Great Plants for Kids
Whether you want to teach your kids about patience and responsibility, you want to expose them to new things, or if you just don’t want them messing with your prized orchids, you have plenty of plants to choose from that are great for kids. There are easy, pretty, yummy, interesting and fast-growing plants that will keep you and your kids occupied for a growing season or more!
Some great plants for kids are:
Sunflowers. Tall, quick-growing plants, such as sunflowers, are giants to small kids. There’s nothing cooler than seeing a giant sunflower face a different direction throughout the day based on the light it receives. Young kids can use their imaginations and pretend that these sunflowers are really living, thinking creatures, and older kids can learn why and how some plants can actually move so quickly. Read more about caring for sunflowers>>
Morning Glories. Morning glories are fun little flowers that can climb up a wall or trellis, and kids can go to the garden each morning and count how many blooms are present each day. Learn more about morning glories>>
Rosemary. Rosemary is fun to prune into Christmas trees, simple geometric shapes or small topiary animals. Kids can also snip off a sprig and help cook the herb in a culinary dish. Read more about how to grow rosemary>>
Tomatoes. Tomatoes and other food plants can help teach kids where our food comes from, and they can see that more varieties of vegetables are available and better-tasting than grocery store veggies. If they have a hand in growing the food, they are more likely to try it at the dinner table!
Moving plants. Plants that move, such as the Mimosa pudica fern, which moves when touched, and Venus flytraps, which are carnivorous, are fun to grow and interact with. Carnivorous plants need very little attention and can live on a kids’ room windowsill and will just need watering here and there. Read more about Venus flytraps and read more about the moving Mimosa pudica fern.
Beans. Plants that germinate quickly, such as beans, will grow quickly and entertain a child for a few days. Beans and sunflowers are both fast-growing plants, which will deliver a sense of accomplishment in a short amount of time. With so many things vying for your kid’s attention (TV, computer and games), it might help to start with a quick-growing plant!
Note: Whatever plant your child chooses to grow, make sure they try plants that will on your balcony. Nothing is more disappointing to a child (and adults!) than scraggly plants that die or just barely survive.
