Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (2024)

Welcome, teachers! If you are looking for a way to creatively engage and teach your preschoolers about the wonders of gardening, then you have come to the right place! Today we are offering free lesson plans for preschool that focus on helping young students learn all about how plants grow. Grab these free preschool garden lesson plans all centered around a preschool gardening theme.

Through fun activities such as planting seeds and caring for their gardens, your classrooms will be transformed into green oases where children can explore the joys of nature.

Free Preschool Lesson Plans for Garden Theme

Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (1)

Hands-down, this is one of my ABSOLUTE favorite themes to teach preschoolers. I stalk the hardware store in late winter for the seeds and make plans for lots of growing opportunities in our preschool classroom!

I didn’t grow up with much experience gardening and would even go as far as to say that I had a black thumb because when I did attempt simple houseplants, I would often kill them due to over or underwatering. As I have had my own children, we have made it a high priority to learn how to garden and to learn new habits from our mistakes.

It hasn’t been the easiest road but it has taught my own preschooler that sometimes we need to adapt and make changes, nature (and pesky garden bugs) will often throw new challenges at you, and gardening (as well as life) is all a big experiment.

Start simple with your garden plans and use these fantastic garden activities to help you plan your preschool garden theme. The free download is available at the bottom of this post and we certainly hope it brings you springtime joy!

FAQ About a Garden Preschool Theme

You may have a few questions about teaching gardening in preschool! Check out these frequently asked questions for how to teach your preschoolers with a garden theme.

What does gardening teach preschoolers?

Gardening teaches SO many things to young children. Gardening teaches preschoolers about how plants grow and why we need plants but it also teaches us to respect and cultivate nature. Preschoolers can learn about the parts of plants and what plants need to survive and grow.

What lessons can be taught through gardening?

Learning to garden at a young age teaches much more than just the plant life cycle. It teaches young children to be responsible as they care for and tend to their plants. Children learn about cause and effect and the balance of caring for a living thing (for example, too much water will harm the plan but not enough will also hinder its growth). Preschoolers also learn patience and develop confidence as they wait and see their seeds sprout and enjoy the fruits of their labor!

Why teach kids to garden?

Teaching children to grow from a young age cultivates respect for nature, encourages healthy eating habits, and teaches important life lessons. Time in the garden promotes communication skills and gives kids a sense of purpose and responsibility. Plus it’s so exciting to see the joy on their little faces as they engage with their first sprout or even taste!

  • SaleProduct on sale* Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans Bundle

    $60.00

    Add to cart

Important Info About These Garden Lesson Plans

The Learn at Home Preschool Lesson Plans are free lesson plans you can use to teach your preschooler at home.

All the preschool learningactivities are quick and easy to set up, designed to save time, requiring hardly any (if any at all) prep and only requires the most basic of household materials. This makes them especially easy for parents to implement…and this makes preschool teachers especially happy, too!

Just glance over the lessons each day, gather the very few materials needed, and you’re ready to go!

But don’t be fooled by the name “at home” preschool lesson plans! These activities work wonderfully in the classroom as well, and if you’re a preschool teacher who is remotely teaching you can send these lesson plans to your student’s parents.

Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (3)

Get all Our Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans

This is an ever-growing collection of free lesson plans. Everything from your classic themes like spring or gardening theme to some less traditional ones like pirates or rocks…this is the ultimate collection of weekly lesson plans for preschoolers.

Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans Collection

Or Get the Convenience Bundle!

Save time searching the website and just grab the convenience bundle of themes.

  • SaleProduct on sale* Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans Bundle

    $60.00

    Add to cart

Hands-On Activities for Garden Preschool Theme

Whether or not you have a green thumb or even a garden, these garden theme lesson plans are great for preschoolers. That’s right, you don’t need a garden for these homeschool preschool lesson plans! They might be designed for preschoolers, but soo many of the included gardening activities are great for toddlers, too. You read that right, you can tweak these lesson plans for toddlers, too!

Garden Theme Literacy Activities for Preschoolers

Garden Seeds Letters – Write the letters of the alphabet on a set of index cards. Then, invite your preschooler to form the letters by placing dried beans over the lines of the letters. If you don’t have dried beans on hand, you can use any small object like pebbles, or mini erasers, or even place the cards in a zip-top baggy and use frozen peas.

Making Lines – One of the most fun ways to practice writing is by drawing lines in different “writing trays.” This week, make a garden writing tray by sprinkling a little dirt into a baking tray and use a stick to write names or draw line shapes. Better yet, have your preschooler draw planting lines in the garden itself.

Don’t Forget the Garden-Themed Picture Books!

These picture books are a great way to introduce a garden theme to preschoolers! We hand-selected some of our favorite garden books so click each book cover for more details about each book.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that at no cost to you, I may earn a small sum if you click through and make a purchase.

Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (7)

Garden Day! (Step into Reading)

  • Ransom, Candice (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)

Sale

Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (9)

Plant the Tiny Seed Board Book: A Springtime Book For…

  • Matheson, Christie (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)

−$2.00 $7.99 Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (10)

Buy on Amazon

Sale

Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (11)

From the Garden: A Counting Book About Growing Food…

  • Used Book in Good Condition
  • Dahl, Michael (Author)

−$2.04 $7.95 Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (12)

Buy on Amazon

Sale

Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (13)

The Little Gardener (Teenie Greenies)

  • Gerardi, Jan (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)

−$1.00 $5.99 Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (14)

Buy on Amazon

Sale

Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (15)

Henry Helps Plant a Garden

  • Bracken, Beth (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)

−$3.00 $5.99 Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (16)

Buy on Amazon

Sale

Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (17)

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt: (Nature Book for…

  • Messner, Kate (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)

−$0.80 $7.19 Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (18)

Buy on Amazon

Garden Theme Math & Science Activities for Preschoolers

Counting Flowers – These ten-frame counting cards are a fun way to celebrate gardening. Watch the flowers grow as the numbers increase. Featuring numbers 1-20, the cards can be used to teach preschoolers about teen numbers, too!

Tracking Plant Growth – Read about how to track the growth of a plant watermelon in this post. Of course, if you don’t have watermelons growing in your garden, you can use any plant, even a dandelion! Using paper strips creates the best visual for preschoolers, but you can also create a traditional graph. Check out these free watermelon lesson plans too!

Measuring Flowers – Here are some printable flower measurement cards. Preschoolers can use just about any uniform object to line up and practice measuring the height of flowers.

Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (19)

Playful Learning Activities for Preschool Garden Theme

Go on a Walk – Gardening doesn’t have to be limited to vegetable gardens. Go on a walk around the neighborhood with your preschooler and talk about the flower gardens you might see in front yards.

Plant a Garden in Playdough – Use this favorite playdough recipe and plant a pumpkin garden in the play dough. Print the counting cards for some added math. If you don’t have tiny pumpkins, you can use dried beans, floral pebbles from the dollar store, or even crumpled paper.

Plant Something – Planting a real garden doesn’t have to be on acres of land or in neat raised beds. Check out this post on how to plant sunflowers (or any plant) with preschoolers. Sunflowers are especially fun because they grow so quickly and so tall, too!

  • SaleProduct on sale* Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans Bundle

    $60.00

    Add to cart

Hands-On Garden Themed Activities for Indoors

Grow Plants From Foods in the Kitchen – Lots of vegetables will continue to grow once cut and then placed in water, like onions and celery. Just cut the vegetable down to about an inch from the roots. Place the roots in a cup for water and the vegetable will continue to grow.

Playdough Gardens – Whip up this fail-proof playdough recipe and make playdough gardens. Just roll a pancake out of the playdough and push some real plants into the play dough. You can use the leaves of any kind of plant. Make them into rows and pretend to plant a garden.

Garden Collage – Cut out pictures from garden magazines and create a collage. Read this post for details.

Just for Fun Garden Activities for Preschoolers

Lego Challenges – Look up some interesting plants online here and build Legos with your preschooler. Can you make your Lego structure look like a plant? Or, you can even make a planter out of Legos and plant real succulents in them.

Tearing Newspaper – Tearing paper is not only fun for preschoolers, but it helps develop their prewriting skills because it increases coordination and develops fine motor skills. The torn newspaper can then be soaked and used as natural weed control in a garden bed. Learn more about it in this video.

Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (21)

Safe Online Preschool Activities About Gardening

Read Online – Go to Storylineonline.net and listen to the book A Tale of Two Beasts by Fiona Robertson. Look for a red button under the video called “Activity Guides” to find related activities that pair with the book.

Videos – Go to YouTube and watch this time-lapse video of seed germination and plant growth. Ask your preschooler what they think is happening. Maybe even act it out.

Fingerplay – Practice counting and rhyming by playing along with this fingerplay Planting My Garden. Try doing all the actions and then challenge your preschooler to come up with more verses.

Make Your Garden Theme Even Better!

These garden-themed hands-on toys are a great way to bring the fun of gardening into the classroom! We’ve hand-picked some of our preschool favorite garden activity kits. Click the images to learn more about each product!

Sale

Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (22)

YEEBAY Flower Garden Building Toys for Girls Age 3, 4,…

  • Upgraded Flower Building Set – 148 totally PCS in abundant Colors, let your kids create gorgeous…
  • Easy to Clean and Store with a Portable Box – Every pieces can be washed, and these building blocks…

−$10.00 $22.99 Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (23)

Buy on Amazon

Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (24)

Learning Resources New Sprouts Grow It! Toddler…

  • GROW YOUR IMAGINATION: Develop Imaginative play and social skills
  • DEVELOP SOCIAL SKILLS: Provides an ideal way to develop vocabulary and social skills by kids talking…

$27.99 Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (25)

Buy on Amazon

Sale

Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (26)

Creativity for Kids Sensory Bin: Garden and Critters -…

  • PLAY AND PRETEND – Create your own pretend play flower garden in an ultimate sensory play…
  • SENSORY BIN – Sensory bins allow children to discover, imagine and learn while engaging their…

−$10.02 $14.97 Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (27)

Buy on Amazon

Sale

Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (28)

