Garden crafts that the kids will love

Decorative plant pots

We spend ages tending to our plants, but the pots themselves rarely get a look-in. You can add instant colour to your patio or balcony without having to wait for the flowers to bloom by getting the kids to decorate some plant pots!

Firstly, grab some supplies:

• Terracotta or plastic plant pots
• Marker pens
• Acrylic paint
• Paint brushes
• PVA glue
• Stickers, shapes, mosaics, and other craft supplies

Thoroughly clean your chosen pots with soapy water and leave them to dry before getting crafty. Terracotta will take longer to dry, so pop them in the sun to speed up the process.

With terracotta, we find that marker pens or paint work best. The possibilities are endless here: whether you go for a garden-themed paintjob with flowers and sunshine, a seasonal Easter pot, or dress it up with stripes or polka dots, you’re sure to end up with a plant pot as bright as a summer’s day!

For brilliantly bright colours, paint your plant pot white all over first and leave to dry before decorating.

You could even use a chalkboard paint to cover your pots, so you can write or draw on them with chalk – a creative way of knowing which plants are in which pot!

Plastic pots lend themselves better to craft supplies like stickers or mosaics. Grab your glue and a collection of your chosen art supplies and get creative! You could even use garden twine to create shapes and scenes on your pot – just make sure to supervise the little ones to make sure they’re not making a mess with glue.

The same goes for indoor plant pots. As these aren’t subject to the weather outside, stickers will work well to give them an individual touch.

Rock painting

Rock painting is one of the easiest garden crafts there is. Decorative rocks add a colourful statement to pond areas, around plant pots, or simply dotted around the patio. This is also a brilliant garden craft activity which can be done indoors as well as outdoors – good news in case of downpours!

All you need is:

• Rocks – the smoother the better
• Acrylic paint
• Paintbrushes

Wash the rocks and let them dry fully before coating each one with white paint. Leave these to dry, then crack out the paints.

Popular designs include garden insects like ladybirds or bumblebees, but the kids are free to paint their rocks in whatever design they choose.

Make an upcycled watering can

This is a great craft project to keep the kids busy and teach them the value of sustainability – it’s a win-win.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• An empty milk bottle or plastic bottle
• Hammer and nails (for making holes)
• Glue
• Craft supplies
• Marker pens or acrylic paint

Before you let the kids loose on it, make sure your milk bottle is clean, and use a hammer and nails to make some small holes in the lid. You’ll also need to create a small hole somewhere on the top of the bottle to help with airflow.

Now it’s up to the little ones to decorate their watering cans however they see fit! These upcycled garden tools are wonderful ways of getting the kids involved with gardening, learning about where their food comes from, and seeing their seeds sprout into beautiful blooms or tasty fruit and veg.

Create a fairy door

If your family is getting through its fair share of ice lollies in the summertime, don’t chuck the wooden sticks away! Collect enough of them and you can create a fairy door, a wonderful decoration for your garden fence. They’re easy to make, and a good way of using up whatever craft supplies you have to hand.

You’ll need:

• 8 flat wooden lolly sticks
• Acrylic paint
• Paintbrushes
• PVA glue
• Cardboard
• Scissors
• A button

Paint your clean and dry lolly sticks with your chosen colour of paint and leave to dry. You only have to paint one side.

Put glue on the back of your painted lolly sticks and line them up in a row onto a sheet of cardboard. An old cereal box works well.

Once dry, cut away any excess cardboard and get decorating! Glitter, stickers, and paint are all good options, or you can keep it simple. One finishing touch we’d recommend is using a button as a doorknob and painting a keyhole underneath.

Pop your fairy door in a sheltered place – they’re not waterproof, so will start to show their age the longer they’re left out, but we’re sure the fairies won’t mind.