My one true hope and dream for my children is that they become avid readers, enveloped in the plot of a good book. I hope they become so invested in the characters they meet that they can see them as friends and empathize with their emotions. I hope books transport them to faraway lands and teach them enlightening lessons. To start this love of reading, we not only need to model it ourselves by curling up with a good book but teach our little ones the foundational skills of reading. These garden literacy activities will hopefully accomplish that goal, growing their skills one flower bud at a time.
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Garden Lesson Plans
Planting the ABC's
Garden Literacy Activities
Planting alphabet vegetables into the egg carton garden has always been a hit in my house.
But as I set it up this year (it does take quite a while to cut out the veggies and tape on all those mini popsicle sticks), I had a brilliant beyond brilliant idea that you’re gonna love.
This garden activity now includes a low-prep option in which you print the garden alphabet mats and place a clear egg carton on top. Then, your students can just plant the letters into the matching well. (I told you that you’d love it.)
It doesn’t involve those fine motor skills like the original egg carton garden, but it does save you a ton of time.
Materials:
- Planting the ABC's Letter Match
- egg cartons (cardboard for popsicle sticks or clear for low-prep option)
- mini popsicle sticks
- magnetic letters
Garden ABC
Initial Sound Activity
Do you remember those books written for ‘dummies’? Like Keyboarding for Dummies or Auto Repair for Dummies?
Sometimes I think I need Gardening for Dummies. I’ve tried more times than I can count, and I’ve often joked that I have a black thumb. Really.
But that doesn’t stop me from going all in on a garden theme or trying to cultivate my green thumb each year!
One thing I do have going for me? Garden vocabulary. I am well-versed in gardening lingo, and your toddlers can be too!
Our initial sound activity has garden words from A-Z for your preschoolers to match magnetic letters to. I’ve included two printables for you to choose which one works best for your learners!
Materials:
- Garden ABC Initial Sound Activity
- magnetic letters
- cookie sheets (Dollar Tree)
Sunflower Alphabet
Flower Letter Identification Activity
I have neither the patience nor the tongue-tying abilities for the handful of sunflower seeds in the mouth thing.
Therefore, you will never catch me at a baseball game with a bag full of sunflower seeds. A ballpark hot dog? Now that’s a different story!
But for now, back to the sunflower seeds! They make the perfect addition to this letter formation activity.
Cover the lettered mats with sunflower seeds and invite your little ones to uncover the letters and trace the matching letter on the recording sheet.
It’s also easy to use the seeds to create a fine motor activity, too! They can carefully place the sunflower seeds on top of each of the printable letters.
Materials:
- Sunflower ABC
- sunflower seeds
- cookie sheets (Dollar Tree)
- paintbrushes
- markers
Flower Power Rhyming Words
Garden Literacy Activities
If you had a chance to look through my garden math activities, then you may recall that my husband wants a yard full of grass… and only grass.
If I had it my way, I would carefully pick out the prettiest flowers each spring and curate the flower beds of my dreams!
But instead, I rely on fun spring activities to bring vibrant colors and variety to my life.
Speaking of variety, this Flower Power activity has a variety of rhyming words! Each flower has a different garden-themed picture on it.
In no time, each pot will be filled with beautiful flowers that rhyme!
Materials:
- Flower Power Rhyming Words
- Optional: green popsicle sticks
- mini plant pots
- Optional: sensory bin filled with dried black beans
- Optional: gardening tools
Nature WAlk
Build Garden Vocabulary
Freebie! This nature hunt was the most relaxing part of my day! We strolled along at a toddler’s pace and simply observed our surroundings, trying to find the different items found in nature.
You can absolutely do the same with your little ones! A nature scavenger hunt is the perfect way to build your toddlers’ garden vocabulary. Plus, it helps to build even more meaning when a real-world example is right in front of those curious eyes.
Materials:
- FREE Nature Hunt
- clipboards
- a place to explore
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I hope that these garden literacy activities inspire your green thumb and love of literacy with your little one! You are planting the seeds of foundational literacy skills so that your students are able to bloom in their bright futures. That is a big deal! You are doing the work, and your tots will reap the benefits of hands-on activities for many seasons to come.