How To Harvest Seeds With Children: A Fun Nature Activity For Kids

August 16, 2026

An open child’s hand with harvested marigold seeds in the palm against a background of red and orange and yellow marigold flowers.

Harvesting seeds with children is a really fun outdoor activity to do. It turns a casual walk into something fun and engaging whilst children learn to identify flowers, seed heads and plants while collecting free seeds to grow at home.

I have put together some helpful tips on how to harvest seeds below.

How To Collect Seeds

• Look at whether the seed heads or pods are brown and the stem looks dry. If they are, the seeds should be good to harvest

• Make sure you choose a dry day (or after the morning dew has evaporated) to harvest seeds. Soggy seeds could be harder to harvest and turn mouldy

• Collect and store seeds in a paper bag or envelope as this prevents mould

• Make sure the seeds are fully dry before storing by laying them out on parchment paper (kitchen roll works well for some seeds) in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight

• Follow the 1-20 rule by ensuring you collect seeds from only one flower per every twenty of the same type, leaving enough for the area to naturally replenish

• Avoid any protected sites such as National Trust or nature reserves as this land is protected

Kitchen roll with marigold seeds drying on top with a hand writing on an envelope the date when harvested.

How To Store Harvested Seeds

• A paper seed bag or envelope are best to store seeds to avoid rot

• Keep them in a cool, dry and dark place

• It is sometimes recommended to keep the paper seed bag or envelope in an airtight plastic container with a little pack of silica gel (I have always just used a paper envelope and my seeds have stored fine)

A child’s open hand with marigold seeds in the palm with two brown envelopes labelled with white labels “Marigolds”.

How to Sow Harvested Seeds

To mimic the natural order, wild flower seeds are best sown in late summer/ early Autumn.
Most wildflower seeds can be scattered directly outside such as poppies and teasels. Make sure the soil is raked well and any weeds removed. Do not bury the seeds as they need the light to germinate.

If you have harvested Marigold or Cosmos seeds (like from our Plant A Bee Garden kit!) then these are best started inside during the Spring.
If your child likes grow your own activities then why not try other kits from our Garden Eggbox Collection, designed for children.