Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Plants My Kids Pot and Decorate While I Actually Keep Them Alive
42
items Your kid wants to plant something and paint the pot with glitter glue. You want it to still be alive in three months. This list is for parents who love the craft project part but always end up with a dead succulent on the windowsill by week six. Ever...
Sections
7
Kid-Proof Indoor Plants That Survive Neglect
Paintable Pots Kids Can Actually Decorate
Paints and Supplies That Stick to Pots
Soil and Potting Mix That Makes It Easy
Watering Tools Kids Can Handle Themselves
Grow Kits That Double as Craft Projects
Kid-Proof Indoor Plants That Survive Neglect
I used to buy a new plant every time the last one turned brown and crispy. These are the ones that actually lasted through forgotten watering, too much sun, and my toddler poking the dirt.
Grab this if your kid waters it once and then forgets for two weeks straight. Mine sat in a dark hallway and still grew taller than my five-year-old. Literally the cockroach of houseplants.
Costa Farms Live Indoor 2ft. Snake Plant, Grower Pot
Toss this on a shelf and watch it trail down like a jungle vine. My daughter named hers “Rapunzel” and it's been going strong for eight months with zero effort from me.
Costa Farms Live Indoor 10in. Pothos, Grower Pot
Perfect for families who want each kid to pick their own plant. Four different ones in the pack, so no fighting. Water them every couple weeks and they're happy.
Altman Plants, Multicolor Succulents, 2 inch, Pack of 20
Keep this in the kitchen window. My son loves that it's “medicine” for bug bites. It tolerates being overwatered by enthusiastic little hands better than most succulents.
Customer reviews for Costa Farms 7" Aloe Vera Plant Live
Get this if you want your kids to freak out over baby plants. It shoots out little offshoots and my daughter calls them “spider babies.” Practically indestructible.
Spider Plant Hanging Baskets for Patio Garden
This one droops dramatically when it's thirsty, which is actually great because your kid can see when it needs water. Built-in science lesson. Perks right back up after a drink.
Costa Farms 12" Spath Peace Lily Live Plants in 5" Grower
Paintable Pots Kids Can Actually Decorate
Dollar store terracotta cracks the first time it tips off the table. These hold up to paint, stickers, glitter, and whatever else your kid decides to smear on them.
Snag a few of these before your next rainy day craft session. They take acrylic paint beautifully and they're heavy enough that a bumped elbow won't send them flying off the counter.
Pennington 8 inch Red Terra Cotta Clay Standard Pot
Use this if your kid wants a smoother surface for drawing. White ceramic is basically a blank canvas. My son drew a face on his and it still makes me laugh every morning.
Mainstays Round White Ceramic Wildflower Plant Planter
Bigger surface area means more room for your kid's masterpiece. Fits nicely on a porch step after decorating. Held up through an entire summer of direct sun without the paint peeling.
Better Homes & Gardens Anne Round Terracotta Planter
Wider and shorter than a standard pot, so little hands can reach in to pack the soil themselves. My kids fight over who gets the “big one” so I just buy two.
Pennington 8 inch Red Terra Cotta Clay Standard Pot
Pair this with any pot so your kid's painted masterpiece doesn't leave a water ring on your furniture. Learned that lesson the hard way on our dining table.
Artevasi 6 inch Round Terracotta Clay Plant Saucer
Bring this out for a group project when friends come over. Big enough for two kids to decorate at once. The textured finish gives paint something to grip so it doesn't slide around.
Better Homes & Gardens 12in Indoor Planters for Patio
Paints and Supplies That Stick to Pots
Regular washable markers disappear the first time you water the plant. Took me three ruined pots to figure out which supplies actually stay put on terracotta and ceramic.
Grab this set because the colors are bright and they dry permanent on clay pots. Eighteen bottles means every kid picks their own color without a meltdown. Washes off hands with soap and water.
Apple Barrel, Multi-Surface Acrylic Paint Set, 12 Pack
Use these for younger kids who will definitely get paint everywhere. Washes out of clothes and off skin, but once it dries on terracotta it holds surprisingly well. Win-win.
Crayola Washable Kids Paint Set, 10 Ct, Kids Arts & Crafts
Perfect for the kid who wants to write names or draw detailed designs. These dry fast and don't smear when watered. My daughter wrote plant names in cursive on every pot in the house.
Sharpie, Oil-Based Paint Marker, Medium Point, White
Brush this over the finished design and the whole thing becomes waterproof. Wish I'd known about this before my son's dinosaur pot turned into a smeared blob after one watering.
Mod Podge Sealer, Glue, and Finish, Gloss Finish, 8 fl oz
Every kid reaches for glitter. These squeeze bottles give them control so you don't end up with glitter in your cereal for the next month. Dries clear and sparkly on clay.
Elmer's 3D Washable Glitter Glue Pens
Toss these out alongside the paint and watch what happens. My kids glued pom poms around the rim of a pot and it looked like a birthday cake. Still sitting on our porch.
Creativity Street Pom Pons, Bright Hues
Soil and Potting Mix That Makes It Easy
I once used dirt from the backyard and wondered why everything died. Turns out soil matters. These are simple enough that your kid can scoop and pour without you hovering.
Scoop this straight into decorated pots. No mixing, no guessing. It doesn't have those little gnats that cheaper soil seems to come with. My kitchen thanks me.
Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix, 16QT, for All Plants
Switch to this for any succulents or aloe. Regular soil holds too much water and rots the roots. My son's aloe died twice before I figured this out. Don't repeat my mistake.
Miracle-Gro, Indoor Potting Mix, Fast-Draining, 8 qt
Mix a handful into any potting soil to help drainage. Sounds fancy but it's just little white pebbles. Kids love scooping them in. Keeps roots from sitting in soggy mud.
Miracle-Gro 8qt Perlite, Improves Drainage and Aeration
Pour a thin layer on top of the soil for a finished look. Keeps little fingers from digging in the dirt constantly. Also helps your decorated pot actually look like a real plant display.
Mosser Lee Desert Sand Soil Cover for Plants, 5 lb
Try this if you know your family will forget to water for days at a time. It absorbs extra water and releases it slowly. Basically a safety net for forgetful plant parents.
Miracle-Gro 8qt Moisture Control Potting Mix
Keep a bag of this in the garage for repotting when plants outgrow their decorated homes. Affordable enough that you won't stress when half of it ends up on the patio during planting day.
Potting Mix
Watering Tools Kids Can Handle Themselves
Handing a five-year-old a full watering can is how you get a flooded windowsill. These are sized and designed so kids can water without turning your living room into a splash zone.
Small enough for a six-year-old to carry without spilling everywhere. The narrow spout lets them aim right at the soil instead of drenching the leaves. Saved my carpet more than once.
Shop 2 Gallon Watering Cans for Gardening
Use this for misting instead of full watering. Kids love the spray action and it's almost impossible to overwater with a mist bottle. My daughter “waters” her plants every single morning now.
Chapin
Stick these in the soil and they release water slowly over days. My kids think they're magic. Great for vacation weeks when nobody's home to remember the plants exist.
Watering Globe for Easy Plant Care
Screw these onto a regular water bottle and flip it upside down in the pot. Kids think it's a science experiment. Plants get steady water for about a week without any effort.
Self Watering Terracotta Spikes for Plants
Bring this one out for the kid who wants everything to be cute. Holds just enough water for a few small pots. Light enough that my three-year-old carries it around like a purse.
Novelty Watering Cans
Swap these in for toddlers who can't handle a watering can yet. Gentle squeeze, small stream, minimal mess. I labeled each one with a kid's name so everyone has their own.
Fasmov 20 Pack 8-ounce Plastic Condiment Squeeze
Grow Kits That Double as Craft Projects
Sometimes you want the whole experience in one box. Plant it, paint it, watch it grow. These kits kept my kids busy on rainy weekends and most of the plants actually survived.
Get this for the kid who needs a theme. Comes with a little planter, soil, seeds, and unicorn decorations. My daughter grew actual chia sprouts and was genuinely proud of herself.
Creativity for Kids Mini Garden - Unicorn Easter Basket Filler
This one lights up at night, which basically made my son think he was a wizard. Real seeds, real soil, LED lid. The plants sprouted in about a week and he checked on it every morning.
Creativity for Kids Grow 'N Glow Terrarium Kit
Comes with pots to paint and flower seeds to plant. Everything in one box. Pulled this out for a birthday party activity and every kid went home with their own painted pot.
Dan&Darci Paint and Plant Flower Growing Kit for Kids
Try this if your kid asks “what's happening under the dirt” every five minutes. Clear window shows roots growing in real time. My son drew the roots in his school journal.
Root Viewer - Growing Kit for Kids - Science Toy & Craft Kit
Pair this with a planting day for a full afternoon of digging activities. Not technically a plant kit but my kids planted succulents in the leftover dig sand and it actually worked.
National Geographic Mini Dig Kit Toys for Kids
Swap this in for the kid who rolls their eyes at unicorns. Same concept, dinosaur theme. Chia seeds grow fast so impatient kids see results within days instead of weeks.
Creativity for Kids Mini Garden Dinosaur Egg Terrarium
Shelf and Display Ideas for Finished Plant Projects
After all that painting and planting, you need somewhere to put these things where they get sunlight but won't get knocked over by the dog. These solved that problem in our house.
Line up all the kids' painted pots on different levels near a window. Sturdy enough that a bumped shelf won't topple everything. We call ours the “plant museum” and visitors always comment on it.
Mainstays, 3-Tier Adjustable Storage Shelf, White, Steel
Snag this for a corner that gets good light. Each tier fits two or three small pots. My kids rearrange their plants on it weekly like they're redecorating a tiny apartment.
Shoppers Say Walmart's 'Fantastic' $20 3-Tier Plant Stand
Use this as a temporary potting station on the porch, then fold it up and store it. Keeps the mess outside instead of all over your kitchen table. Hoses off in seconds.
Mainstays TV Tray Tables Folding Adjustable Sets
Turn this sideways and use the cubbies as plant shelves. Each kid gets their own cube for their pot. Keeps things organized and prevents the “that's MY plant” arguments.
Better Homes & Gardens 3 Cube Storage Organizer, Red
Stick these near a window for hanging small potted plants. No holes in the wall, which renters will appreciate. My spider plant hangs from one and it's been holding for over a year.
Command, Medium Hooks, 6-pack Holds 2 lbs
Line this up on a windowsill and fit three or four small decorated pots inside it. Catches water drips so your sill stays clean. Looks way more put together than random pots scattered everywhere.
Mainstays 24 inch Self Watering Window Box Plastic Planter