As a preschool teacher, you’re always looking for more ways to make sure that your kids are happy and to make sure that their environment is both visually and mentally stimulating.
Because of this, we know that the need to keep things fresh and exciting can be stressful.
There are a lot of different features to include in your classroom and we know that there are too many ideas to consider.
One massive thing that kids love is gardens. Planting seeds and watching them grow is almost an insight into how one day they will grow big and strong, just like these plants. Hopefully, a little less green in color though!
Follow our guide to find out some amazing garden themes for you and your class to enjoy.
1. Insect Themed Gardens
Kids love insects, from ants to spiders and even bugs. It’s no wonder why we have so many insect-themed gardens around us.
Plants with leaves shaped like butterflies or flowers that look like ants are very popular. Try planting these types of flowers in your kid’s room to get them interested in gardening.
Ladybugs are some of the coolest bugs around and having some large versions of these dotted about the garden can be a great way to ensure your kids have a good creepy-crawly crop paradise.
2. Animal Themed Gardens
Nothing says nature like animals! They’re so cute and colorful and bring a smile to everyone’s face.
This theme works perfectly with any kind of animal or insect and it makes for a fun learning experience. Foxes, birds, lions, tigers, anything goes!
What you want to do is make sure that there’s something there for everyone. A good idea would be to ask the children what their favorite animal is and get them all to make that animal for the garden.
It can be a drawing, a sculpture, or even a toy! As long as it looks good, that’s all that matters!
3. Forest Themed Gardens
Nature has its magic all of its own. Plants, trees, water…all of these elements have something magical about them. If you teach children science, then why not use it as part of the learning process?
You could start by planting a tree seedling and see what happens over time or try growing flowers from cuttings. Either way, you’ll have a great learning opportunity on your hands.
4. Food And Cooking Themed Gardens
If you want to give your kids an education, plant food and learn to cook it up together! Kids will love exploring new ingredients and trying out new recipes.
You could also play around with cooking games such as guessing which foods come from where, where does food come from, and which ingredient comes first when making food.
From here, you can plant different vegetables and seeds that are used in cooking and learn about the way they grow!
You can also make some food with these crops and teach the children the importance of vegetables in cooking and staying healthy. There is a lot to do!
5. Space-Themed Gardens
Children love space. Whether it’s outer space or the universe, they love learning about it.
So, if you’ve got a few spare walls, why not decorate them with interesting facts about space? There are lots of cool gadgets out there that kids can explore and discover.
You can also build a rocket ship for them to fly through. Planets, suns, stars, aliens – it all works! You could decorate plant pots to look like UFOs or even aliens. This way you can keep things fresh and teach them about the night sky and space.
If you’re looking to include some sort of lesson from this, you could compare a grain of soil or seed to the rest of the universe and explain how small it is compared to the galaxy!
6. Transportation Themed Gardens
Transportation plays a huge role in our lives today. We rely heavily on cars and planes to travel around and get us from place to place.
You can decorate different areas such as buses, trains, planes, and boats and make sure that your children know the importance of transportation.
They can help to choose what vehicles you include and the colors of them! Cars and other vehicle forms are a great way to have some fun and you can even paint roads onto the floor to look like the plant pot cars are driving along a street!
You can decorate the garden with mini lamp posts and have them light up the crops! Great fun!
7. Magic Themed Gardens
Magic is everywhere. We live our lives surrounded by magic every day. It’s fun to teach children about the world and everything that surrounds them.
Why not create a magical garden where everything grows and changes at a fast pace? You could set up a garden full of potions, spells, and wands.
Have children collect items from around their homes and put them into bottles that they fill with various liquids.
From here, they can practice their magic tricks and make potions using plants and herbs. They can even learn about medicine and other forms of healing.
8. Board Games Themed Gardens
Board games are one of some kids’ favorite things to do. I grew up playing board games with my family. My dad was always teaching me new strategies and ways to beat him at his own game.
Nowadays, I’m lucky enough to be able to share this hobby with my children.
When we play games, we usually need something to eat. So, why not make a board game-themed garden where everyone gets involved?
You could buy wooden pieces and add them to your garden, or you could simply use cards and coins to represent each player.
9. Ocean Themed Gardens
Have you ever seen an aquarium? Kids love watching fish swim around and trying to find food. If you want to give them something similar, then why not try creating an ocean-themed garden?
You can make a large tank filled with water and decorate it with marine life and coral reefs. On top of this, painting the floor a sand color and the rest a deep ocean blue will go a long way.
You could go a step further and get the kids to color in their fish and cut them out. From here, you can stick them onto the plant pots and watch them swim!
10. Village Themed Gardens
If you’ve got a lot of space available, then maybe a village theme would be more suitable for you. This means that you’ll need a lot of room to fit all the buildings together.
However, if you’re limited on space, then you can still incorporate a village theme into your garden. All you need to do is build a few simple structures such as huts, bridges, and houses.
To make this feel like a village, you can also add lights and decorations.
11. Candy Land Themed Gardens
Candy Land is another classic childhood book. Many people remember playing it when they were younger. If you want to bring back those memories, then why not create a candy land-themed garden? You can purchase plastic trees and add candy cane-shaped bushes.
Then, you can either hang candy canes from the branches or stick them to the ground. Use the candy canes to lead the children through the garden and make sure they have reason to believe that anything is possible!
12. Dinosaur Themed Gardens
Dinosaurs are probably one of the most popular animals in history. They’re fascinating creatures and many parents enjoy playing with dinosaur toys with their children. If you’d like to take advantage of this interest, then why not decorate your garden with dinosaur toys and models?
You could create a pond with a rock formation sticking out of it. From there, you can place small dinosaur figurines in the water and let the children pretend they’re swimming with real dinos.
13. Fairytale Themed Gardens
One of the best parts of growing up is reading fairy tales. These stories help us grow and develop into better human beings. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to recreate this experience for your child.
If you want to introduce them to the wonderful world of fairytales, why not set up a garden based on a classic tale? You can start by planting a pumpkin patch and adding pumpkins to the garden. Next, you can paint a fence green and add a little cottage to it.
14. Halloween Themed Garden In October
It’s always a fun time when we celebrate Halloween, especially for children and when they dress up as their favorite characters. It’s also a time when everyone dresses up in costume and enjoys trick or treating.
When you think about how much fun this must be for children, why not create a garden that celebrates Halloween? Create a haunted house-style setting with scary decorations. You can even add some hidden candy!
15. Christmas Themed Garden In December
Christmas is arguably the biggest holiday of the year. It brings families together and gives us the chance to spend quality time with our loved ones. If you want to show your love for Christmas and celebrate this special day, why not set up an amazing Christmas-themed garden?
Add lights to shrubs, put up a tree, and use artificial snow. You can even buy a fake fireplace and light some candles inside it. Have your children write their wishes on leaves and put them around the outside of the house.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it, 15 great ideas for a preschool garden! Nowadays, gardens are becoming more popular than ever before. If you’ve never had a backyard garden before, then this might just be the perfect opportunity for you.
Whether you need something simple for the kids or something more involved for yourself, these ideas will inspire you to get started right away!
It’s always nice to allow our children to keep in touch with their roots and how much gardens used to be used for everyday life and creating food from crops. By designing a theme for our kids to enjoy, it makes the experience all the more enjoyable!
