Kids garden ideas are not always easy to come by, but luckily for you, we have compiled a list of the best garden ideas for kids. Whether your garden is big or small, these garden ideas will keep the kids entertained.
Perhaps, the video below will encourage you to kickstart these garden ideas at your fastest pace.
This will allow them to learn about growing their own food while getting more physical in the outdoor space.
Build a shade
If you do not have a shady area of your garden, then create a shade in it for fresh air.
The garden will keep the kids cool while they play and help them to grow some vegetables on their own.
Erect the shade in a sunny spot and then fill it with garden soil. You can encourage your kids to build an adult free space. Guide them to use branches stacked against a fence, wall, or tree.
Requirements:
- Wooden planks
- Old tree stumps or bricks
- Screws
- A drill
First, you need to measure the garden space that you want to cover with the shade. Once you have done this, cut the wooden planks to size using a saw.
Next, screw the boards together to form the frame of the shade. If you are using bricks or old tree stumps, then you need to place these in the garden for support.
After that, paint the wooden frame or cover it with some material such as tarpaulin. If your garden has an existing fence around it, fix this shade to it by attaching hooks into its top edge and hanging them over the fence.
If you intend to set up your trampoline in the garden for kids, use trampoline sprinklers to cool down a hot day.
Use children-plants friendly plants
Use plants that are safe for children, with no prickles or poisonous leaves.
If you have a garden that is big enough, then create different areas with specific tasks assigned to them. One area could be for planting seeds, another for watering plants and so on. This garden design will help the kids interestingly learn about gardening.
The list of plants to avoid in your garden is endless. However, consider avoiding the following:
- Oleander
- Castor bean
- Monkshood
- Yew
- Nightshade
- Angel’s trumpet
- Lantana, etc.
If you want to grow plants like vegetables, then choose beans, tomatoes, or lettuce to put a smiley face on the kids. These plants are easy to grow and don’t require too much attention.
Bring water to the garden
You can have the kids amused by bringing water to the garden.
Dig a small hole in your garden and place an old watering pot there as its container. Another option is to use rainwater collected from your roof with the help of a few buckets stacked together on top of each other at one corner of the garden.
This garden is fun to make and will teach the kids how useful water can be in a garden. It also teaches them responsibility when it comes to watering plants with containers that they fill themselves.
Use bigger pots or buckets full of soil around your garden so that your children have somewhere for planting seeds, growing seedlings, etc., and see their garden grow.
You can add a pond to keep the kids busy. You do not have to carve out a space for a full-on lake in your backyard.
Water in the garden attracts beneficial creatures like frogs, toads, and hedgehogs. The whole family can go on spotting adventures, build small boats for water racing using natural materials.
Erect a sundial
A sundial is a garden ornament that tells the time of day by the position of the sun.
It can be made from wood, metal, or stone and can be as simple or elaborate as you like.
This garden idea is perfect for kids because it teaches them about science and mathematics in a fun way. A sundial also looks attractive and does not cost much to make.
The garden sundial also helps your kids learn how the sun moves across the sky during the day and this knowledge can be useful in their garden activities like knowing when is best for weeding or watering plants, etc.
Little hands can handle small tools
There are a variety of tools designed for the small ones, including the following:
- Garden spades
- Small hoes
- Garden forks
- Weeders
- Leaf rakes, etc.
These garden tools have shorter handles for a better grip and are made from materials that kids can handle. They also make gardening activities fun for younger and older children.
You will find garden tools like these at your local garden centre or hardware shop. This provides hours of fun for the garden kids.
Do not forget to bring in your safety equipment. Gardening can be dangerous sometimes so it is best to offer garden safety equipment such as garden gloves, garden boots and hats.
You must supervise children when they garden.
Bird seed making and birdwatching garden ideas
Create a garden haven for your garden birds by planting various types of seeds.
The garden will attract different bird species with the colourful flowers and their deliciousness.
Bird seeds can be made at home by crushing the garden herbs and flowers like dill, mints, lavender. These garden plants have strong scents that attract many birds to your garden.
Also, try to add some bird feeders or baths in case you do not want them visiting the garden all year round; it is best suited if you have only one bird feeder or bath in your garden.
The bird garden is a fun way to get the kids involved with nature and wildlife too!
Make your garden pleasant to birds with water sources like the birdbath for soaking and drinking. Children love to add water to the bird with a miniature container or add seeds and fat into a huge bowl. You should encourage the kids to go birdwatching.
Learn to make compost
Compost is garden organic matter. It can be made by combining garden waste with garden soil or potting compost, which accelerates the decomposition process and makes nutrients available to plants more quickly.
The garden kids will enjoy making their own compost because it brings out the creativity in them while learning how a garden grows into something useful.
Of course, compost is easy to do, just ask your garden centre for advice or search the internet for composting tips.
You can also get a composter which is an enclosed container in which organic matter breaks down into compost.
