Spring Gardening Activities For Kids

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The weather is warming up, and it is time to get planting. So, what better way to get your kids outdoors instead of their faces glued to technology?

Especially the little ones, as they are always willing to help and get their hands dirty.

But what gardening activities can they help with? Well, Plantly has a list of garden activities they can partake in to keep them busy. So, are you ready to go gardening with your children?

Prepping For Gardening Activities

As parents, we always want to ensure that our family is safe in life no matter what they do. So here are some ideas to help prepare your kids for spring garden play safely and enjoyably.

  • We must watch the weather for our little gardeners, as spring can be unpredictable. You do not want them to be caught by surprise 😲 so keep an eye on the weather forecast.

  • Dress your little ones for a mess; gardening is the best part, as they get their tiny hands dirty. Dress them in an old apron or tee shirt with child-sized gardening gloves, rubber boots, or garden clogs.

  • Get your kids the right tools, from the watering can to the rake. Kid-sized tools make garden activities more inviting.

  • Working in the garden helps to discuss plant safety with your children. Kids need to understand what non-edible and edible plants are. It is also a great time to teach them to wash the produce before sampling it from the fresh lettuce pot.

  • For planting spring flowers in your vegetable garden, provide a non- and edible section for plants. Labeled well-defined spaces help children to see the difference. As we know, young plants can all look the same when they sprout.

  • Start practicing organic gardening with your kids and be mindful of allergies.

  • Most importantly, keep an eye on the sun most children, and your skin is prone to burn even if it is chilly outside. Also, keep water bottles on hand to keep the family hydrated.

10 Fun Gardening Activities for Kids

a grandpa and 2 children gardening in spring

Nothing is more therapeutic and relaxing than working with your kids on activities in the garden to keep them busy. With those little hands, they will work in the ground and have something to look forward to daily.

They will see the seedlings sprout and different colors of flowers in front of their eyes to grow. So, let the fun gardening activities begin.

Plant Microgreens

Now that school is on a break, your little ones can get into nature and dirty. One super easy activity is to plant microgreens. You can sprout some seeds for everyone to consume live food rich in enzymes.

When children are involved in planting the food, they will watch them grow and enjoy eating them. You can sprout microseeds in three to ten days, and it is a simple indoor activity. You can add the sprouts to their fruit smoothies for a nutritious spring treat.

Become Creative With Painted Planters and Pots

painted pots

Spending time with children in the garden is a great way to explore their creative side. Hence, decorating a planter, flower box, or pot is a great springtime activity. All you need is some plastic, wooden, or terracotta pots with paint.

Prepare a place for them outdoors and let their imagination run wild. You can collect some seeds for planting after they are done with painting the pots. Choose from acrylic craft paints in various colors for your clay pots.

DIY Bug Observation Box

cardboard boxes for DIY bug observation box

Okay, this might sound squirmy but helping your kids to create a bug observation box is educational and fun. You can find dozens of instructions online on the insects you want to attract. Now is a great time to teach your children about all the beneficial bugs in the garden.

DIY Bird Feeder

bird feeder

Get creative with garlands similar to making ones for the Christmas tree. The only difference is that these are made with uncooked cranberries and various dried fruits instead of popcorn and sweets.

Both these items you can easily string on yarn or some kitchen twine. You can drape them on small trees, shrubs, and plants when done. Then sit back and observe how the birds feast in the garden.

Create an Artistic Butterfly Feeder

butterfly feeder @flickr butterfly feeder @flickr

Okay, if you prefer avoiding the crawlies placed in a box. The kids can have a butterfly 🦋 feeder in their yard. You can find different DIY feeders that are easy to make. These colorful critters enjoy sipping on sugar water.

You can use items found around the home to brighten the feeder with colors and place them in a gardening area where the kids can observe.

Art Ideas Making Garden Markers

garden marker @flickr garden marker @flickr

Vegetables and flowers in beds need markers, so let the kids make them as gardening activities. It is fun, and the children will enjoy it. Next, the kids can paint rocks using acrylic paint with tiny brushes. You will be surprised how they work their magic.

Once they are done painting the garden markers, you will have different colors in the garden displayed on rocks. While busy, they can make name marker boards to show what vegetables are growing in a specific row.

You can find free printable name tags online to stencil onto some wood markers to place in the ground.

Make a Makeshift Gardening Tool Bucket

Another fun activity that older kids might enjoy helping with is making a makeshift tool bucket. Around the home, you have old paint cans and large buckets for storing tools. Choosing an old 5-gallon bucket even has a lid with a handle.

The children can paint these buckets in different colors to store the tools they use in their gardens.

Make a Fairy Garden

fairy garden

Let the kids participate in this fun activity to design a whimsical miniature landscape in any available space in the yard. The choices are endless, from window boxes and raised beds to old planters or shoeboxes.

You can fill the space with different plants outdoors and trinkets attracting fairies. Here are some things you will need:

  • Container with drainage holes

  • Small plants with flowers or twigs

  • Potting Mix

  • Glass marbles, pea gravel to pebbles

  • Some mini decorations like a mini chair, house, table, and fence

The important thing is to decide on a theme before you start to create your fairy garden around the theme.

Some great ideas are a wooden wonderland, tree interiors, fairy homes, fairy cities, or castles. Once done, ensure you have a magnifying glass, as fairies are tiny.

The kids can explore the magical place for bugs and insects not to eat up the fairy’s plants.

Make a Worm Farm

worm bins @flickr worm bins @flickr

Spring is an excellent opportunity for teaching kids how to start a worm farm at home. Building a worm farm is one of the best ideas to add some living organisms to the veg patch. You do not need expensive materials to get started.

Plant Your Garden

kid planting vegetables

While microgreens teach children to grow their food, a veg patch is another great option. They can get their hands muddy in the soil to grow their container plants. You can construct a spot in the garden to plant fruits and vegetables like basil, oregano, peppers, tomatoes, and more.

Final Thought

Whether you’re starting to decorate the garden to make it colorful, spring is a time for flowers blooming, inviting summer to play as well. Getting the kids outdoors to enjoy fun activities is an excellent way of teaching them about the environment and nature.

We hope the above gardening activities keep those little hands busy this spring. So, let them enjoy the mud play and get dirty in the soil.

Whether you want to buy, sell, or reach out to other plant enthusiasts, Plantly is the right place to be!

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