The weather is finally going to get nice this weekend, and since it’s the bank holiday, it’s a great time to have fun with your family in the garden! If you’re not going anywhere, here are some ideas for FREE and FUN things to do outside with your kids. You can have fun with them too, since it’s the bank holiday! let your hair down.
Gardening with preschoolers can be a rewarding yet challenging experience At age 4, kids are curious about nature and plants but have short attention spans The key is choosing simple, engaging garden activities that teach while keeping little hands busy.
Here are 18 fun gardening ideas for 4 year olds that stimulate their senses, boost development, and instill a love of nature:
1. Make Mini Scarecrows
Decorate popsicle stick scarecrows with scraps of fabric, googly eyes, yarn for hair, and other found items. Place them in pots or the garden to “shoo” birds away from seedlings
2. Grow Grass Heads
Let kids decorate the top of an old knee high stocking with markers. Fill the stocking with soil and grass seed, then watch green “hair” sprout. Spritz with water daily.
3. Make Mud Paint
Mix soil with water in containers to create earthy paint. Use sticks and fingers to paint rocks, wood slices, or paper with the all-natural medium.
4. Press Flowers and Leaves
Pick colorful flowers and interesting leaves and press inside heavy books. Once dried, use for card making, framed art, and other projects.
5. sensory Garden Tour
Explore the garden through touch, smell, sound, sight, and taste (only taste safe plants!). Help kids use all their senses to connect with nature.
6. Make Paper Flower Bouquets
Craft beautiful bouquets that last from colored construction paper and pipe cleaners. Bonus activity: identify real flowers that match each paper bloom.
7. Plant Seeds in Eggshells
Poke drainage holes in cleaned eggshell halves and fill with soil and seeds. Watch sprouts emerge from their cozy shell planters.
8. Make Garden Prints
Dip flower heads, leaves, vegetables, and other items in washable paint and press onto paper to make unique prints.
9. Grow Sprouts in Jars
Help preschoolers fill a jar with soil and beans, cover with water, then secure a piece of nylon with a rubber band. Watch sprouts grow upward!
10. Create Miniature Gardens
Plant small containers with moss, ferns, thyme, popsicle stick trees, and other mini elements to build a fairy garden world.
11. Make Seed Mosaics
Let kids create colorful works of art by gluing seeds, beans, rice, and pasta in mosaic patterns on cardboard. Hang completed creations up.
12. Have a Potato Stamp Party
Carve shapes into potato halves, then let kids dip stamps in washable paint to decorate paper.
13. Plant a Pizza Garden
Help kids plant veggies that can top pizzas in your garden like tomatoes, peppers, oregano, and basil. Later, harvest to make DIY pizzas!
14. Grow a Bean Tepee
Use bamboo poles or twigs to make a tepee, then plant bean seeds at base. Watch graceful vines climb upward as they grow.
15. Create Garden Flags
Cut flag shapes from scrap fabric, then decorate with permanent markers, sequins, buttons, and other embellishments. Display in the garden.
16. Make Mini Terrariums
Plant small closed containers with pebbles, activated charcoal, soil and micro greens like clover to make living mini worlds.
17. Plant Rainbow Flowers
Grow an array of flowers in all colors of the rainbow for a cheery garden that captures kids’ interest.
18. Make Garden Stamps
Carve simple shapes and patterns on erasers, then use with stamp pads to make repeat prints on paper or fabric.
The garden is an ideal place for preschoolers to connect with nature while learning through play.Aim for short 5-10 minute mini activities that hold their attention yet encourage exploration and discovery. As their interest grows, your budding gardener will bloom!
Make mud pies
An oldie and a goodie!
Wash the car
Fun and gets a job done!!
Easy Garden Activities for Kids / Growing plants for kids / Planting with Kids
Which are the best garden activities for kids?
These garden activities for kids provide hours of outdoor learning and fun. Start with basic seed sowing and growing a beginner vegetable garden. You can also spend time outdoors making garden-inspired arts and crafts using paint and markers suitable for surfaces. We’ve included imaginative play ideas as well.
Should kids engage in garden activities outside?
Getting kids outside for garden activities makes learning fun. The garden is full of teachable things and adding pre-planned activities helps kids learn even more. Outside is the best place for kids to engage in garden activities, as there is no place that offers more to kids than the garden.
How can I make my garden fun for kids?
To make your garden fun for kids, consider investing in an outdoor potion kit. This will provide natural colorings, dried flowers, and other bits and pieces to make garden activities more absorbing. Just make sure they don’t drink it or give it to grandma
Are garden activities beneficial for kids?
Garden activities for kids are beneficial in many ways, including teaching science beyond just life cycles. For instance, learning how much water a garden needs is a valuable learning experience. We use old tuna cans to measure water needs in the garden and learn a lot of math in the process.
