Ideas Gor Children's Games About Gardening

Jayme is an artist and freelance writer who trained in the medical field, and has worked as caregiver, farmer, mom and DIY'er.

Tips and tricks for gardening with kids!

Jayme Kinsey (author)

Nurturing Children's Love for Nature

Have you ever read The Secret Garden? It is a delightful children's book about three children who discover and restore a neglected garden.

Although the children understand most of the science behind tending the flowers, they still believe that the garden is full of magic and wonder. This is how most children, even in today's technological world, perceive nature and all of its miracles.

Children love the outdoors. The bugs, the dirt, the birds, the flowers, the trees. After a long winter indoors, they are ready to burst free and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. Gardening with your children is a fun, healthy way for your family to enjoy nature while learning new things, growing your own food, and improving your landscape.

Helping kids grow plants is easy too. They aren't nearly as fussy as adults. All they need are beds or plots of their own, some tools, some plants or seeds, and an adult who is willing and able to make the experience educational AND fun!

"And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles."

— Frances Hodgson Burnett

Children always take time to smell the flowers.

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What Children Can Learn From Gardening

Growing flowers and plants (either from seeds, bedding plants, cuttings, or bulbs) provides an endless opportunity to learn about science and nature.

Kids can learn:

The names of common plants
Which plants are edible
Why some plants prefer sun
How plants use the sun and soil to grow
How insects interact with plants
The process of germination
How to grow plants from cuttings and bulbs
How plants provide oxygen
How plants prevent soil erosion
Basic soil chemistry
How food is grown and preserved

Be sure to study up on your high school biology. You may hear tons of "why" questions!

Although gardening is a great science project, it is very important that you don't kill the magic of nature by being too factual. Young children especially need to find the wonder in how the earth works.

Encourage them to create stories around what they see (and think they see). This stimulates the imagination. The more enthusiastic you are about what they tell you and show you, the more eager they will be to share.

Consider it a trade. You are involving them in your gardening project, and they are involving you in their own world.

Pink pots all lined up and waiting for marigolds.

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Last year's zinnias and marigolds in a child's flowerbed.

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Child-Sized Flower Beds and Containers

Since children are a lot shorter than their adult counterparts, large flower beds can present a problem. Kids may have to step into the beds to reach some plants or weeds, which can endanger tender, young plants near the front. If containers are too tall, children may not be able to see the plants.

If your children are interested in growing plants, take the time to build or buy smaller containers that are easier to manage. If you don't have space to build new flowerbeds, get creative and re-purpose other items for container gardens. Things that make good beds can include:

Small wading pools
Sandboxes
Buckets
Painted tires
Unused pots, pans, or bowls

Starting Seeds Indoors

Depending on your zone, you may want to start your seeds indoors. This gives the plants time to get stronger before they face a surprise cold-snap or a strong wind. It also provides an opportunity for kids to bring the outdoors inside while they wait for play weather.

Although you can wait and buy bedding plants for your garden, part of the magic for children is to watch the seeds germinate. It is also a valuable learning experience.

Seeds can be started in any container.

Some of the things we have used include:

Disposable aluminum pans
Assortment of plastic containers (including repurposed wet wipe boxes!)
Bedding pots from last year
Foam egg cartons

I also bought a seed starter kit for my daughter. It only cost $1 and came with a small pot, a pellet of growing medium, and a packet of daisy seeds. The daisies were the first plants of the season, and my daughter loved watching the pellet of growing medium swell when watered.

These kits probably won't provide enough flowers to fill a bed, but they are great pre-gardening activity. They can be very useful for those with limited space as well. The flowers can be re-potted and left to grow in a window.

Planting our snapdragon seeds.

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Yellow dwarf marigold my daughter planted by a tree.

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Butterfly Garden

Seeing butterflies on your flowers is one of the many rewards of gardening. If you have a child who loves butterflies, add these plants to the flower beds:

Milkweed
Asters
Butterfly bushes
Lavender
Clover
Violets
Peas

Fast, Easy Seeds for Kids

Seeds are inexpensive, and each packet holds more than enough seeds to fill a small flower bed. Any flower can be grown, but impatient little gardeners may want to start with seeds that are quick to germinate.

