Get gardening!

TRY THESE IDEAS AT HOME

Grow your own cress characters

Save clean yoghurt pots or eggshells and invite your children to draw funny faces on them using pens or paints. You can fill each pot with damp cottonwool or compost, sprinkle cress seeds on top and place them on a bright windowsill. Within a few days, children can give their characters a haircut with scissors and add the fresh cress to sandwiches or salads, building pride and curiosity about where food comes from.

Plant a smile

Ask your child to choose a flower or plant to grow specifically for someone they care about, like a grandparent, friend, teacher, sibling or neighbour. Let them decorate the pot, write the person’s name on a label and help water and tend the plant together. When it is ready to be given as a gift, children experience the joy of kindness, as well as the satisfaction of seeing how their care has created something beautiful.

Create a calm corner indoors

If outdoor space is limited, families can design a small ‘calm corner’ inside using houseplants on a shelf, bedside table or living room nook. Pots of lavender, mint, peace lilies or ferns can be grouped with a favourite cushion or blanket to make a soothing space. Children can help choose and arrange the plants, mist the leaves and water, and use the corner as a place to read, breathe deeply and take a break when emotions feel big.

Start a salad or herb pot

A simple jar or pot of herbs or salad leaves can teach children where their food comes from. Families can fill containers with compost, sow seeds such as lettuce, chives, basil or mixed leaves, and keep them watered on a sunny windowsill. When it is time to harvest, children can snip the leaves themselves and add them to meals, building a sense of responsibility and encouraging them to try new, fresh foods.

Make a wildlife spot

Supporting wildlife can be a powerful way to help children feel connected to the wider world. Set up a shallow dish of water as a bird bath, leave a small log pile in a corner of the garden, or tuck a bug hotel into a flowerbed or balcony box. Children can help refill the water, look for visiting insects and birds, and keep a simple nature diary, which can prompt conversations about change, seasons and caring for the planet.

Design a plant pot

Invite children to paint or colour a plant pot using colours and patterns that represent different feelings, like calm blues, joyful yellows or bright patterns that express excitement. Together, choose a plant from your local garden centre that matches the mood, such as cheerful daisies or soothing green foliage.