National Children’s Gardening Week | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with National Children’s Gardening Week. National Children’s Gardening Week is an annual event in the UK, typically held at the end of May/early June. It is organised by Garden Centre Association (GCA) members and aims to encourage children to enjoy gardening and learn about nature. The week provides a fantastic opportunity for children to get involved in growing plants, understanding where food comes from, and connecting with the natural world in a hands-on way. It promotes the joy and educational benefits of gardening for young people, inspiring a love for plants and the outdoors. For official information, themes, and how to get involved, please visit the National Children’s Gardening Week website: www.childrensgardeningweek.co.uk/.

Saturday 23rd - Sunday 31st May 2026

Late May (date varies annually)

• 🤔 What is National Children’s Gardening Week?

  National Children’s Gardening Week encourages children to explore gardening, plants and nature, helping them understand how things grow and how we can care for the natural world.

• 🌱 Understanding Gardening in EYFS & KS1

  This theme provides rich opportunities to explore:

  • plants and growth

  • life cycles

  • food and where it comes from

  • the natural world

  • outdoor learning

  This supports:

  EYFS:

  • Understanding the World (natural processes, environments)

  • Physical Development (fine motor skills, outdoor movement)

  • Communication & Language (describing, questioning)

  KS1 (National Curriculum):

  • Science (plants, growth, seasonal change)

  • Design & Technology (food, nutrition, where food comes from)

  • Geography (environment and outdoor learning)

• 🌿 A Developmentally Appropriate Approach in the Early Years

  In the EYFS, knowledge of gardening develops through:

  • real experiences

  • exploration and observation

  • outdoor interaction

  • responsive adult support

  👉 Find out more about developmentally appropriate practice in EYFS by exploring our ‘Curriculum & Pedagogy Suite’.

  Pathways available for:

  ↪ Babies | birth-18 months

  ↪ Toddlers | 18-36 months

  ↪ Preschool | 3-4 years

  ↪ Reception | 4-5 years

  ↪ Childminder | Mixed-Age Care

• 💛 Why This Theme Matters

  Exploring gardening supports:

  🌼 Connection to Nature

  Children develop a relationship with the natural world.

  🌱 Understanding Growth & Change

  Children observe how plants develop over time.

  🍎 Awareness of Food Sources

  Children begin to understand where food comes from.

  🐾 Responsibility & Care

  Children learn to look after living things.

  🔍 Scientific Curiosity

  Children ask questions and observe change.

🌿 EYFS: Provision & Child-Led Ideas (0–5 Years)

These ideas are not activities to be planned or completed. They support learning through exploration, play and real-world experience.

• 👶 Babies (0–18 months)

  Exploration is sensory and relational.

  Babies may:

  • explore natural textures (soil, leaves, water)

  • observe movement and change

  • respond to outdoor environments

  Adults can:

  • provide safe sensory experiences

  • narrate simple observations

  • support calm outdoor exploration

  👉 Additional curriculum & planning support for this age group may be found on our ‘EYFS Planning for Babies (0–18 Months)’ hub page.

• 🚶 Toddlers (18–36 months)

  Toddlers explore through movement and repetition.

  Children may:

  • dig, scoop and transport materials

  • notice plants and outdoor features

  • engage in simple pretend gardening play

  Adults can:

  • follow children’s interests

  • model simple language (“plant”, “grow”)

  • allow repeated exploration

  👉 Additional curriculum & planning support for this age group may be found on our ‘EYFS Planning for Toddlers (18–36 Months)’ hub page.

• 🧒 Preschool (3–4 years)

  Children begin to explore growth and change.

  Children may:

  • notice plant development

  • ask questions about nature

  • explore cause and effect

  Adults can:

  • support curiosity through conversation

  • introduce simple concepts (e.g. plants need water)

  • extend thinking through play

  👉 Additional curriculum & planning support for this age group may be found on our ‘EYFS Planning for Preschool (3–4 Years)’ hub page.