Keep kids entertained with bugs
It is nice for younger and older children to learn about garden bugs, their names and what they do in the garden by taking care of this little creature during its life cycle stage.
Collecting bugs is a fun activity, especially for older children; they can learn how to identify the bug, where it lives and what it eats.
You can make a bug hotel in the garden or create your own from an old ice cream container and fill it with different things such as leaves, fabric strips, etc., to offer shelter to garden creatures. Include some twigs and a small tube for the insects to drink water.
You can also buy bug houses from garden centres or online which make perfect gifts for nature.
Kids should have their plot
Give your children their own plot to plant anything they want.
Mark a section for the little ones if you have a huge lawn. It can be a great way to teach them about plants, flowers and vegetables.
Allowing kids their own garden space with the right tools makes gardening more interesting for them; they are able to learn at their own pace and explore different types of plants.
This is also the perfect opportunity to show your children how to care for a garden by watering, weeding and planting. Encourage the kids and all the family to get involved in decorating the garden by making plant markers and painting rocks.
Make the garden a fun place for children by adding garden art or simple garden toys such as sandboxes, swings, playhouses and climbing frames to give them an unforgettable experience.
If your little ones are adventurous, add climbing frames in the garden. Pick a design with a lookout tower to encourage hours of imaginative play. Designs like this typically have a climbing wall, slide, and even a ball pit underneath.
Create a fairy garden
A fairy garden will give the kids a sense of magic, perhaps, making them feel like Harry Potter.
They will love seeing garden fairies and nature spirits in the garden. The following are lovely ways to encourage younger and older kids:
- Create a fairy garden using things from your recycle bin. There are various options to choose such as; adding miniature shrubs, small plants or flowers, stepping stones with special messages written on them and even garden gnomes. Add other garden ornaments like elves and goblins.
- Help the children create an enchanted garden either in a hollow in the ground or at the base of a tree. Build colourful sculptures and statues and tuck them in concealed nooks and crannies across the garden.
- If you have the space and inclination, create a small pond with lily pads and water plants, add some rocks and statues, plant some garden flowers and build a water garden.
A fairy garden also needs either a mini trampoline for kids or rectangle trampoline. Do not forget to incorporate fun trampoline games to engage them.
Show the kids how to measure
Measurement is an important skill for kids to learn.
It can be used in everyday life, such as baking or cooking, and gardeners use it too.
By giving your children their own garden space, they will learn how to measure distance (between plants), volume (of compost) and even time (the growth of a plant).
This is good for the foundation of their mathematical skills. With a measuring stick, ruler, and garden tape, they can be involved and know how to calculate the length of their garden. You can also show the kids the steps to measure trampoline correctly.
Biking in the garden
Take a break from gardening and go for a bike ride around.
This is perfect for kids who love cycling as it gives them plenty of fresh air and exercise while enjoying the sights of their garden.
It can also be great fun to race each other or do wheelies on lawns and flower beds.
Your lawn-side plants have to be resilient to withstand trampling, consider tough plants like ornamental grasses, Crocosmia, Elaeagnus, Escallonia and Choisya. Ornamental grasses are particularly versatile, hardy and spectacular.
If you have a greenhouse, garden or allotment shed, make sure it is locked and out of bounds to the kids. This will stop them from going inside and playing in there when you’re not around.
Set up a climbing frame
Garden climbing frames are a lovely way to provide hours of fun for kids.
There are different types available on the market, such as wooden garden playhouses with a slide, or metal ones that come complete with swings and a monkey bar.
If you’re handy at DIY, you could always make one yourself from scratch using recycled materials such as old pallets or tree branches. Just make sure it is stable and safe for the kids to use.
Take photos
Make the garden a memorable experience by taking photos of children enjoying their garden.
Capture family moments, take photos of kids sowing seeds, helping with the bee hotel, and make these into beautiful photo albums or share them on social media sites with friends and family to show off your green-fingered work.
Kids can earn a few bucks
Help your garden-loving kids make a few pounds by doing some paid work.
They can help out with weeding and planting, walking dogs, or clearing debris in the garden of an elderly neighbour who may be unable to do it themselves.
This is a great way to get them involved in helping others while also teaching them how to budget their garden money.
If you have older children, consider raising some garden birds like chickens or ducks to lay eggs for them to sell the extra ones online and earn a little cash (they must first ask permission from their parents).
How do you make a garden fun for kids?
Make the garden fun for kids by keeping garden toys and garden games on hand.
This will keep them entertained while they are in the garden, such as a garden swing (you can make your own) or some hopscotch chalk to draw up for an impromptu game of hopscotch.
Make sure you have plenty of gardening gloves so that if kids get bored of garden toys, they can start helping you with the gardening instead.
As you can see the garden is an important area that needs to be well designed in order to achieve a safe, comfortable garden for both adults and children alike.
Lastly, these fun garden games can animate the garden experience with children.
