The Preschool Planting Activity That’s Always a Hit (Spoiler: It Grows Fast!)

A Fun Easy Planting Activity for Preschoolers

These grass heads are always a hit in our classroom! 🌱 Easy to prep, quick to grow, and packed with learning. Bonus: the kids love checking on their 'hair' every day!

These grass heads are always a hit in our classroom! Easy to prep, quick to grow, and packed with learning. Bonus: the kids love checking on their "hair" every day!

My teacher heart has fallen in love with GRASS HEADS! 🤣 Seriously, you all are going to LOVE these in your Preschool, PreK and Kindergarten classrooms! My sweet friend Yay for PreK started doing these a few years back and and now it’s hands-down my  go-to for planting in preschool and introducing the plant life cycle in a fun, memorable way.

This simple project is full of learning—perfect for building fine motor skills, encouraging responsibility, and making gardening in preschool actually doable.

These grass heads have quickly become my favorite way to teach young kids about plants and how to care for something living. Plus, they grow fast—which makes them perfect for preschool planting activities where patience is still a work in progress! 😉

🌿 Why Grass Heads Are Perfect for Preschool Gardening

This is more than just a craft—it’s a preschool planting activity that builds:

• Early science skills – Kids get a hands-on look at how plants grow from seed to sprout, and because grass grows quickly, they don’t have to wait long to see the results!

• Fine motor strength – Scooping soil, squeezing spray bottles, and giving haircuts all support the tiny muscles needed for writing and cutting.

• Problem-solving – “Why isn’t mine growing yet?” opens the door to gentle scientific thinking.

• Vocabulary development – Words like “seed,” “soil,” “sprout,” and “grow” come to life in context. Learning about the parts of a plant becomes more meaningful in a hands-on activity like this. They'll see the many roots and start using the vocabulary naturally in conversations with their peers.

  
  

Whether you're working on preschool planting lesson plans or just looking to bring more hands-on learning into your classroom, this little project packs a big punch.

Whether you're planning gardening preschool lesson plans or just want a low-prep way to bring more hands-on preschool science into your day, this little activity packs a big punch. And if you’re ready to take it a step further, I’ve put together a bundle of plant life cycle printables and activities that’s ready to go when you are—check it out here. ✨

Hands-On Plant Activity for Preschoolers That Actually Works

This plant activity for preschoolers brings science to life in the most fun and low-stress way. From scooping soil to spraying water and checking daily growth, this is the kind of project that keeps students engaged while reinforcing real-world skills.

✂️ What You Need to Make Preschool Grass Heads

Before we jump in, here’s what you’ll need to get started with your preschool planting seeds project:

• Clear plastic cups – This is your grass head’s home.

• Pom poms – I love the big ones, they make the cutest noses!

• Googly eyes – A must!

• Glue gun – Adults only for sure!

• Permanent marker – To draw on a mouth.

• Soil and grass seed – For planting those soon-to-be fabulous grassy hairdos.

🪴 Step-by-Step Guide to Making Grass Heads

1. Decorate the Cups

Start with the fun part—decorating! Pro Tip: Do this part during your center time!  🌟 This way you can call one or two kids at a time to prevent long wait times. It cuts down on the chaos and the classic preschool countdown: “Is it my turn yet? How about now?” 😅

Each child picks a pom pom for their nose and counts out two googly eyes. They hand these to me (or another adult), and we hot glue them to the outside of the cup.

Once the glue dries, hand over a permanent marker so they can draw on a mouth. Smiles, squiggles, silly grins—I’ve seen it all. I love that every grass head turns out a little different and full of personality. 😎

2. Plant the Grass

Time to get those hands in the dirt! Have your kiddos fill their decorated cups with soil. Bring this part of the activity outside to skip all the clean up! 💫

Once the cups are mostly full, let your little ones sprinkle a layer of grass seed on top. Add a thin layer of soil over the seeds, water them well, and place the cups in a sunny window.

Throughout the week, we water our grass heads with spray bottles. This is great fine motor development! It helps build coordination and hand strength for writing, cutting, buttoning, and all those important daily tasks.

✂️ The Best Part: Haircuts for Your Grass Heads!

This is hands down the best part of the whole activity! 🤣 Once the grass has grown nice and tall, take your kiddos outside with a pair of child-safe scissors and let them give their grass heads a trim.

Scissors + grass heads = instant engagement. ✂️  It’s a simple way to build fine motor skills while keeping kids totally involved.

Scissors + grass heads = instant engagement. 🎉

Not only is this silly and fun (cue the giggles 😆), but it’s also an amazing way to build fine motor skills and more:

• Fine Motor Development – Strengthens the small muscles in their hands

• Hand-Eye Coordination – They’ll visually guide their hands while cutting

• Bilateral Coordination – Holding the cup with one hand and cutting with the other

• Spatial Awareness – Cutting and shaping the “hair” helps kids make sense of space, size, and where things are in relation to each other.

Watching their reactions—and how proud they are of their little haircuts—never gets old. It’s fun, silly, and full of learning. 💛

🌼 More Planting & Gardening Ideas for Preschool

Looking to keep the planting fun going? Here are a few of my favorite preschool gardening ideas to extend your learning:

• Try a sensory planting tub – Add dried black beans for soil, scoops, pretend flowers, and mini gardening tools. Add this one manipulative for students to create their own flowers!

• Grow herbs in your classroom – Mint is a class favorite. It’s easy to grow, smells amazing, and makes snack time extra fun.

• Check out this silly planting book that is full of laughs! It's perfect for Preschool and Kindergarten kiddos!

• Make playdough with dandelions – Stephanie from Parenting Chaos had this awesome idea, and I can’t wait to try it this spring!

• Create nature name art – Use dandelions, stems, leaves, and rocks to spell out students’ names on paper. They turn out so cute—and snapping a photo for parents makes it extra special.

💚 Why Preschool Grass Heads Are a Must-Try

Grass heads aren’t just a fun activity—they’re a practical, hands-on way to help young learners understand how plants grow. In preschool planting seeds, scooping soil and daily watering keep science front and center.

It’s an easy addition to any gardening for preschool unit and a great way to build routines around observation, patience, and fine motor skills. It’s the kind of activity where learning happens quietly in the background… right between the giggles and very serious snipping. ✂️

✨ Join the Grass Head Movement

Seriously—try this activity in your classroom. I promise your students will love it! 😁 And if you do, share your pictures 📸 with me! I’d be thrilled to see how your little sprouts personalize their silly, grassy pals.

And hey—don’t forget to share this post 💫 with your fellow teacher friends! Because giggles, grass, and googly eyes are always better when shared.

Once you've checked grass heads off your list, try this adorable flower craft! It is one of my favorite spring crafts.