• 🎓 Reception (4–5 years)

  Children deepen understanding and make connections.

  Children may:

  • observe changes over time

  • explore simple scientific ideas

  • use more complex vocabulary

  Adults can:

  • support reasoning and explanation

  • introduce simple processes (growth, life cycles)

  • extend learning through provision

  👉 Additional curriculum & planning support for this age group may be found on our ‘EYFS Planning for Reception (4–5 Years)’ hub page.

• 🧠 Key Principle Across EYFS

  Understanding growth develops through:

  • observation

  • exploration

  • interaction

  • real experiences

🌱 Environment Enhancements & Invitations (EYFS)

These are optional enhancements that may be added to provision if they align with children’s interests in nature and outdoor play.

• 🌿 Outdoor Exploration & Gardening Play

  You might enhance provision by:

  • providing access to soil, plants or outdoor areas

  • allowing digging, planting and watering

  • supporting free exploration of natural environments

  Resources that may support this include:

  • Gardening resources

  • Outdoor provision materials

• 🌱 Plants & Growth

  You might enhance provision by:

  • introducing plants or seeds

  • allowing children to observe growth over time

  • providing opportunities to care for living things

  Resources:

  • Plants

  • Life Cycles

  • Gardening

• 💧 Water, Soil & Sensory Play

  You might enhance provision by:

  • offering water and soil play

  • exploring textures and materials

  • allowing children to combine materials freely

• 🗣️ Language, Curiosity & Thinking

  You might enhance provision by:

  • modelling vocabulary (grow, plant, water)

  • responding to children’s questions

  • encouraging observation and description

• 🌍 Care, Responsibility & Environment

  You might enhance provision by:

  • modelling care for plants

  • supporting children to look after living things

  • encouraging respect for nature

  Resources:

  • The Environment

  • Wildlife

  • Recycling

• 🎨 Creative & Representational Play

  You might enhance provision by:

  • offering materials for drawing and modelling

  • allowing children to represent plants and growth

  • valuing children’s interpretations

• ✨ Key Reminder

  Understanding gardening develops through:

  • real experience

  • observation

  • repetition

  • meaningful interaction

📘 KS1 Learning Activities for National Children’s Gardening Week

In Key Stage 1, this theme can support more structured learning about plants, growth and ecosystems.

• 🌱 Getting Started with Gardening

  Children can:

  • explore basic gardening concepts

  • learn vocabulary

  You may use our:

  • ‘Planting A Seed’ Poster Set

  • Digging Area Challenge Cards

  • Gardening Word Cards & Word Mat

  • Gardening Display Banner

  • Draw/Write/Mark Making Sheets

  • Green Fingers Certificates

• 🌼 Understanding Plants & Their Needs

  Children can:

  • explore how plants grow

  • understand plant functions

  You may use our:

  • All Plants Need Posters

  • Houseplant Resources & Game

  • Plant Monitor Set

  • Parts of a Plant Sheets

  • Plants Make Oxygen / Food Posters

  • Plants Word Mats & Matching Puzzles

• 🌿 Life Cycles & Growth Observation

  Children can:

  • observe and record plant growth

  • understand change over time

  You may use our:

  • Bean Life Cycle Resources

  • Sunflower Growth Cards

  • Life Cycle Puzzles

  • Weather Diary Booklet

• 🌍 Nature Exploration & Outdoor Learning

  Children can:

  • explore plants in real environments

  • observe seasonal change

  You may use our:

  • Plant Hunt Activity Pack

  • Woodland Trees Fact Cards

• 🎨 Creative & Cross-Curricular Learning

  Children can:

  • represent plant growth creatively

  • apply maths and art skills

  You may use our:

  • Design a Plant Multimats

  • Plants Colouring Pack

  • Counting & Size Ordering Resources

• 📚 Linking to Stories & Literature

  Children can:

  • explore growth through storytelling

  You may use our:

  • Jack and the Beanstalk resources

  • The Enormous Turnip resources

  • The Little Red Hen resources

• 🌍 Explore More Resources | EYFS Enhanced Provision & KS1 Activities

  You may wish to explore:

  • Gardening

  • Plants

  • Life Cycles

  • Minibeasts

  • The Environment

  • Spring

  • Wildlife

  • Forest School

• 🧠 Using Special Dates Thoughtfully

  A helpful question: “Does this deepen children’s connection to the natural world?”