Best Flowers for Kids

Zinnias: By far, my top preference. They come in a wide range of colors, such as pink, orange, white, red, and yellow. The seeds can be mixed up to create a rainbow of color. Caring for them is easy too. They will grow in sun or shade. If you keep the dying flowers cut back, they will continue to bloom late into the fall.
Marigolds: Another easy flower for kids. They come in rich bright colors, and a few plants can produce hundreds of blooms. Teach kids how to save the dried flowers so that they can plant their "own" seeds next year.
Daisies: There are many varieties of daisies. Some will only bloom the second year. Stagger these with faster-growing flowers so that they can surprise your children next year.Sunflowers: they take about 120 days to reach full maturation. (when they produce seeds), but children can be fascinated with them long before they make food. Some of these giants can grow several feet tall, which will make your kids feel super-proud of their green thumbs!
Bachelors Buttons: Even little boys will like these bright blue blooms. Bachelor's buttons are very easy for children to care for, as they will grow nearly anywhere. Stagger planting so that flowers continue to bloom throughout the season.
Snapdragons: This plant can afford hours of imaginative play once it has bloomed. When squeezed a certain way, the flowers will open and snap closed, just like a tiny dragon mouth!

Zinnias are fast and easy for kids to grow.

wikimedia commons public domain image

Easy Flowers to Grow From Seeds

Germination times and time until plants bloom will all vary depending on temperature, soil conditions, and whether they were started indoors.
Plant	Type	Days to Germinate (approx.)	Days Until Bloom (approx.)
Marigolds	Annual	7 days	45 days
Sunflowers	Annuals or perennials	10–12 days	12 weeks
Pansies	Perennials (commonly)	7–14 days	15 weeks
Zinnias	Annuals	5–7 days	8–12 weeks
Gerbera Daisies	Annuals	10–20 days	14–18 weeks
Nasturtiums	Annuals	7–14 days	6–8 weeks

gardening-with-kids-fun-plants-and-ideas-for-children — Jayme Kinsey (author)

Fun Bulb Plants for Children

Bulbs can be very interactive. They can be started (forced) indoors in the winter. Kids can chart the growth of the bulbs as the seasons progress into spring.

Fun Bulbs

Daffodils: These are not fussy plants. They will root whether they have access to soil OR water. The bulbs can be nestled pointy-side in a shallow dish of water indoors, where they will root and grow.
Tulips: These are also easy to grow. With such a wide variety of colors, kids can choose the tulip that pleases them best. For extra fun, plant tulips in arrangements that create designs once the plant has bloomed.
Irises: The blooms are huge and colorful. In warmer, humid regions, these bulbs will grow wherever they fall. They don't need much forcing.
Crocuses: These flowers will produce more blooms as each year passes. Perfect for planting in clumps.

Privet hedge cutting rooted in water then transplanted to sandy soil.

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Rosemary cuttings rooting in the kitchen window.

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Herbs That Are Easy to Grow

Lemon Balm
Basil
Chamomile
Catnip
Cilantro

Plants That Can Be Easily Rooted

Another fun way to experience growing a plant is to propagate a cutting. This can be done in either water or soil.

Propagating in water can make the roots more fragile, but it allows kids to watch the roots form, something they won't see if planted in soil.

Easy To Root

Rosemary: It can be rooted either in water or sandy soil. We prefer to strip the bottoms of the cuttings of leaves then place in a glass of water. They root within a couple of weeks if placed in a sunny windowsill.
Lavender: Clip a stem, remove several rows of leaves from the bottom, and place in a glass of water.
Basil: Roots easily on the kitchen counter. And you can steal leaves for cooking while it is making roots.
Privet Hedge: These cuttings can be either rooted in water or simply stuck in the ground and watered. Privets can be made into a living play fort by planting them in a semi-circle. In 2–4 years they will be tall enough to provide your children with a secret place to play. For added effect, plant snapdragons and daisies in the circle for their very own "secret garden."
Mint: Any member of the mint family can be rooted in water. They can later be transplanted to a play area to make a fragrant ground cover.

When the cuttings have produced sufficient roots, they can be transplanted to a pot or to a flower bed. Since the roots will be tender, make sure the hole is large enough to accommodate them comfortably. Don't force them into the ground.

It helps to have plenty of soil loosened up around the roots too, so they can easily spread. Water-rooted plants may take a while to start growing once transplanted, but so far I have had good luck with this method.

Easy to Root From Cuttings

Willow: Help children grow their own willow tree! Simply cut a green branch and plant in a permanent location. Water thoroughly every day. It doesn't take long before a willow starts to grow.
Chrysanthemum: These cuttings will root in water or in soil. Stick them in any plot of ground and water. Soon they will be big, bushy, and happy.
Coleus: Will root easily, even if just floated on water.

