From watching a single seed grow to giving haircuts to grass heads, gardening activities for preschool are so much fun to explore! Look for fantastic ideas in science, art, and sensory play to create a garden theme at home or in the classroom.
Fun Gardening Activities for Preschool
Here are some fun and educational gardening activities that preschoolers will love. With our simple ideas, you can enjoy gardening inside and outside!
💡 Look for the free gardening guide for kids below.
Learn How a Plant Grows
Start here! Explore how a flower grows with our free flower playdough mat!
Planting Seeds
Let preschoolers choose seeds of their favorite flowers or vegetables and help them plant them in pots or garden beds. Teach them to cover the seeds with soil and water them regularly.
💡TRY IT: Easy seeds to grow with kids or grow a grass head.
Observing Growth: Encourage preschoolers to keep a gardening journal where they can document the growth of their plants with drawings or photos. This activity promotes observation skills and introduces the concept of time and change.
💡TRY IT: Observe germination with a seed jar, grow seeds in a bag, or make a DIY greenhouse for indoor observation. Or take a ruler outside and measure plant growth!
Exploring Garden Creatures: Take a magnifying glass and explore the garden for insects, worms, and other small creatures. Teach preschoolers about the important role these creatures play in the garden ecosystem.
- Earthworms’ Sensory Play and Life Cycle
- Ladybug Craft and Life Cycle
- Bug Playdough Mats
Container Garden
Harvesting Produce: When fruits and vegetables are ready to harvest, let the kids pick ripe tomatoes, carrots, or berries and taste the fruits of their labor. We planted a small container garden on our porch.
💡TIP: Read the book, “Surprise Garden” by Zoe Hall
Creative Garden Art: Use natural materials such as leaves, flowers, and stones to create garden art. Preschoolers can decorate the garden or create artwork to hang inside.
- Make nature’s paintbrushes
- Explore leaf rubbings
- Try nature weaving
- Paint rocks with bright colors
Pollinator Garden
Planting a pollinator garden with kids is a fun way to help bees, butterflies, and birds while learning about nature. Choose colorful flowers that attract these helpful creatures and watch as they visit the garden. Play pollinator bingo (as shown below)!
💡Learn all about Pollinators here and grab a free matching game!
Kids can plant the flowers, water them, and observe the magic of pollination up close. This hands-on activity teaches children about the amazing world of pollinators and their importance to the ecosystem.
Add this fun and free pollinator bingo game to your gardening activities.
Paint with Flowers!
Set up a natural STEAM project painting with flowers for hands-on exploration! Preschoolers through early elementary age kids can enjoy process art combined with parts of plants and more!
More Preschool Gardening Activities
- Make a Garden Sensory Bin (Free Flower Playdough Mats)
- Real Flower Sensory Bin
- Free “In the Garden” Playdough Mats
- Investigate Germination with a Seed Jar
- Growing Flowers with Kids (Easy Seeds to Start)
- Make Homemade Seed Bombs
- Grow seeds in eggshells
Printable Garden Busy Book
Bring the wonders of the garden to life with our 55-page garden activity pack! Perfect for preschool and kindergarten-aged kids, this printable Garden Busy Book combines learning and play to introduce kids to plants, gardening, and nature.
Free Gardening Guide for Kids
To further enhance the gardening experience for preschoolers, we’ve created a free Gardening Guide for Kids.
Benefits of Gardening for Preschoolers
Engaging in gardening activities offers a wide range of benefits for preschoolers:
Hands-On Learning: Gardening provides tangible, hands-on experiences that allow preschoolers to explore concepts such as plant life cycles, growth, and nutrition in a concrete way.
Sensory Stimulation: From feeling the soil between their fingers to smelling the fragrant flowers, gardening engages all the senses, helping preschoolers develop sensory awareness and appreciation for the natural world.
💡 Try our Mud Play with our free mud kitchen pack!
Promotes Healthy Eating: Growing fruits and vegetables in the garden can inspire preschoolers to try new foods and develop healthy eating habits as they witness the journey from seed to plate.
💡Try our free Eat the Rainbow Printable!
Promotes Physical Activity: Digging, planting, watering, and harvesting all require physical exertion, which promotes gross motor skills development and encourages an active lifestyle.
Encourages Responsibility: Taking care of plants teaches preschoolers the importance of responsibility and nurturing living things, helping to cultivate empathy and respect for nature.
Printable Spring Preschool Pack
Perfect for 3-to 6-year-olds in a preschool spring theme classroom, learning center, or home. Easy to set up and use with one kiddo or a classroom. This themed pack includes a book and supply list to help you easily set up the activities.
⭐️ Tip: Grab the Preschool Themes Growing Bundle and save money. 15 fantastic themes for your centers! ⭐️
Activities Include:
- Life Cycles Activities
- Matching Games
- Part and Whole Puzzles
- 3 Science Experiments: Rain Cloud, Grass Head, Color Changing Flowers
- Sensory Bin
- Writing Center
- Painting Activity
- Play Dough Mats
- Cotton Ball Cloud Mats
- BONUS: Number and Letter Activities, I Spy, Bingo, and More!