  If it supports:

  • observation

  • curiosity

  • care

  → it is meaningful

• 🌱 In Summary

  National Children’s Gardening Week supports children to:

  • explore nature and growth

  • understand life cycles

  • develop care and responsibility

  • build early environmental awareness

  In the EYFS, this is most effective when it is:

  • play-based

  • exploration-led

  • rooted in real experiences

  In KS1, it can be:

  • supported through structured learning

  • extended through investigation and discussion

• 🔓 How to Access Resources

  We offer a range of resources to support practitioners across EYFS and KS1, including printable materials and in-depth curriculum and pedagogy guidance.

  🟢 Free Membership

  You can access a selection of free resources by creating a free account.

  This includes:

  • selected printable resources

  • sample materials

  • weekly support emails for those who opt-in

  👉 [Create a free account]

  🟡 Premium Membership (Printables)

  Our Premium Membership provides access to our full library of printable teaching and provision resources.

  This includes:

  • themed resources (e.g. Gardening, Emotions, Seasons)

  • continuous provision materials

  • activity cards, displays and printable packs

  These resources can be used flexibly to support:

  • provision enhancements

  • small group work

  • classroom organisation

  👉 [View Premium Membership]

  🟣 Professional Membership (Curriculum & Pedagogy)

  Our Professional Membership provides access to our full Curriculum & Pedagogy Suite (Birth–5).

  ~ In addition to Premium Printable Provision access.~

  This includes:

  • age-specific pathways (Babies, Toddlers, Preschool, Reception)

  • planning guidance and templates

  • observation and assessment support

  • SEND and inclusion guidance

  • inspection-ready documentation

  These documents are designed to support:

  • confident decision-making

  • consistent practice across teams

  • clear articulation of EYFS pedagogy

  (KS1 curriculum coming soon!)

  👉 Visit EYFS Curriculum & Pedagogy Suite

  👉 [View Professional Membership]

  🧠 Choosing What Works for You

  You do not need to use everything at once.

  Many practitioners:

  • start with free resources

  • build their printable provision over time

  • use pedagogy documents to support team understanding and leadership

  Choose what best fits your setting, role and stage of development.

👉 To explore more early years events, visit our Special Dates Calendar.

Printable resources to support teaching & learning surrounding: ‘National Children’s Gardening Week’

Free ‘Gardening’ & ‘Plant’ related activities for EYFS & KS1:

‘Gardening’ & ‘Plant’ related printable resources and activity ideas for EYFS & KS1:

Bean Life Cycle activities for EYFS & KS1:

‘Traditional Tales’ that involve themes of ‘Gardening’ & ‘Plant Growth’ | Printable Resources and Activity Ideas for EYFS & KS1:

Please visit our ‘Gardening’ and ‘Plants’ pages to browse our entire collection of educational materials on this theme.

Additional Pages you may like to explore which cover relevant &/or connected themes

More Early Years Event Pages for May

Explore special dates (including awareness dates, festivals, celebrations & events) relevant to your EYFS & KS1 children

Browse our ‘Special Dates Calendar’ page using the link below. You’ll find calendars for every month of the year to aid your planning!

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Disclaimer:
This page is for educational purposes only and is intended to support early years and primary practitioners with ideas and resources related to 'National Children’s Gardening Week'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by the Garden Centre Association (GCA) or the official organisers of this event. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this event. For official information, themes, and how to get involved, please visit the National Children’s Gardening Week website: www.childrensgardeningweek.co.uk/.