There’s something magical about watching little hands dig in the dirt, water tiny seeds, and squeal with delight when that first sprout pops up. Gardening and plant themed activities aren’t just fun, but they’re also a fantastic way for your littles to explore the world around them.
Whether you’ve got a backyard, a few pots on the patio, or just some imagination and crayons, garden-themed activities bring nature right to your child’s fingertips. These moments are packed with opportunities for learning and connection.
Grab a watering can, or a glue stick and scissors, and let’s dig into playful, educational ways to bring plants and gardens to life for your preschooler!
How Can Plants and Garden Themed Worksheets Enhance Learning for Preschoolers?
Plant themed worksheets help preschoolers learn important concepts like parts of a plant, life cycles, and colors while connecting with nature. These playful printables make learning feel fresh and exciting, especially when kids can relate what they see on paper to what they see outside.
What Types of Crafts Can Preschoolers Make to Learn About Plants and Gardens?
Preschoolers can make flower collages, paper gardens, or DIY watering cans from recycled bottles. These hands-on crafts help them understand how plants grow, what they need, and encourage creative expression along the way.
How Do Worksheets and Crafts on Plants and Garden Foster a Sense of Pride?
When littles complete a flower craft or color their own garden chart, they’re creating something meaningful and beautiful. These moments of accomplishment help boost their confidence and give them ownership over their learning.
What Are Some Easy-to-Implement Plants and Garden Activities at Home?
Try sprouting beans in a clear cup, sorting flower petals by color, or making a pretend garden with felt veggies. These low prep activities are fun, educational, and bring the magic of the garden indoors. No green thumb required!
Did you know?
All the printables included in this plan are free of charge with the Teaching Littles Membership OR from other generous bloggers.
I have tried to include as many activities in various categories for your preschool lesson plans. Of course, most activities may overlap into multiple categories.
I’ve included information about each activity, but you may need to click the link for more information. All activities that require instructions, have an active link that you can click directly from the PDF if you have internet connection.
There are resources for varying levels of students from ages 2-5. You’ll have to use your discretion on age and level to decide which activities will be appropriate.
Plants and Garden Literacy Activities for Preschool
Let’s grow your little one’s love of reading and language with plant and garden-inspired literacy fun! These activities bloom with opportunities to build vocabulary and spark curiosity.
Flower Themed Sight Word Book- This 8-page Flower Themed Mini Sight Word Book helps students learn common sight words and color words through repetition and reading. As they read each page, they can color in the picture with that color word.
Build a Syllable Activities- This resource includes 3 activities designed to enhance phonemic awareness through syllable counting.
Rhyming Flowers Worksheet- Practice reading CVC words and recognizing patterns and rhymes in words with our fun rhyming flowers activity! Choose your own colors to color the pair of flowers that rhyme!
Flower Upper and Lower case Alphabet Letter Matching Printable- This preschool flower activity helps children practice upper and lowercase letter matching while having fun with a spring activity for preschoolers and kindergartners.
Beginning Sound Plants and Garden Bites-Use a hole punch to “take a bite” of the pictures that start with the letter on the garden item. You can also use dot markers, dot stickers, stamps, and more!
Plants and Garden Math Activities for Preschoolers
From counting seeds to sorting colorful flowers, math can be as fresh and fun as a spring garden! These activities help littles practice numbers, patterns, and early math concepts.
Flower Themed Pathway Game (Printable)- Pathway games make counting and adding come to life. Roll one dice and move the corresponding number or roll two dice, add the numbers and move the total.
Math Trees (Printable) – The idea is to put the number of apples on the tree for the easier one. For the harder ones you write a sum, they work out the answer and then put that amount of apples on the tree.
Number Trace Plants and Garden- Whether your child is trying to learn number, number recognition, or number formation, this activity will help them to understand and recall how to draw numbers.
Measurement Garden- Measuring is such a fun skill for littles to practice. Especially when we tie it to something they’re excited about! As we plan our spring garden, teach them how to use rulers and measuring tapes to see how big their plants might grow. It’s a cute and easy way to sneak in some hands on learning!