If planting "sticks" directly into soil (either a pot or the ground) you can dip the stems in rooting hormone first. You can use the commercial kind, or make your own by steeping chopped willow branches in hot water. Once the 'tea" has cooled, you dip the stems in it then plant. Or, you can root them directly in the willow water.

If rooting in water, change the water out every 3 days or when it becomes cloudy or green. This will help prevent rotting, and it allows a much clearer view of the stems. Adding pebbles or glass marbles to the water sometimes helps to toughen the roots to make transplant easier.

Water plants that are propagating in soil daily. Sometimes they wilt, but this doesn't necessarily mean they are dead.

Chrysanthemum cuttings being propagated. This year they are already showing buds.

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Small bed full of my daughter's favorite veggie-onions!

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How Does Your Garden Grow?

Vegetables and Fruit for Kids

Even a picky eater will be more willing to sample vegetables and fruit they have personally grown. If not, you still have some fresh produce for your kitchen, and your children got to enjoy the process of watching the plants grow and ripen.

Easy, Edible Plants for Kids

Corn
Tomatoes
Watermelons
Cucumbers
Squash
Pumpkins
Carrots
Beans
Potatoes
Peas
Strawberries

Watermelons, vining peas, and beans are fun to watch as they climb fences or cages. Even as an adult I find it fascinating that the more pods I harvest from these plants, the more flowers and the pods they produce.

Potatoes can be entertaining because they will root even if they aren't in the ground. They can be rooted in water, in the dirt, or simply lying on the ground. (and sometimes in the produce bag!)

Beans and potatoes don't have to be purchased specifically for planting. If you can spare a handful of dried beans or a potato from the pantry, then you have a cheap, fun start on your child's vegetable garden.

Fun starter plants designed to appeal to kids.

Q.A. Goodman, commissioned and used with permission

A dollar store fairy figurine guards the chrysanthemums.

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Children's Garden Decoration Ideas

Once the beds have been arranged and the seeds have been planted, it is time to add ornaments and whimsy to the garden. There are so many fun, pretty and interesting decorations for yards that it may be hard to choose just a few.

Best Garden Decor

Birdbaths
Gazing balls
Statues
Plant stakes
Solar lights
Bird feeders
Butterfly puddlers and houses
Birdhouses
Signs
Windchimes

If you are gardening on a budget, don't despair. Urge your kids to get creative and find discarded items to become garden ornaments.

Creative Decorations

Bowls and shallow pans can be used as butterfly puddles.
Painted wooden spoons can become charming plant stakes and markers.
Painted rocks can replace gazing balls and add a splash of color among the greenery.
Toys can be repurposed into wind chimes and suncatchers.
Wood scraps can be painted and made into garden signs.
Buckets can be painted and inverted to make plant stands.
Saucers can be fixed to posts to create bird feeders. They can also make bed borders.

You can also look at dollar stores and thrift stores. Cheap, ceramic figurines look great nestled among the plants. These can usually be found for around $1.

Let children choose what they like. So, you might be the only house on the block with penguins rather than garden gnomes . . . but at least your landscape is unique!

Thrift stores and yard sales will sometimes yield old birdhouses. These can easily be painted in bright colors and added close to a child's garden so that they can enjoy watching birds.

One of the cheapest, yet most interesting, things you can use is a simple pinwheel. These are very inexpensive, but they add just the right touch to a child's garden. There is something very magical about pinwheels.

Repurposed kitchen frog becomes a toad-home. A truly magical touch to the garden.

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Toxic Ornamentals

Care and supervision should be used around certain plants. Here are some plants that should never be handled by children or grown where children can access them:

Oleander
Castor bean
Foxglove
Wisteria
Nightshade

Other plants, such as irises, daffodils, and azaleas, can cause digestive upset if consumed in large quantities. These plants can still be enjoyed with supervision.

Safe Gardening for Children

Getting dirty and growing plants is relaxing, but it can also be dangerous. To make sure gardening is safe for your children, use common sense and these 4 basic safety rules.

Tools: Keep power tools away from areas where children are playing and working. Supervise the use of all sharp tools, even those made for children.
Water: Children love to play in the water. Just be sure to supervise around large containers of deep water, especially if younger children and toddlers are gardening too.
Plants: Not all plants are friendly plants. Teach kids to recognize harmful plants (such as poison ivy). Also teach them not to eat seeds, roots, stems, leaves, and flowers of certain plants. It is always a good idea to wash the hands after planting, as some plants can be slightly toxic. (usually, they have to be consumed in large quantities to be dangerous, though).
Utility lines: Make sure you know where your lines are before you let your children dig!

