What To Do

PlantingGive each preschooler a small peat pot. These come in many different varieties and can be found in any garden store. Some need to be broken apart and some are already separate but they make wonderful individual pots for each preschooler. Have the preschoolers put the pots on the cookie tray with an edge. The edge is great for containing loose soil or extra water.

Provide a bag of good quality gardening soil. The seeds will grow faster if you purchase soil with fertilizer already mixed in. Be sure and have preschoolers wash their hands well afterwards to get rid of any chemicals. Have each preschooler use their hands to fill their peat pots with soil. Leave half an inch of empty space at the top after the soil is packed down.

Read the directions on the packet of flower seeds that you have purchased. Different types of seeds must be placed at different levels in the soil. Marigolds are an easy flower to grow but you can choose any variety. Show the preschoolers how to place a few seeds on top of the soil and push them down with their fingers.

Watering

A clean water spray bottle can be purchased at most stores. It is best to use one that has never had anything else in it but if you use a water spray bottle that you already have be sure and rinse it well and make sure that it has never been used to hold any type of chemicals. This is an easy way for preschoolers to water their own flowers without worrying about over watering. Allow each preschooler to have a chance to spray their flower pot daily.

If the soil gets too dry, poor a small amount of water into the bottom of the cookie tray and the peat pots will soak up the water from the bottom.

Bloom

Most flowers will sprout within two weeks. When you have a flower that is beginning to bud, find a paper cup that will fit just over the peat pot. Have the preschoolers each decorate the paper cup using glitter, paper cutouts, buttons, and any other collage material of their choice. Slip the peat pot into the paper cup and send the flowers home with each preschooler as a gift for their mothers. Preschoolers will love telling the parents all about the things they did to help their flowers grow.

Hi! I'm Rachel Lister, the Preschool Education writer at PreschoolRock.com. I live in Utah with my husband and two beautiful boys. When my oldest son was born, I quit my teaching job and opened a home daycare and preschool. I love to help preschoolers learn about the world around them. They make life interesting and I can't imagine doing anything different. If you have any ideas, suggestions or comments, feel free to contact me.

Helpful Tips for Parents

• Expose children to multiple languages early if possible. The preschool window is the most efficient period for language acquisition the brain will ever have.

• Learning environments matter. A space with accessible books, puzzles, art supplies, and natural materials at child height encourages more learning than a child-proofed empty room.

• Curiosity is more valuable than knowledge. A curious child who doesn't know the answer will find it. A knowledgeable child who has lost curiosity will stop learning.

• Sleep is educational. Memory consolidation — the process of moving learning from short-term to long-term memory — happens during sleep. Well-rested children learn more effectively.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most important educational skill to develop before kindergarten?

Executive function — the cluster of skills that includes working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control — is the strongest predictor of kindergarten and long-term academic success. Executive function is built through play (especially complex pretend play), physical activity, music, and responsive adult interaction. It cannot be taught through drills or worksheets. A child with strong executive function can learn academic content readily when developmentally ready; a child with weak executive function struggles regardless of academic knowledge.

Related reading: See also our kindergarten readiness guide and our vocabulary building guide for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 🔢 Early Numeracy — Hands-on counting, sorting, measuring, and pattern work develops the number sense and mathematical reasoning that formal arithmetic will later build on — and preschool numeracy is one of the strongest predictors of later math achievement.
• 👂 Listening & Attention — Activities that require children to listen carefully and follow directions build the voluntary auditory attention that classroom learning, reading comprehension, and conversation all require.
• 💬 Vocabulary Expansion — Every new concept, activity, and domain-specific term a child encounters expands their vocabulary — and children's vocabulary at kindergarten entry is the single strongest predictor of reading comprehension at age 10.
• 🎯 Self-Directed Learning — Learning that begins with the child's own question or interest produces the deepest understanding — and children who experience self-directed learning develop the intrinsic motivation that sustains learning throughout life.

This simple preschool project teaches preschoolers about the growing process and makes a wonderful gift for mothers day. Preschoolers love watching as their flowers get bigger each day.

What You Need

Small Peat Pots

Gardening soil

Seeds

A large cookie tray with an edge

A spray bottle