Let's Get Growing! Fun Bulb Planting & Gardening Activities for Kids

October is here, the evenings are getting darker and there's definitely a little nip in the air...

But before we say goodbye to summer, there's one lovely autumn job that is perfect for getting little hands outside, planting spring bulbs! 

It might seem strange to be thinking about spring when we're surrounded by falling leaves, conkers and autumn colours, but this is exactly the time to get planting.

Spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils, crocuses and hyacinths are generally planted in autumn, with September and October being ideal for many varieties. Tulips are usually planted a little later, in October or November.

And the best bit?

Children get to plant a little bit of spring and then wait for nature to do its magic.

Why plant bulbs with children?

Gardening doesn't need to be complicated.

Give a child some soil, a trowel and a handful of bulbs and you've got the ingredients for a brilliant afternoon outdoors.

Bulb planting can help children:

🌿 Connect with nature
🐛 Notice what's happening in the garden
🌱 Understand how plants grow
🔎 Explore roots, shoots and life cycles
👐 Develop confidence using simple tools
📏 Practise measuring and counting
🎨 Get creative with planting patterns
⏳ Learn about patience and waiting
💚 Take responsibility for something they've planted themselves

The RHS also highlights bulb planting as a great opportunity to explore science, maths, art and teamwork with children.

And there's something rather special about planting something in autumn and discovering it months later.

You plant it. You wait. You wonder. Then suddenly... spring arrives.

Your autumn bulb planting adventure

You don't need a huge garden to get started.

A few bulbs in a pot on the doorstep can be just as exciting as filling an entire flowerbed.

You'll need:

• A few spring-flowering bulbs

• A garden trowel

• Gardening gloves

• A pot or a patch of garden

• Compost or soil

• Plant labels

• A pencil

• Water

• And, ideally, some old clothes!

Choose bulbs that are suitable for your space and always check the packet for planting instructions.

Most bulbs are planted at around two to three times the depth of the bulb, but the recommended depth can vary, so the packet is your best guide.

 Let the children do the digging!

This is not a perfect garden activity.

It's a get-your-hands-dirty, find-a-worm, splash-in-the-puddle kind of activity.

Let children:

🔸 Scoop out the soil
🔸 Measure the planting depth
🔸 Count the bulbs
🔸 Decide where they should go
🔸 Plant them with the pointed shoot facing upwards
🔸 Cover them with soil
🔸 Give them a drink
🔸 Add a label

Don't worry if everything isn't perfectly straight.

In fact, why not let them create their own "wildflower" style patch by scattering a handful of bulbs and planting them where they land?

The RHS recommends planting bulbs in groups for a fuller display, so you can encourage children to create little clusters rather than planting one bulb here and another miles away.

Make your own bulb garden

Turn bulb planting into a creative project.

Ask your child to design their very own Spring Garden Plan before you start.

They could draw:

🌷 Where each bulb will go
🌼 What colours they want
🐝 Where they think the bees might visit
🦋 Where insects could find shelter
🏡 What they think the garden will look like in spring

You could even give the garden a name.

The Rainbow Patch.
Grandad's Spring Garden.
The Secret Fairy Garden.
The Bumblebee Border.

Then create a little sign for it.

Become a Garden Detective

Bulb planting is also a great excuse to go on a mini garden investigation.

Before you plant, see what you can find.

Can you spot:

🐜 An ant
🪱 A worm
🕷️ A spider
🍂 Different shaped leaves
🌰 A conker
🌿 Moss
🐌 A snail
🐝 A visiting insect

Take a notebook outside and draw what you find.

For older children, turn it into a garden scavenger hunt.

Who can find something:

• Rough?

• Smooth?

• Tiny?

• Green?

• Brown?

• Spiky?

• Soft?

• That smells nice?

• That has fallen from a tree?

No screens required, just a garden and a little curiosity.

Gardening Maths

Who said maths has to happen at a desk?

Bulb planting is packed with opportunities for sneaky maths.

Ask your children to:

Count:
How many bulbs do we have?

Measure:
How deep does each bulb need to go?

Compare:
Which bulb is biggest? Which is smallest?

Estimate:
How many flowers do you think we'll have in spring?

Create patterns:
Daffodil – crocus – daffodil – crocus...

Younger children can practise counting.

Older children can work out how many bulbs they'll need for a particular area.

Make some plant labels

Once you've planted your bulbs, make some labels so you remember what's hiding beneath the soil.

You could use:

• Wooden lolly sticks

• Stones

• Small pieces of leftover wood

• Recycled cardboard for temporary labels

Write the bulb name and the date you planted it.

For an extra bit of fun, add a little drawing.

Then leave them in the garden and wait...

Start a Bulb Diary

This could become a wonderful little project that lasts all the way from autumn to spring.

Create a "My Bulb Diary" and record what happens.

October

🌱 Bulbs planted!

November

🍂 The garden is changing.

December

❄️ Is anything happening yet?

January

👀 Can you spot a shoot?

February

🌿 The first signs of spring!

March

🌷 FLOWERS!

Children can draw pictures, write observations, measure shoots and record the weather.

You could even take a photograph each month and make a little before-and-after picture when the flowers finally appear.

No garden? No problem!

You don't need a big garden to grow bulbs.

A container, pot or window box can make a brilliant little growing space.

Plant a selection of spring bulbs together and wait to see what appears.

You can even experiment with different combinations.

Which colour will appear first?

Which bulb grows tallest?

Which one flowers for longest?

The RHS recommends containers as a simple way to grow bulbs, and spring bulbs can be planted in layers to create a succession of flowers.

Just make sure your container has drainage holes and follow the planting instructions for your chosen bulbs.

Think about the wildlife

Your bulb garden isn't just for you.

Spring bulbs can provide an early source of nectar for pollinating insects, particularly at a time of year when there aren't as many flowers around.

Why not turn your bulb planting into a little wildlife garden?

Add:

🌷 Spring bulbs
🌿 Herbs
🌼 Wildflowers
🪨 A small pile of stones
🪵 A log or twig pile
💧 A shallow dish of water

Then make a little "Garden Wildlife Watch" chart and record which visitors arrive.

A little gardening safety

Bulbs are wonderful for children to explore, but they should always be handled with supervision.

Some commonly planted bulbs, including daffodils, tulips and hyacinths, can cause skin irritation and are toxic if eaten. Children should wear gloves, wash their hands afterwards and never put bulbs in their mouths.

Always check the information supplied with your bulbs and supervise younger children when gardening.

And then... we wait.

Perhaps the loveliest part of planting bulbs with children is that nothing happens straight away.

And that's okay. We live in a world where we're used to instant results. But gardening teaches something different. It teaches us to slow down, to notice, to wait, to wonder.

A tiny bulb buried beneath the soil doesn't look like much in October, but underneath the ground, something is happening. Roots are growing, the bulb is preparing.

And months later, when that first green shoot pushes through the soil, your child gets to see something they helped create.

That's the magic of gardening.

Keep growing all year

And don't stop at spring bulbs!

There are gardening jobs and things to grow throughout the year.

I've created a Bulb Planting Calendar to help you know what to plant and when.

It breaks bulb planting down into:

🌷 Spring
🌞 Summer
🍂 Autumn

So you can keep your little gardeners busy throughout the seasons and always have something new to look forward to.

Print it out, pop it somewhere handy and let the children tick off each planting adventure as the year goes by.

Because sometimes the best way to learn about nature is simply to get outside, get a little muddy and give something a chance to grow.

Download it now 

Step outside. Slow down. Let play take its time. 🌿

And remember...

Nature is the best playground and imagination needs room to roam.