Looking to get the kids in your life invested in sustainable, fun gardening practices, beginning at any age? Then you know that gardening gifts for kids are one of the best ways to make gardening a fun activity for little ones of all ages…and we are here to help make it happen!
Read on for our top picks on gardening gifts for kids, as well as things to consider when choosing these gardening gifts based on age, skillset, and so much more.
How to Choose Gardening Gifts for Kids
There are a couple different things to consider when it comes to choosing gardening gifts for kids.
One, of course, is the personality of the child in question. Are they more patient and willing to take time with things, or do they thrive on seeing quicker results for their labor? While gardening gifts for kids can teach valuable life skills including patience and perseverance, to first grab their interest you may need to work with them where they are at.
Another thing to consider as you choose gardening gifts for kids is where their talents lie. Some kiddos may do best with the planting, tending, and eventual harvesting of fruits, veggies, and other plants. On the other hand, some may be more equipped to do the hard work of breaking up and preparing the soil.
Kids with an engineering or problem-solving mindset may be best engaged to grow an interest in gardening with the sort of gardening gifts for kids that focus on keeping the garden in good repair and free of pests. This may involve things like fencing, netting, etc.
No matter what the personality is of the child in question, there are sure to be some gardening gifts for kids that can spark their interest. And once their interest is held, you can likely move on to purchasing other gifts that will broaden their perspective and engage them in other aspects of gardening.
The 7 Best Gardening Gifts for Kids
There are lots of options for gardening gifts for kids, from preparatory tools to plain old toys, to seeds of all sorts that they can grow. Bearing in mind the age range, skill level, and temperaments of the kiddos in your life, check out the different sections to find the best of these gifts for all different ages and interests!
Gardening Toys
It is truly never too early to begin planting the seeds, so to speak, of gardening interest in even the littlest minds. That is why some of the best gardening gifts for kids are gardening toy sets. These will introduce kiddos early on to the tools and aspects of gardening that can familiarize them with the process long before they are ready to help out in the actual garden itself.
In terms of these sets of gardening gifts for kids, we recommend the Norsy Gardening Tools and Bug Catching Set and the CUTE STONE Kids Gardening Set. Each of these are great gift ideas to get kiddos interest in gardening, though they both have slightly different approaches.
Norsy Gardening leans more heavily into bright colors and whimsical fun, while CUTE STONE has a more practical, realistic approach to gardening gifts for kids.
Ultimately, both of these and many others are fantastic options for gardening gifts for kids to get them started on thinking like little gardeners!
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Gardening Tools
Once you deem the kids in your life are ready for some real gardening experience—whether that’s as soon as they can sit up and grip, when they’re toddlers, or beyond—consider some real gardening tools as gardening gifts! These can help kids progress from “playing garden” to doing “garden work” in a fun and helpful way!
Watering Can
A watering can is a fantastic pick among gardening gifts for kids of all ages. This is a great, useful, handy tool that can help spark interest and investment in gardening from a very young age…essentially from whenever your kiddos is able to carry it!
Watering is also a great place to start with getting kiddos invested in the gardening process because it teaches from an early age the necessity of water for the survival of plants. With lots of encouragement and a bit of help, children from toddler age on up can begin to understand the crucial role they play in keeping the garden happy, healthy, and thriving—and it all starts with a watering can!
For little fingers just learning to help out, all the way up to older kiddos, we recommend the CHEERBANK Kids Watering Can. This is a lightweight, plastic watering can option that holds up to 3 cups, ensuring it isn’t too unwieldy for toddlers but that it can still hold plenty of water for older kids helping with the whole garden.
Wheelbarrow
A wheelbarrow is one of the top picks among gardening gifts for kids—particularly for slightly older kiddos with better arm strength. Helping to move even small loads can assist children in building useful muscle mass, as well as encourage them to feel invested, powerful, and crucial to the gardening process.
Moving small loads is also a great help for gardens both big and small. This is one of those gardening gifts that will help teach dexterity, navigation, and strength.
We recommend the John Deere Farm Toys Steel Wheelbarrow for little up-and-coming gardeners. This is a wheelbarrow intended for ages 2 and up, and can move everything from top soil and mulch to dirt, sticks, and more.
Gardening Gloves
Teach kids from a young age the importance of garden safety with a wonderful and protective gardening gift for kids—a pair of gardening gloves!
Whether you are working with flowers like roses, or other plants that can tend to be prickly, gardening gloves are a great asset for seasoned and new gardeners alike. Best of all, you can usually pick up gardening gloves in a variety of colors and themes, which can aid in the excitement for younger gardeners who are just beginning to grow interested in the process.
We recommend the SECHAND brand of gardening gloves for kids. This brand offers sizes from age 2 to age 12, with several cute and fun decals and colors to spark greater interest from kids of any age.
Hand Shovel
For kiddos who have some dexterity and hand strength, and especially for those who love digging in the dirt, a hand shovel is one of the best gardening gifts for kids that you can buy! This is a tool that allows kids to really get down in the dirt and help in a tangible and hands-on way.
Particularly as you are preparing the garden for planting, this is a great opportunity to turn kiddos loose with a hand shovel. Encourage them to dig up weeds by the roots, turn the soil, and get their hands and knees dirty. Best of all, they will be a vital participant in creating a well-prepared garden while at the same time channeling lots of energy in a hands on experience.
Due to its affordability, durability, and high quality, we recommend the Hoss Tools’s hand shovel.
Hand Rake
Similar to the hand shovel, a hand rake is one of the best gardening gifts for kids because it allows them to get invested in a tangible way. A hand rake allows kids to tackle soil amendment and weed pulling in a satisfying way that will truly help them feel like they are a part of the process.
Hoss Tools’s hand rake is a great option for gardening gifts for kids, as it is sturdy and efficient for all hand raking requirements—yours and theirs. And it can stand up to use by even the most enthusiastic little gardeners!
Easy-to-Grow Seed Packets
Certain types of seeds make for one of the best gardening gifts for kids. While there’s lots for kiddos to enjoy preparing the garden for growth, from getting their hands dirty in the soil to hauling loads near and far, that phase only lasts so long.
But there are lots of life skills for kids to learn in a fun and interactive way by having their own plants to grow in the garden! Planting and tending, and then harvesting fruits and veggies if applicable, is a great skill set and learning experience for kids of many ages.
The key here is to choose a variety of flower, fruit, or veggie that requires care at the skill level of the child in question. You do not want your little gardener in training to become frustrated by being asked to do too much that is above their level of comprehension or capability. But, likewise, you do not want your older up and coming gardeners to be bored by growing a plant, vegetable, or fruit variety that is too easy for them.
When selecting seeds as a gardening gift for kids who are still learning fine motor skills and have short attention spans, consider picking a hardy flower, small vegetable plant, or fruit tree that requires minimal watering, weeding, and soil care.
For more mature young gardeners, you might consider a plant such as zucchini, cherry tomato, or cucumber plant.
Finally, for older kiddos, you might look for plants that require more frequent and precise care.
To find high-quality seeds of all kinds, we recommend sourcing your seeds online from Hoss Tools or True Leaf Market.
Create New Gardeners With Gardening Gifts for Kids!
Excited to pick out the best gardening gifts for kids you know and possibly create new fans of gardening? Don’t forget to shop for gifts for gardeners of all ages in your life!
Check out of Gifts for Gardeners page for excellent ideas and resources on fun, reliable, and useful gifts for all the different gardeners you are looking to buy for!
Shopping for your garden can get overwhelming, fast. So if you’re looking for advice on tools and supplies, then you’re in the right place!