"The days are longer, the weather is (hopefully) better, and everything is blooming. Spring is synonymous with rebirth, starting afresh, and enjoying the gifts given by Mother Earth. After many months of cold, dreary weather, we are itching to feel the warmth of the sun on our faces. When you’re a mom, spring brings even more excitement because our children make everything magical. That’s why we’re here to share fun gardening activities to do with kids this season.
Once you put all the winter clothes in storage, it’s time to explore the outdoors wearing your sun hats and shorts. We recommend you check out our spring bucket list for all the creative ways to have some fun in the sun. Many kids enjoy exploring gardens and becoming one with the dirt. If you and your child have a green thumb, we recommend starting a vegetable garden to later enjoy the fruits—or in this case, the veggies—of your labor. Spring has sprung, so pull up your sleeves and get some planting done with your crew!
As you embark on your springtime adventures, we’re sharing some fun gardening activities you can do with your little gardeners this spring. From the basics to the extra creative, check out the 10 ideas below.
Kids Gardening Activities to Try This Year
1. Plant Seeds
What better kids’ gardening activity than gardening itself? Get your hands on some seasonal seeds, do some research, and start your very own garden. Or, if you already have one, have your kiddos help cultivate it this year. Opt for veggies, or even try your hand at landscaping some perennial flowers they’ll be thrilled to watch bloom again and again.
2. Use a Kids’ Gardening Journal
If you want to start from the very beginning by teaching your child all about planting, consider using a kids’ gardening journal to document the entire process. Including everything from planting a seed to its germination stage and the ongoing maintenance for the plant to thrive. If you’re looking for some creative ideas on what to plant, we recommend you and your child follow Little Sprouts Learning’s suggestion to grow sunflowers. Their growth is extraordinary and they are majestic flowers once in bloom.
These sweet kids’ gardening journals include planting cards to keep track of the plants’ growth, water and growth trackers, a garden grid to design the actual planting space, and even more activities.
3. Pick Out the Weeds
One pivotal part of a successful garden is picking out all of the weeds so the plants we want have the space to grow. This is a perfect opportunity for the kiddos to get their hands dirty—and help you out in the process! Use this as a learning opportunity to teach them the different between weeds and the good stuff, and watch as they get excited to help the garden thrive.
4. Build a Fairy Garden
Your kids probably know about the magic of the tooth fairy. Now, you can introduce them to garden fairies—mythical creatures who watch over a garden and use their magic to inspire the growth of plants. With just a few materials to add to a small garden pot, you can create the most delightful setting that would entice any garden fairy to visit.
This adorable fairy kit has all you need to build a fairy garden’s beautiful home, including a house, stones, characters, and, of course, fairies.
Add a fairy door to a nearby tree to set the stage for imaginative and whimsical play.
5. Decorate Your Garden with Painted Rocks
Kids love getting the chance to go outdoors and paint, so this activity is perfect for their little hands to have some outdoor sensory play. Go on a hunt with your littles to find the perfect rocks to paint. Then they can decorate them any way they want. If you want to use the rocks as garden markers for the plants you’re adding to your garden, you can read all about how to do so on Adventure in a Box’s site detailing the many ways to incorporate these rocks into your garden in a purposeful way.
Add some pizzazz to your rocks by using this rock painting kit that comes with fluorescent and glow-in-the-dark paint that will light up your garden all day and night.
Available in either pastels or vibrant colors, this kit is all you need for a fun activity with the kids.
6. Make a Floral Arrangement
When planting a flower garden with little ones, they’re sure to be budding with excitement at the sight of the first bloom. Keep the excitement going by putting together a bouquet or special floral arrangement with the flowers you planted. The kiddos will be so proud each time they see their bouquet on display.
7. Go on a Gardening Scavenger Hunt
Go on a garden treasure hunt by printing out a scavenger hunt list to inspire your adventures. There are tons of garden scavenger hunt variations out there, or you can come up with your own! The possibilities are endless in what you can search for in your garden, and depending on the age of your child, you can even make this a lesson on colors and sight words.
