With families looking for more screen-free, hands-on activities, there is an easy summer holiday activity to turn the garden or even a windowsill into a touch and smell adventure for children. Think fuzzy leaves, minty fingers, the smell of fresh herbs on little hands, and a way to help build fine motor skills, vocabulary, and confidence through hands-on exploration. The team at British Garden Centres has put together this guide to bringing this sensory experience to your own home.
Start with texture
Texture is often the easiest place to start. Soft, tactile plants make gardening genuinely irresistible to little hands, and there are plenty of safe, easy-to-grow options for beginners. Lamb’s ear, with its velvety, silver-grey leaves, is a firm favourite with young children, while ornamental grasses offer a satisfying swish and tickle. Snapdragons, also known as Antirrhinum, add a playful element too, as gently squeezing the base of the flower makes it “snap” open and shut like a little mouth, delighting younger children in particular.
Add fragrance with herbs
Scent brings a whole new dimension to the experience. Herbs such as mint, lemon balm and rosemary release a strong, distinctive fragrance the moment they are brushed or gently crushed between fingers, while lavender offers a softer, more calming scent that many children find soothing. Sage and thyme are also excellent, hardy choices that can withstand enthusiastic little hands and bounce back quickly. Lining up several pots of different herbs turns watering into a game, with children encouraged to sniff, guess and compare before moving on to the next.
Choose plants that reward quickly
For children who want to see quicker results, fast-growing, forgiving plants help keep motivation and reward high. Nasturtiums are particularly rewarding, as their leaves, flowers and even seeds are all edible, giving children a direct connection between growing and eating. Sunflowers offer a satisfying sense of progress as they shoot up rapidly and visibly week to week, while cherry tomatoes reward patience with something delicious to pick and taste at the end.
Turn it into a trail
Turning a handful of pots into a simple sensory “trail”, whether along a path or patio, a balcony rail or a sunny windowsill, gives the activity structure and makes it feel like an adventure rather than a chore. Games such as guessing a plant’s scent with eyes closed, or matching a texture to a description, help keep even the youngest children engaged for longer. Wherever possible, herbs grown at home can also be picked and used straight away in simple recipes, from mint in a fruit salad to basil on a homemade pizza, helping children see a direct link between what they grow and what they eat.
Give them their own tools
Giving children their own small trowel, gloves and watering can from our Gardeners Grove Mini range and sized properly for little hands, rather than adapted from adult tools, also makes a noticeable difference, helping the activity feel like it truly belongs to them and encouraging real independence.
Julian Palphramand, Head of Plants at British Garden Centres, said: “You don’t need a big garden or any special equipment to give children a brilliant sensory experience over the school holidays. A few well chosen plants in pots on a doorstep or windowsill can be just as exciting for a child as a huge garden. It’s about letting them touch, smell and explore and get them connected with nature.”
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