Winter Garden Projects for Families: Fun for Kids and Prep for Next Year
When the colder months set in, many families pack away their gardening gloves until spring. But winter is actually a wonderful time to enjoy your outdoor space in new ways. Whether you’re looking to keep the kids entertained outside, nurture their creativity, or prepare your garden for next season, there are plenty of projects that combine fun, learning, and eco-friendly values. This will depend on your climate of course but many of these projects are meant to inspire you over the winter or early spring. Here are some ideas to make gardening and being in nature easier and fun for the kids.
Explore Vertical Growing
If your family has a small garden space or you want to grow more food in less space, winter is the perfect time to dream and plan for vertical growing. Kids can help create trellises from branches, string, or repurposed materials like old ladders or pallets. This is a great time to build a trellis system with wood and metal fencing (see photo above) if you are wanting a more permanent structure. Come spring, you’ll be ready to grow peas, beans, cucumbers, or even zucchini that will climb skyward. It’s an exciting way to show kids how plants grow and to maximize your space. Choose varieties that are vining for ease and enjoy getting the ladder out to harvest!
Build a Bean Teepee for Spring
A bean teepee is both a magical hideaway for kids and a practical structure for growing food. Even in winter, you can gather long sticks or bamboo poles and weave them together at the top to form a cone with string or heavy duty twine. Secure the base into the ground or in large pots, and leave a little “doorway” open. While the beans won’t be planted until spring, building the teepee now gives kids a sense of ownership and anticipation. It’s important to choose a location everyone will enjoy. Once the beans climb up the structure, the teepee will become a shady fort and snack station.
Create a Fairy Garden
Winter gardens can feel bare, but that makes them the perfect blank canvas for a fairy garden. Collect natural materials such as twigs, pine cones, rocks, and let your kids design little fairy houses and pathways. You can even tuck these creations into the corners of your raised bed garden or around tree bases. A fairy garden adds year-round whimsy to the garden. Have fun decorating as well with painted rocks, twinkle lights and more. Kids will love checking for “fairy footprints” after a snowfall or sprinkle dried flowers and call it “fairy dust” to send a signal to the fairies to come and enjoy the space. The magic of fairies is pure joy to hear and witness.
Paint Rocks for Garden Markers
Gather some smooth stones and set up a cozy painting station indoors. Kids can decorate them with bright colors, veggies or fruit, critters like lady bugs, or plant names. Come spring, these painted rocks can be used as markers in the garden to label vegetable rows or flower patches. It’s a simple, creative activity that combines art and gardening while making your spring planting more colorful.
Build a Mud Kitchen
Few things spark imaginative play like a mud kitchen. Using scrap wood, secondhand pots and pans, and a bit of creativity, you can set up an outdoor play kitchen where kids can “cook” with soil, leaves, sand and water. Even in winter, this space encourages sensory play and a connection to nature. It’s also a great way for children to develop independence and creativity while you work nearby on your own garden clean up projects.
Embrace the Season
Winter doesn’t mean the garden has to go dormant for your family. By engaging in projects that are fun now and useful later, you’ll spark creativity in your kids, strengthen their connection to the natural world, and set up your garden for a vibrant year ahead. Let the winter play and planning begin!
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