How to Teach Toddlers About Gardening

Toddlers love to learn about the world around them. Kids this age are naturally full of curiosity and a lot of questions! What better way to help grow that love of learning than to use hands-on ideas to teach them about gardening.

Growing Inside Gardens

Even if you’re tight on space indoors or are in the middle of winter, you can still grow a small inside garden. These projects are great for toddlers, but honestly, your older kids may love to participate in these activities as well.

To teach your toddlers about gardening, you could create a skinny indoor garden in a CD case. The finished DIY garden will be tiny enough to sit on a sunny windowsill as your toddler watches the seeds’ growth progress day by day. It’s a great way for them to learn about how seeds grow because they can see all the parts of the process – including what’s happening “underground.”

If you’d like to try a dirtless option, this Window Greenhouse will still let your kids see how seeds grow. It only requires a baggie, some seeds, a wet papertowel and a sunny window! Each family member can create their own greenhouse and see which seeds grow the fastest.

Creating a Mason Jar Terrarium is another great indoor option. Toddlers will love to participate in the layering of the terrarium. If you have good weather, you can get all your materials outside. If you’re dealing with winter outdoors, you can find most of these items easily at your local dollar store or hardware store.

Creative DIY Garden Ideas

Some of you may want to get even more creative with your DIY garden ideas. You can go dirtless by using a sponge as the basis for sprouting seeds. This project requires two simple materials: sponge and grass seeds. What a fun idea for learning about gardening even in the winter or with limited space. Your kids will be “mowing” their lawn in no time!

Remember chia pets? You can create your own version with eggs. Creating Eggheads to learn about gardening will keep your toddlers laughing as they watch the grass grow a little more each day. Plant a whole row of eggheads on your windowsill and watch the grass grow.

Finally, instead of throwing away those veggie tops, why not use them to help teach your toddlers about gardening? All you need is a few root vegetables like carrots or radishes. Chop off the bottom and stick the tops in a shallow dish of water. With a bit of patience, you’ll see them start to grow roots and new fresh growth from the top! Your toddlers will love it.

Helping with Gardening

If weather permits, you can have your toddler help with the outdoor gardening. But sometimes you need smaller tools for smaller hands. Consider making a sprinkling can out of an old soda bottle so that your young kids can more easily water plants with you. Or try the milk jug watering can for another option.

Here are some more ideas to try out with your little ones:

• Print out this Garden Scavenger Hunt to teach toddlers about gardening
• Herb gardening may be one of the simplest ways to teach toddlers about gardening. 
• Your toddlers and preschoolers will love this Printable garden preschool pack
• Sensory bins for summer gardening theme

Gardening provides a delight to the senses for our littlest ones. It’s a great activity to share with the whole family. And gardening with your toddler can keep the spark of curiosity going. It provides a terrific way for children to learn about and experience the world around them.