With most schools not fully operational yet, it’s no surprise that your child is probably having more screen time than you intend to during this whole pandemic.

So if you’re looking for a way to transition your kids from screen time to green time, gardening might be just the answer you’re looking for.

Whether you’re living in a landed property with lots of play space or an apartment with a small balcony, there’s always room to grow some low-maintenance plants that are easy to plant and grow.

When picking plants, consider your child’s interests.

Do they love helping you in the kitchen? Create an edible garden and try planting some herbs, chillies or limes.

Does your child love art and colours? Try planting flowers that are cheerful and bright.

You’ll be surprised how much life a few plants can add to a space and it’ll keep your little ones busy too!

Here’s a list of some of the best plants for kids to grow.

 

Succulents

Succulents are super easy to grow, and they come in a rainbow of colors and hundreds of shapes and sizes!

They prefer mostly sun, they don’t need to be watered too often and they’ll definitely appeal to your little ones, especially when you mix a few different types and colours together. 

They do great both outdoors and indoors too.

 

Lamb’s Ear

This easy-care perennial has velvety soft, fuzzy evergreen leaves that are silver to gray-green in colour. Kids can safely reach out and stroke the leaves, which can be a great stimulus for their senses.

Besides enjoying its attractive, fuzzy foliage, some people also use their leaves as a “band-aid” of sorts for healing wounds and in helping painful bug bites.

The plant should be grown in full sun or partial shade, and dislikes overly moist soil.

 

Sunflower

Sunflowers are fairly fast-growing flowers with most varieties maturing in only 85 to 95 days.

These bold, sunny-faced flowers come in an array of sizes ranging from a foot tall to 15 feet tall!

They are also heat-tolerant, resistant to pests, and eye catchy especially for kids.

At the end of its season, you can easily harvest its sunflower seeds for a tasty snack or for replanting.

 

Silver Dollar Plants

Kids will love the shape and color of these silver-dollar-like pods, which, at first glance, look more like store-bought ornaments than natural objects.

They grow up to 2-3 feet talls and grow quickly throughout the area. 

They are not very fussy when it comes to growing conditions, but prefer partial shade.

They are also useful and look beautiful in crafts such as wreath-making.

 

Big-Leaf Hydrangea

Hydrangea macrophylla can be a great choice if you have a budding chemist in the house.

Kids with a scientific bent will love the fact that you can change its flower’s colour by adjusting its soil’s pH.

Blue, purple, and pink are the possible colors that you can end up with. How cool is that?

They Grow best in partial shade and can grow up to 2 to 3 feet tall and wide.

 

Nasturtium

These easy-to-grow flowers grow in climbing or mound forms.

They come in an array of colors from peach and red to coral and rose and pretty much bloom all year round.

But the coolest thing about both the flowers and the leaves is that they are edible, so kids can toss them on salads or tasty no-bake desserts to make their meals appealing and colourful.

 

Mint

Fast-growing mint is a fun and rewarding plant to grow.

You can grow it outside in the ground, in a pot outdoors, or inside on a windowsill. It’s a great addition to brewed tea and kicks up the freshness in desserts and savory foods alike.

 

Elephant Ears

You kids will be amazed by the size of elephant ear plants that can grow bigger than their heads! 

The most recognized forms have heart or arrow-shaped leaves with decorative veining, which would surely appeal to kids. 

Elephant Ears add drama to both gardens and containers.

Growing them is simple – they like filtered sun or shade and rich, moist soil.

 

Hens and Chicks

Hens and Chicks or it’s scientific name – Sempervivum tectorum is a low-growing (4 inches), perennial succulent that can easily grow in full sun to partial shade.

Its name refers to the fact that the mother plants (hens) make off-shoots (chicks) that can simply be plucked off and grown somewhere else- something that your child can easily do without much hassle.

 

These are just some of the plants that best for kids to grow- there are lots more! Keep in mind that children are attracted to bright colors, unusual textures, and something out of the ordinary. Just remember to always double check that you are not exposing your kids to toxic plants. Curious young children might be tempted to pluck, touch or nibble at something that can make them sick.