Garden Projects For Kids
Date Published: 10th August 2021Getting children involved in the garden is an excellent way of getting them out into the fresh air and encouraging them to learn in so many different ways.
There are so many different projects that you can encourage children to take part in whilst in the garden, and the great thing is they can often be tailored for children of all ages too.
Not only can they help assist you in jobs like pulling weeds out, digging new holes for new plants, or raking the leaves away, but you can get their imagination involved with creating new areas of the garden just for them to tend to, get them to decorate their own plant pots and much more.
Gardening doesn’t just have to be about the hard work, and here are some of our favourite garden projects for kids that they’ll love to be involved in.
Create a fairy garden
Fairy gardens are a great way of igniting your child’s imagination and you can be as creative as you wish. You can spend time making items to put in your fairy garden, or you could spend time together shopping for bits to put your garden together.
The enchanted garden can be made at the base of a tree if you have one or in any space you can find free at the bottom of your garden.
Get the children to collect stones for paths, use twigs to create fences and add in colour with the use of ribbons. You could use cardboard, or stick together lolly-ice sticks to create a fair door to place on the tree or fence.
Make a fruit and vegetable patch
This is a great option if you’re looking to encourage children to eat more fruit and vegetables too. Let them choose what you’ll grow in the patch and get them involved from planting, growing, tending, picking, washing and cooking.
Create your own plant labels
Once you’ve decided on what fruits and vegetables you want to grow get the kids to design and make their own labels so you know what is growing where.
If you don’t have the space for your own patch, you can even get them to make plant labels for the things already growing in your garden.
Plant a family tree
This is one idea that will last for years as you watch it grow with the children. Take your time as a family deciding which tree you’ll plant and grow, and deciding on where it will live in the garden. If it’s close to a fence you could even make markers each year to show how it has grown, writing the year and then the ages of the children too.
Make a bug box
You’ll simply need a box without a lid, something sturdy made of wood will be best to ensure it lasts all seasons. The kids can then choose what to fill it with, collecting materials from the garden to add such as twigs, dried grass, stones and pine cones. Hopefully, you’ll be able to entice some bugs to come and stay for a while.
Invest in a summer house
This might be a big investment for you, but it could be a great garden project for the kids. Summer houses could be their own little retreat in the garden. They can decide what’s going in there and how to decorate. You can even add plants which they can tend to, or decorate with hanging baskets that they grow.
A summer house in the garden is ideal for those warmer days when it’s raining because you’ll still encourage them to get outdoors a little and away from technology.
Collect seeds
Take a look around your garden and see if there are any plants or crops that you can collect any seeds to be sown next year. You can show them how to burst the seedpods and extract the seeds. Once you’ve collected the seeds, get crafty and make seed packets to store them in, simple paper ones with fun designs are all you’ll need.
Build a terrarium
Terrariums are great because once put together they take a lot less maintenance than regular plants, so it can be a great starting point for gardening projects for kids. Inside a glass jar, make sure it has a wide opening for them to get their hands in, place gravel, then compost and then add in your succulents. You can pick up succulents relatively easily these days and they can be really cheap too. Lower the plants in and allow your children to make their own display.
Grow a grass bucket
If you’ve got children who are itching to cut the grass, then a grass bucket is the perfect garden project for them. Pick a bucket and add some holes in the bottom for draining. Fill the bucket with compost and sprinkle your grass seeds over the top. Water it well and regularly and it shouldn’t take long for the grass to start popping through. Once it’s grown you can show your children how to cut with it using some shears.
Collect fallen flowers and leaves for arts and crafts
An activity that can be done through different seasons is collecting fallen leaves or flowers in the garden and using them in crafts. Create animals from leaves, or use pressed flowers to make pretty pictures, all you need is some glue and paper and then whatever you find from your garden.