Something purple that I didn't plant, but that was allowed to stay in the garden.

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How Gardening With Your Children Benefits You

Your kids aren't the only ones that will learn from digging in the earth. You may be a top-notch gardener, but when you begin to teach children about plants and flowers, you are going to see the world of nature from a whole new perspective.

Not only will you be exercising, reducing stress, and spending quality time with your family, you are going to find yourself naming worms, relocating bugs, staring at spider webs, and stopping to watch interesting clouds float by.

It is almost certain that you will be sprayed by the water hose and doused in dirt. You will be appalled, most likely, as you realize your vision of perfectly manicured beds won't be realized this season.

You will find flowers growing in places you didn't want them. You may be forced to keep a "pretty" weed because your child has been watering it dutifully every day.

All of these factors will make gardening with your children a memorable event. Just relax and let your flowers and your imagination go wild.

Be satisfied with a cottage or witches' garden this year, rather than a formal garden. In doing so, you and your children will both learn how to truly be in tune with the earth. As Burnett states in The Secret Garden,

"If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden."

Gardening is magical to children. Original artwork by author.

sharkye11

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author's knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Devika Primić from Dubrovnik, Croatia on October 23, 2013:

Gardening With Kids--Fun Plants and Ideas for Children this is one of the best hubs I have seen here and you did it to perfection. The photos and the video, a well presented hub, informative, and useful indeed voted up, useful interesting, and awesome.

Denise Handlon from North Carolina on October 05, 2013:

OMG your photos are awesome, especially that one you caught with the toad in the frog, lol. Your grandchildren are adorable, and this hub is so complete. Between the chart and the list of objects to add to the garden, I think you've covered it all. UP/U/A/I and sharing.

Jayme Kinsey (author) from Oklahoma on June 06, 2013:

Sounds like you had a ton of fun gardening with your daughter. Hopefully, she will remember that and continue the tradition when she has children. Thank you for reading and commenting!

Jools Hogg from North-East UK on June 06, 2013:

What a great article - I miss all of this gardening fun now that my daughter is 18 :o( We once grew all kinds in 2 tubs, lettuces, peas, carrots, tomatoes ans surprisingly for my part of England, we had a nice Summer and everything actually grew. Our bunny spent many a soporific afternoon, well stuffed full of lettuce!

peachy from Home Sweet Home on May 28, 2013:

it is good to see kids joining in the fun in gardening. My son loves to sprinkle flowers and plants in the evening. He loves to play with water and end up soaking wet. Had a great time laughing and enjoy the task together. Nice hub.

Jayme Kinsey (author) from Oklahoma on May 26, 2013:

@Rebecca--Thank you so much! I appreciate the compliment and I am glad you enjoyed!

Rebecca Mealey from Northeastern Georgia, USA on May 25, 2013:

Well, this is so beautiful...HOTD stuff here. Awesome, shared , and I hope you receive honors for this!

Jayme Kinsey (author) from Oklahoma on May 25, 2013:

@Angelo--Thank you. Yes indeed! These ideas would be fun and useful for seniors who enjoy gardening, as well as other adults. :)

Angelo52 on May 25, 2013:

Great article. Although slanted for the children in our lives some of these tips could be useful to adults also. Thumbs up and shared.

Jayme Kinsey (author) from Oklahoma on May 25, 2013:

Thanks Daisy! That is an awesome compliment!

Jayme Kinsey (author) from Oklahoma on May 25, 2013:

@Brian--Thanks for reading, and I hope the willow tea works for you. Sounds like you have some lucky nieces and nephews. I hope they enjoy gardening with you!

Daisy Mariposa from Orange County (Southern California) on May 25, 2013:

Jayme,

What a terrific article! This is HubPages Hub of the Day material.

Jayme Kinsey (author) from Oklahoma on May 13, 2013:

@ashlyn'sMom--Aww, sounds like your kids are having fun, even if your flowers get crushed. They will probably like a child-sized flower bed! Thanks for reading, and have fun gardening with your children!

Bryan on May 13, 2013:

I had no idea you could make your own rooting hormone. Guess I can stop wasting money on the stuff from stores. I have great memories of gardening with my grandparents. my grandpa grew a full acre vegetable garden, and my grandmama had a large yard full of flower beds. All of us kids were taught to garden by their side. I don't have kids of my own yet, but I have nieces and nephews that enjoy my yard. I will share this with some of my other garden enthusiasts.