Learning Resources Grow It Deluxe Garden – 17 Pieces,…

  • ONLY on Amazon! This fun learning toy is EXCLUSIVE to Amazon, where you’ll also find many more of…
  • Growing New Skills!: This deltoddler gardening set helps kids to develop imaginative play and…

−$9.18 $25.81 Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (29)

Buy on Amazon

Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (30)

Skrtuan Montessori Toys for Toddlers 3 4 5 Years Old…

  • MONTESSORI FUN SORTING GAME: The carrot planting game Toys is a new kind of learning toy for…
  • HIGH QUALITY&SAFETY MATERIAL: Montessori wooden toys with vironmental and high quality wood, All the…

$16.99 Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (31)

Buy on Amazon

  • SaleProduct on sale* Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans Bundle

    $60.00

    Add to cart

GET YOUR FREE WEEKLY LESSON PLANS FOR PRESCHOOL HERE

Think these homeschool lesson plans for preschool are something your students’ parents might enjoy? It sure will make preschool at home a whole lot easier, I promise.

Related

Free Learn At Home Spring Preschool Lesson Plans
Free Flowers Preschool Lesson Plans
Free Rainbow Preschool Lesson Plans
Free Seasons Preschool Lesson Plans

Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (33)

Sarah Punkoney, MAT

I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.

stayathomeeducator.com/

Free Garden Preschool Lesson Plans - Stay At Home Educator (2024)

FAQs

What should a preschool lesson plan include? ›

A solid lesson plan will incorporate key elements such as learning objectives, relevant materials, developmentally appropriate activities, and assessment methods. Incorporate themes to teach children fundamental skills or see what emerges from their interests.

What are the learning objectives of gardening? ›

Students will understand how to propagate, plant, grow/manage and harvest vegetable, fruit and nut crops. Students will be able to identify soil types and how they are formed and ways to modify soil structure and drainage to reduce erosion and improve water quality and water availability to plants.

How does gardening help child development? ›

While working in the garden, preschoolers develop fine motor control and also work larger muscles: gardening uses practically every muscle in the body. Sensorial lessons are found throughout the garden; preschoolers can practice color recognition, identify fragrances, and learn how fresh food tastes.

What are the five 5 parts of lesson plan? ›

The five steps involved are the Anticipatory Set, Introduction of New Material, Guided Practice, Independent Practice and Closure.

What are three things preschool teachers should do? ›

Organize activities so children can learn about the world, explore interests, and develop skills. Develop schedules and routines to ensure children have enough physical activity and rest. Watch for signs of emotional or developmental problems in each child and bring them to the attention of the child's parents.

What questions should I ask my preschooler about flowers? ›

Questions to Ask Your Child

What part of plants (like trees and flowers) helps them get the water and nutrients that they need? What else do plants need to survive and grow? What are different ways that plants are helpful to animals? Why do you think many plants wait until springtime to start growing?

What does a flower need to grow preschool? ›

Sunlight, water, and good soil with nutrients. Plants also need air.

What is the garden approach to learning? ›

Garden-based learning (GBL) encompasses programs, activities and projects in which the garden is the foundation for integrated learning, in and across disciplines, through active, engaging, real-world experiences that have personal meaning for children, youth, adults and communities in an informal outside learning ...

What is the first grade garden curriculum? ›

A first grader will learn to identify the key stages of the life cycle of plants and review the basic needs for each stage of a plant's life. Students will learn to identify how young plants and their parents are both similar and different. Students will explore how seeds create food for humans and animals.

Why do children love the garden? ›

Gardening gives children a sense of self-accomplishment. They learn by caring for their plants and watching them grow from seedlings to food or flowers. Children learn that their hard work pays off, boosting self-esteem.

Why gardening is important in Montessori? ›

One of the primary benefits of Montessori gardening is its contribution to physical development. The act of gardening involves a range of motor skills, from gross motor skills to fine motor skills. When children carry gardening tools or water plants, they're developing their gross motor skills.

What is included in preschool curriculum? ›

The objectives cover four major domains of child development (social–emotional, physical, language, and cognitive), five content areas (literacy, mathematics, science and technology, social studies, and the arts), and two objectives that relate to English-language acquisition.

What 4 key components should be in a lesson plan? ›

Here are six components often found in lesson plans you can try using when planning your own lessons:
  • Objective. A lesson objective can be one of the most important components of a lesson plan. ...
  • Materials. ...
  • Background knowledge. ...
  • Direct instruction. ...
  • Guided teaching. ...
  • Closure and assessment.
Jun 24, 2022

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Domingo Moore

Last Updated:

Views: 5380

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (53 voted)

Reviews: 84% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Domingo Moore

Birthday: 1997-05-20

Address: 6485 Kohler Route, Antonioton, VT 77375-0299

Phone: +3213869077934

Job: Sales Analyst

Hobby: Kayaking, Roller skating, Cabaret, Rugby, Homebrewing, Creative writing, amateur radio

Introduction: My name is Domingo Moore, I am a attractive, gorgeous, funny, jolly, spotless, nice, fantastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.