After a long winter cooped up indoors, spring is the perfect excuse to get your preschooler back out into the garden. But once the wellies are on, what do you actually do out there? Here are 12 of the most awesome garden activities for preschoolers – simple, fun ideas that will keep little ones happily entertained outdoors for hours.
#1. Get Planting and Growing
Does your little one love digging and scooping soil? There are plenty of crops that are easy to grow, and your preschooler will be bursting with pride when they get to show off their own produce to the rest of the family.
This guide to gardening for preschoolers is a great place to start. Check the grow times on any seeds you choose – young children don’t have the patience to wait months to see results! And remember, plants will grow in almost anything, even an old pair of wellies.
#2. Have a Garden Scavenger Hunt
Young children may need a little help with this one, but they’ll love hunting for items from a list. For ideas, take a look at our scavenger hunt ideas for kids.
#3. Search for Insects and Bugs
Head out on a bug scavenger hunt with your preschooler and see how many different insects you can spot in the garden. If you’re struggling to find any, try looking under a stone, pot, or piece of wood – there’s almost always something hiding there!
You may also enjoy: 10 Best Nature Activities for Your Kids to Do in Your Own Garden
#4. Create a Pizza Garden
Grow the herbs you need to top your own pizza. Get your little one involved in looking after them, and once they’re ready, let them help you prepare a delicious homemade pizza. Find out what you need to get your pizza garden started.
#5. Create a Fairy Garden
This is a longer-term project that may mean a trip to the garden centre, but your preschooler will have hours of fun looking after their own secret fairy garden.
1. Use a large plant pot or tub and fill it with soil.
2. Add some small flowering plants like pansies, daisies, snowdrops or primroses.
3. Add a small amount of grass seed, or use moss, heather or bark chippings to help create a magical little world.
4. Add a small ornament, like a ceramic house, for the fairies to live in.
5. Decorate your fairy garden with outdoor-safe light ornaments, a pinwheel, or a small solar light.
You may also enjoy: 15 Spring Activities for Preschoolers
#6. Painting and Decorating
If your garden wall or fence could use some brightening up, why not create a fun mural on one section? Draw an outline and let your preschooler colour it in.
#7. Create a Wormery
Using a see-through glass or plastic container, add layers of soil and sand, along with a few leaves for food. Find some worms in the garden and pop them in. Watch how they tunnel through, helping to create space for roots to grow. Be sure to release the worms back into your garden once you’ve finished observing them.
#8. Create a Bug and Insect Hotel
Using old bits of wood, pallets, bricks, hollow pipes and stone, you can build a beautiful bug and insect hotel. It’s not just a lovely garden feature – it also gives bugs and insects somewhere safe to shelter when the weather turns cooler.
Check out this bug mansion guide from Wild About Gardens for inspiration.
You may also enjoy: 50 Outdoor Activities for Kids to Make this Spring a Breeze
#9. Make a Bird Bath
Why not encourage more birds into your garden with a simple homemade bird bath? This bird bath project from Childhood 101 is a lovely one to try with your preschooler, using a terracotta pot and some colourful stones.
You may also enjoy: 50 Fun Outdoor Activities for Kids
#10. Rock Decorations
Paint some rocks to use as markers for the seeds you’ve planted, or simply as pretty decorations for the flower beds.
1. Gather some smooth stones from the garden or the beach.
2. Lay down some old newspaper or cardboard, take the paints outside, and decorate your stones in different colours.
3. Add a coat of clear varnish so the colours last.
You could also paint some plant pots for the kids to use when growing their own seeds.
#11. Make a Spring Sensory Bottle
A sensory bottle is a lovely way for little ones to explore the season. My Little 3 and Me share how to put together your own spring sensory bottle – a great activity for developing your child’s exploration and enjoyment of everything spring brings.
You may also enjoy: 7 Simple Sensory Box Ideas
#12. Have a Snail Race
Find some slugs or snails and place them on a flat surface, or up against a window or patio door, and see whose one reaches the bottom first. If they need a little encouragement, pop a few lettuce leaves at the finish line!
You may also enjoy: 60 Fun Outdoor Activities for Kids for the Entire Year
Frequently Asked Questions
What age are these garden activities suitable for?
These activities are designed with preschoolers in mind, roughly ages 3 to 5, though most can easily be adapted for younger toddlers or older siblings with a little extra supervision or a bit more independence.
Do I need a big garden to try these activities?
Not at all. Many of these ideas, like a fairy garden, a wormery, painted rocks or a sensory bottle, work just as well in a small garden, a yard, or even using pots on a balcony.
What’s the easiest activity to start with?
A garden scavenger hunt or a bug hunt is a great place to begin – both need little to no setup and can be done with things you already have at home.
Is it safe for my preschooler to handle worms, slugs and snails?
Yes, with supervision. Encourage gentle handling, and always return creatures to the garden once you’ve finished observing them.
Related Articles
- 10 Best Nature Activities for Your Kids to Do in Your Own Garden
- 15 Spring Activities for Preschoolers
- 50 Outdoor Activities for Kids to Make this Spring a Breeze
- 7 Simple Sensory Box Ideas
Save These Ideas for Later
Loved these garden activities? Bookmark this page or share it with another parent who’s looking for easy ways to get outdoors with their little one this spring.
Want More Ideas Like This?
Sign up for our free newsletter and get fresh activity ideas, family days out, and parenting tips delivered straight to your inbox every month – no spam, just the good stuff.
