatient. Alternatively, you could try salad leaves, radishes, spring onions or potatoes. 

Vegetable gardening with children also involves garden tools, so you could get a child-sized watering can, a spade and some gloves. Being so involved in the growing process will also get your children excited about healthy eating because they will get to eat their own produce.

3. Grow Seed Starter Pots From Eggs

This project is easy and entertaining. All you have to do is take a carton of eggs and break a small hole in the top. You’ll then need to drain the contents of the shell and clean the inside using boiling water. Finally, make a small hole in the bottom of the shell as a means of drainage.

Now comes the fun part. You can plant some seeds into the eggs and set them in the egg carton. Once they outgrow the eggshell, you can then just place the seedling and egg into a pot, as the eggshell will biodegrade and actually act as compost.

 

4. Create a Sensory Garden

Having a sensory garden can expose your young gardeners to new and interesting smells, sounds, tastes, colours and textures. It is the perfect way to engage all five senses! 

Some plants that we recommend to add to your sensory garden include:

• Lavender
• Curry plant
• Chocolate cosmos 
• Lemon-scented geranium
• Lamb’s ears
• Silver sage
• Elephants ears

It is also worth bearing in mind that the sensory garden should be easily accessible so that your child can engage with it. Raised beds, vertical gardens or hanging baskets will all allow your little one to get up close and personal with the plants. Last but not least, why not decorate your sensory garden with wind chimes or a water feature? 

Watching these plants grow is a great way to teach your little one about plant growth and the life cycle of plants. This is an important part of the learning process.

 

5. Make Bird Feeders

Bird feeders are not only a fun and messy task, but your children will be excited to look out for any birds who snack on their feeders. You could even encourage them to draw the birds that they see. 

It’s especially important to feed the birds in your garden as the weather gets colder, so you can tell your little one that they are doing their bit to look after the birds.

For a very easy bird feeder, you will need:

• An apple
• Two sticks
• Seeds
• String

First, make a hole in the core of an apple.

Then, make an X with the sticks and, sitting the apple on top, tie them to the string so it all holds together. Lastly, let your child push seeds into the apple. You could encourage them to make patterns.

Hang it up outside and you’re ready to go! We recommend hanging up your bird feeder on branches in front of a window so that you can watch the birds without disturbing them.

 

Outdoor Adventures at Maryam’s Nursery

We know the importance of being outdoors for your little ones. You can learn more about our outdoor adventures here.