🌻Why a Preschool Garden Study Is Ideal for Early Learners
A preschool garden study is one of the best ways to engage young children in active, hands-on learning. Whether you’re planting outdoors or using small pots indoors, gardening introduces students to the wonders of nature in a fun and meaningful way.
Not only does gardening provide opportunities to explore science and nature, but it also helps children grow in many important developmental areas.
Gardening supports a wide range of skills:
- Science and math concepts
- Literacy and language development
- Fine motor coordination
- Social-emotional learning
In this post, you’ll learn how to set up a preschool garden study, align it with early learning goals, and explore inclusive, sensory-rich activities that spark curiosity and connection.
🪴 1. Getting Started: Setting Up Your Classroom Garden
Before you begin, prepare a space where students can explore safely and freely.
🌤 Choosing a Gardening Space:
- If you’re working outdoors, try raised beds, planters, or buckets in a designated area.
- On the other hand, if you’re indoors, small pots, recycled containers, or window boxes are great options.
🌿 Selecting Easy-to-Grow Plants:
Preschoolers benefit from fast-growing, low-maintenance plants that provide visible progress. For example, consider:
- Flowers: Sunflowers, marigolds, zinnias
- Vegetables: Radishes, lettuce, carrots, cherry tomatoes
- Herbs: Basil, mint, chives
🧰 Gathering Supplies for Preschool Garden Study:
To ensure success, gather these essentials:
- Child-safe tools (shovels, watering cans)
- Soil and seeds
- Plant labels
- Spray bottles for watering
- Magnifying glasses and clipboards for observations
- Garden journals (draw/write format)
đź“š 2. Learning Through Gardening: Concepts to Explore
A preschool garden study connects naturally to core early learning areas. Let’s explore how it integrates with foundational skills.
🔬 Science:
- Begin with, observe the seed-to-sprout journey in real time to teach the plant life cycle.
- Additionally, use visuals and real plants to identify parts of a plant (roots, stems, leaves, flowers).
- Finally, engage students in exploring what plants need (sunlight, water, soil, air) with simple experiments.
âž• Math:
- First, count seeds or leaves during planting.
- Then, track plant growth weekly with rulers or yarn.
- You can also sort and graph seeds or flowers by color, shape, or size.
✏️ Literacy:
- Start by reading garden-themed books like The Tiny Seed or Planting a Rainbow.
- Next, have students label their plants and talk about letter sounds.
- Finally, use garden journals to encourage children to draw and explain what they see.
đź’¬ Social-Emotional Learning:
- Through routine care, students learn responsibility and patience.
- Meanwhile, rotating tasks teaches teamwork and cooperation.
- In addition, gardening provides sensory experiences that support emotional regulation.
🌼 3. Preschool Garden Study Activity Ideas for Preschool
Now that your garden is set up, try these fun, sensory-rich activities to deepen learning.
1. Seed Sprouting in a Bag
Materials: Ziplock bags, paper towels, beans
Place seeds in damp towels inside bags and tape them to a window. Within a few days, students can watch them sprout.
2. Mini Greenhouse Creation
Use plastic containers with lids to grow seeds inside. This way, children can see how warmth and humidity affect plants.
3. Sensory Garden Bin
Create a pretend play station with soil, tools, and pretend flowers or bugs. As they play, students practice gardening skills and storytelling.
4. Vegetable Taste Test
Have children sample garden veggies. Afterward, discuss taste, color, and texture.
5. Nature Scavenger Hunt
Provide a picture checklist (worms, petals, butterflies). Then, explore the garden together and check off what they find.
6. Garden Yoga or Movement Songs
Use prompts like “Be a seed!” or “Sway like a flower!” This encourages movement and imaginative play.
🧠4. Aligning Preschool Garden Study with Learning Standards
A preschool garden study supports early learning standards across subjects. In fact, gardening aligns beautifully with developmental goals.
Illinois Early Learning Standards Alignment:
- Science: 12.A.ECa – Observe and describe living things
- Math: 6.D.ECa – Compare measurable characteristics
- Language Arts: 1.B.ECa – Use language for different purposes
- Social/Emotional: 30.C.ECa – Show curiosity and interest in learning
Moreover, gardening fosters environmental awareness and respect for living things, planting the seeds for sustainability education.
🌟 5. Tips for a Successful Preschool Garden Study
To help your garden study thrive, keep these tips in mind:
âś” Start Small: Focus on a few plants to keep things manageable
âś” Be Flexible: Embrace failures as learning moments
âś” Use Visuals: Support understanding with images and models
âś” Make It Inclusive: Adapt tools and tasks so all children can participate
✔ Celebrate Growth: Host a “Garden Party” to showcase progress
🌼 Ready to Dig In?
Make your garden study even more engaging with our FREE Printable Garden Journal—perfect for pre-writers and early writers!
👉 Grab your free journal pages by signing up below!
🌾Growing Knowledge, One Seed at a Time
A preschool garden study is more than just a fun project—it’s a powerful, hands-on way to build essential skills. From planting seeds to observing sprouts, students explore science, math, language, and emotion in a natural, meaningful context.
By bringing gardening into your classroom, you give children the chance to connect with the world around them while developing responsibility, confidence, and teamwork.
**So don’t wait—**plant the first seed and watch your students grow! 🌼
