Looking for creative plant life cycle activities? These fun and free learning ideas include videos, hands-on experiments, printable and more. Kids of all ages will learn about cycles and how they can help plants grow and improve.
1. Read Tiny seeds By Eric Carly
Eric Carl Tiny seeds One of the best references to the plant life cycle for young children. Listen to it for the duration of the story, then use the book as a springboard for further activities.
2. Start with an anchor chart
Help your students create an anchor chart of the plant life cycle, then post it in your classroom for reference as you learn something by hand.
Learn more: Plant anchor charts from First Grade Fanatic / Pinterest
3. Let SciSho inspire a lesson
We love SciShow! If you need a powerful video to start a lesson about the life cycle of seeds or plants, this is a good place to start.
4. Watch it grow slowly
Check out this time-lapse video that shows a fascinating account of how a plant’s core system grows rapidly in a matter of days. After that, the kids will definitely want to see this happen for themselves!
5. Spin a plant life cycle plate
Take this free printable item and watch this video to learn how to turn paper plates into an interactive learning tool.
Learn more: Plant life cycle printable from WeAreTeachers
6. Shoot in a jar
This is an activity in the classic plant life cycle that every child should try. Grow a bean seed in a wet paper towel next to a glass jar. Students will see the formation of roots, germination, and seedlings reach the sky!
Learn more: Growing jars from How We Learn
7. Make a sprout house
This is another nice idea to see the seeds germinate. For this, all you need is a sunny window (no soil required).
Learn more: Sprout house from Pledo to Plato
8. Arrange the germinated seeds
Arrange and draw different steps as your seeds begin to grow. Young ones can learn simple words like roots, shoots and seedlings. Older students can deal with advanced terms such as cotyledon, monocot, and dicot.
Learn more: Seed picking from Montessori Nature
9. Create living art with Cress
Watercress is fun to watch because it grows very fast on damp cotton. Try to grow it as “hair” or sow seeds to create a pattern or letter.
Learn more: Growing Watercress from Imagination Tree
10. Germinate sweet potatoes
Seeds are not required for reproduction of every plant! Cultivate a sweet potato to learn about a different type of plant life cycle.
Learn more: Sprouting sweet potatoes from pre-K pages
11. Discover why seeds have coating
Seed cover provides protection, but what if you remove them? Go hand in hand and find out this interesting test.
Learn more: Seed cover test from Gift of Curiosity
12. Sculpt the life cycle of plants in clay
Can’t grow a tree by yourself? Instead of a sculpture from clay! Watch this Claymation video for inspiration, then pull Play-Doh and get started!
13. Don’t forget about pollen!
Seed-bearing plants need pollination, often with the help of insects such as bees and butterflies. This pipe cleaner activity shows youngsters how pollination works.
Learn more: Pipe cleaner pollen from around the campfire
14. Explode a seed pod
It is important to ensure that plants that rely on seeds as part of their life cycle spread far and wide. Some trees even have sprouted seed pods that help the process! Learn about them in this quiet activity.
Learn more: Seed pod activity around the campfire
15. Display a life cycle bulletin board
We love to understand how clean and easy this plant life cycle bulletin board is. And a gorgeous touch of those colorful flowers!
Source: Lifecycle Bulletin Board from Leslie Anderson / Pinterest
16. Wear a plant life cycle hat
You get some practice sequencing as you cut and paste this sweet little topper together. Kids will love to wear it as they learn.
Learn more: From Harding Cats in Kindergarten to Plant Life Cycle Hats
17. Fold a flower inverted book
These free printable flower petals are exposed to reveal the stages of a plant’s life cycle. How clever!
Learn more: Flower flip book from Teaching Momster / Teachers Pay Teachers
18. Image of a paper tree with pieces of soil
This plant life cycle image uses pieces of paper for soil, a cupcake liner for flowers and more smart little details that kids will really appreciate.
Learn more: Diagram Paper Plant from Cara Carroll
19. Try a digital flip-book
Learning online? This free digital activity has a printable version for kids to complete at home, but it can be practically completed for paper storage.
Learn more: Digital flip books from Literacy Conversations
20. The sequence of a sunflower story
Tell the story of a sunflower life cycle with this free printable activity. Cut the sunflower petals, stem and center flaps from the construction paper, then place the sentences in sequence and attach to each flap.
Learn more: Sunflower Sequencing from Kroger’s Kindergarten
21. Reconstruct kitchen scraps
Another project shown here is that not every tree needs seeds. Save kitchen scraps and try to replenish them with or without soil.
Learn more: Recreate kitchen scraps from a piece of rainbow