Ashlyn'sMom on May 10, 2013:

This is so fun and cute! I've been letting my kids plant in containers. Never thought of just making mini flowerbeds. Cool idea, and might save some of my flowers from being stomped.

Jayme Kinsey (author) from Oklahoma on May 08, 2013:

@Natashalh--I LOVE the child-sized gardening tools. They are cute, but completely functional. It melts my heart to see my daughter hoeing with her little tools, then putting the dirt in the small wheelbarrow. I have to admit...I use her small trowel more often than she does. It is more durable than the adult one! I think having the matching tools sets helps put parent's in the right mind-set too, and I also hope more people take their kids outdoors this year. Thanks so much for reading and commenting!

Jayme Kinsey (author) from Oklahoma on May 03, 2013:

@mary615--Aww! That sounds like wonderful memories! I'm glad your children all continue to love plants! Thank you so much for reading and commenting. And yes, we all do love to admire pretty flowers. :)

Jayme Kinsey (author) from Oklahoma on May 03, 2013:

@janetwrites--herbs make great container plants. They aren't vegetables, but they are still edible, which is fascinating to children. Even more fun if they are planted in things like colorful sandbuckets. :)

Jayme Kinsey (author) from Oklahoma on May 01, 2013:

@shiningirisheyes--sounds like you had a wonderful childhood experience with lots of great memories. Thank you for reading and commenting! :)

Jayme Kinsey (author) from Oklahoma on April 29, 2013:

@aviannovice--I was surrounded by gardening of all types since birth. Frankly...I hated it. But my daughter loves it, and I am learning to enjoy it through her experiences. So in a way, she is teaching me! Thanks so much for reading and commenting!

Natasha from Hawaii on April 29, 2013:

I had so much fun gardening as a kid! My dad gave me this great set of mini gardening tools. They were metal, but small person sized. This is a great hub and I hope it encourages others to take their kids outdoors for a bit of approved playing in the dirt!

Mary Hyatt from Florida on April 29, 2013:

Your Hub makes me want to go out and get some kids to plant flowers! My children all loved to garden alongside me, and now that they are adults, they still have that love of plants. That makes me so proud.

Children do love pretty flowers (don't we all?)

I loved your adorable photos, too.

Voted UP, shared and Pinned to my gardening board.

Janet Giessl from Georgia country on April 29, 2013:

Thank you, Jayme, for your ideas with the container plants. That would be great!

Shining Irish Eyes from Upstate, New York on April 28, 2013:

Great article and s important as well. My Mom encouraged what is now a strong love of gardening and indoor plants. She would bring me into the garden with her and I would help where I could. Now, one of my favorite pass times is gardening.

Jayme Kinsey (author) from Oklahoma on April 27, 2013:

@janetwrites--sounds like you had a fantastic time as a child! maybe your kids could have a few container plants? Some flowers, such as dwarf marigolds will grow in pretty small pots. Herbs too can be grown in small containers, and can be very useful around the house. Thank you for reading and commenting! :)

Jayme Kinsey (author) from Oklahoma on April 26, 2013:

@faythef--Sounds like you and your grandchildren have a wonderful time gardening together. No wonder your flowers are so beautiful, the receive lots of love! Thanks for reading, commenting and voting!

Deb Hirt from Stillwater, OK on April 26, 2013:

This is a great way for kids to learn a great deal about nature. I learned by helping in the family garden at home, but I wasn't that little.

Jayme Kinsey (author) from Oklahoma on April 26, 2013:

@Vellur--Thank you so much for reading and commenting. There wasn't nearly enough room to go into detail about what all kids learn. for instance my daughter is fascinated at the moment by the wooly caterpillars. She has learned that if she touches them with a blade of grass they will roll up. I learn from it too. Since they are plant-eaters, my first thought is to throw them over the fence. But yesterday we stopped to play with them because she loved them so much. Gardening with kids is a great experience! Thanks again!

Janet Giessl from Georgia country on April 26, 2013:

A wonderful hub! It really reminds me of my childhood days where I used to help my grandma in the garden, digging, planting, picking berries. I had so much fun. Now we are living in a city where my children don't have the possibility to be in a garden.

Faythe Payne from USA on April 25, 2013:

This is a great article on gardening with kids..My grand kids love to help me in the garden, digging in the dirt, planting and raking..it's not work to them its just fun fun fun..voting up...

Nithya Venkat from Dubai on April 25, 2013:

Great hub about gardening with kids. Children learn a lot through gardening. They enjoy getting their hands dirty and always ready to dig up mud!! Great information on the tools to be used and the safety to be followed. Voted up interesting and useful.