This digital download comes with three different types of garden scavenger hunts that are spring, garden, and color-themed.
For a portable set your kids can use again and again, check out this scavenger hunt kit with 160 cards with items kids can search for inside and outside.
8. Explore Science in the Garden
Embrace this opportunity to incorporate some science lessons through the exploration of your garden. Teach your kids about the science of nature and how organisms like bugs and flowers are living all around us. Research Parent has some great suggestions on how your kids can make a bug house out of a coffee can. Go deeper with a botany lesson by dissecting a flower with these instructions by Sugar Spice and Glitter. Before you plant any of your seeds, consider using a magnifying glass to study the variety of seeds and discuss differences and similarities between them. Fantastic Fun and Learning has some engaging suggestions on how to explore the different seeds you will be planting. When it comes to science and your garden, the possibilities are endless!
KiwiCo is known for their hands-on STEM activities for kids like these window gardens, where kids as young as age 3 can watch seeds grow.
9. Make a Bird Feeder
While gardens may be filled with plenty of crawling critters, there are bound to be a few winged friends around as well! Give them a reason to come back again and again by helping your LOs create their very own bird feeder.
10. Read Books About Gardening Together
There is no shortage of books celebrating springtime and gardening. To narrow down the list, here are a few favorites depending on the age of your child.
Books for Babies
Lift a flap and get introduced to a new garden friend each time! Your little gardener will meet busy bees and delicious vegetables while also enhancing their language development.
Water, seeds, and tender love and care are what is needed to create your own garden in this cheerful lift-the-flap board book.
Books for Little Kids
Embark on a gardening journey to discover the layered ecosystem, including the integral relationship between bugs and plants. The bright illustrations, coupled with the rhyming text, help answer your child’s question, “How does a garden grow?”
Join the marvelous New York Times bestselling author Joanna Gaines and her family as they embark on the quest to start a family garden. They soon realize gardening takes not only patience but also the ability to learn from mistakes along the way to ultimately reap the rewards of hard work together as a family.
Lola has a love for reading and is also developing a love for beautiful flowers. She decides to learn all about the gardening process by reading books from the library and then decides to plant her own sunflower seeds. She soon discovers how magical gardening, with a little patience, can truly be.
You don’t need a huge plot of land to enjoy the beauty of plants and flowers. This joyful book shares creative ways to incorporate gardening into your life, whether that be with building little balcony boxes, welcoming birds with bird feeders, and making friends with worms. It’s easy peasy to have some garden fun!
Books for Big Kids
Written by 13-year-old gardener Emma Biggs, this kid-to-kid guide shows how awesome gardening really is. She offers practical, kid-friendly advice about the soil, sowing, and caring for living organisms that decorate our Earth.
This educational book combines gardening with science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) skills to explore the wondrous world of gardening through your big kid’s eyes.
Immerse yourself in this truly comprehensive guide on the mysterious and extraordinary plant kingdom that surrounds us. Filled with over 1,000 colorful images and fascinating facts, your not-so-little explorer will learn all there is to know about everything botanical.
Shop Our Favorite Gardening Supplies for Kids
Below is all the gear you and your littles will ever need to look like some cute gardening pros this spring.
Everything you will ever need to have some garden fun with your child is in this garden set, which includes a watering can, gardening tools, gloves, and a handy tote to carry it all in.
Designed with kids’ safety in mind, this garden tool set is made for little hands to explore the garden with their very own rakes, shovel, and hoe.
Diversify your gardening fun by planting seeds from this gardening seed kit that comes with sunflowers, tomatoes, carrots, bush beans, pumpkins, and spring lettuce.
These high-quality cotton aprons come in a variety of different colors and can be personalized to capture the uniqueness of your gardening adventures together.
What better way to get your little gardener excited than giving them their own personalized watering can they can use with pride year-round?
Customized with your child’s name or monogram, this wide-brimmed sun hat will protect your young ones in the garden in the most stylish way.