Flower Petal Counting- Use beads, pebbles, or other colorful manipulatives as “petals” around the flower. Have them put as many as the number they see in the center of the flower. This activity is great for counting skills and a visual of which number is MORE than another.
Plants and Garden Fine Motor Activities for Preschool
Tiny muscles do big work when kids pinch, snip, and plant. These fine motor garden ideas help build the coordination they’ll need for writing and self care skills later on.
Paper Plate Sunflower Craft-Painting is a great fine motor activity and craft but this one in particular is extra neat. Your littles will be working with small sun flower seeds. The challenge will be gluing these seeds in the middle of the flower. Great for growing their skills!
Beaded Pipe Cleaner Flowers- It’s amazing how fine motor skills can be challenged and worked on using pipe cleaner and beads! Another task that will be loved are these beaded flowers. Your preschoolers will love the finished product.
Flower Painting- Flower printing is a fun j for kids of all ages! You don’t need any special art supplies for it, either. Start by gathering flowers and leaves from your garden or backyard. Look for different shapes, sizes, and textures. Big petals, tiny blossoms, or fluffy flowers all make beautiful prints!
Cutting Strips Plants and Garden- Cut out strips and have students practice cutting straight lines, curved lines, squiggly lines, or zig zag lines. You can print these on construction paper or card stock to make them more durable and sturdier to hold and cut. The resistance also helps build hand and finger strengthening for fine motor skills.
Garden Dot Activities- 10 pages of activities for letter identification, numbers, counting, patterns and shapes.
Plants and Garden Arts & Crafts Activities for Preschoolers
Creative time blooms with these adorable garden crafts! From painting pots to crafting paper flowers, your littles will love bringing their own garden dreams to life.
Garden Process Art- Grab some extra veggies you have in the fridge and help your littles turn those into art. Build a garden out of pieces from a garden. Not only is this a great craft, it’s a fun way of changing up your everyday painting and sharpening their fine motor skills.
Preschool Flower Craft- From coffee filters to spinner flowers. Using an old salad spinner, paint and those coffee filters, your littles will build a creating beautiful, long lasting flowers!
Paper Strip Flowers- These 3-D flowers will be a beautiful craft for your littles (and even older kids) to create. Break out the paint, scissors and paper strips to get the fun started. This craft also works on fine motor skills which is always a win!
Soda Bottle Watering Can- Clean out a one liter soda bottle, water bottle or a smaller bottle for those little hands. Allow it to dry so the decorating can begin. This will be a fun way to get the gardening theme started.
Recycled Plastic Bottle Planters Craft- Turn those recyclable bottles into planters that your kids will LOVE. They can create their favorite animals out of the containers and paint them. After they’re ready, it’s time to choose what to plant.
Plants and Garden Sensory Activities for Preschool
Get ready for messy, natur play! Sensory activities with dirt, seeds, or scented herbs invite your child to explore nature with their hands, nose, and imagination.
Planting Seeds with Toddlers- Let your little start their hands on gardening journey by planting small seeds in a cup. They will love watching their plant grow. This can always turn into a bigger project for them by moving it into a pot once it’s bigger.
Toyrarium- A terrarium is a fun and simple garden project for kids. Add toys to your terrarium and you have a toyrarium – a terrarium that inspires play.
Making a Play Garden- Create a play garden just for your children. This will get them gardening, learning about plants and spending time there by engaging in play. A great sensory activity to use different items and tools in nature.
Plant People- Homemade Chia Pets will be a hit for your plants and gardening theme. Create a family pet or a family of chia pets!
Exploring Seeds- Learn all about seeds and how they look in different items. Explore what’s in your fridge, garden or allow your littles to choose new fruits/veggies to explore from the store. Let them feel them and explore the differences.
Gardening themes are such a sweet and simple way to sneak in tons of learning through joyful play with your littles. Whether they’re pretending to plant carrots or painting a rainbow of flowers, your littles are soaking up knowledge and sunshine (real or pretend!)
The best part? You don’t need a fancy garden setup to make these moments count. A few indoor or outdoor materials and your engagement are all it takes to grow big ideas in little hearts.
Go head and get messy! Sometimes the best lessons start with dirt under tiny fingernails and smiles as bright as sunflowers.