Last Updated on May 4, 2021 by Audrey
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It’s that time of year when those infamous little yellow blossoms are sprinkled across lawns and fields everywhere! There are those who wish to spend their time eradicating these poor, misunderstood dandies. But I choose to let my childhood love of them carry over into adulthood. Which is why we came up with this list of fun things to do with dandelions!
Children are naturally delighted with dandelions! I love it when my boy picks one and then hands it to me as if it’s the most beautiful flower worthy of a bouquet for his mama. Because to him, it is! And how could you not be entranced when they turn into those delightful white puff balls?
Let’s be honest…even though it’s not on the list, one of the most fun things to do with dandelions is blow the seeds off ALL THE PUFFBALLS!! My neighbors probably hate me, but I still do that to this day. I just can’t resist. And neither can my son. (Hey, we’re only human.)
Aside from that, dandelions have plenty of other uses! I won’t be focusing on those for the purpose of this particular article, but here are some pretty interesting health benefits if you want to read up on on that aspect. But now, here are five fun things to do with dandelions with your kids!
1. Make dandelion crowns.
These are so fun and simple to make, and your little ones will feel like tiny woodland fairies! I love how dressing up, even with just a simple accessory like this one, can result in hours of imaginative play! This is one of the cutest possible things to do with dandelions.
I just learned the technique for making this particular crown. It would be a bit difficult to explain the process with only words, so hopefully the pictures below will help demonstrate adequately!
Start with two dandelions crossed over each other like this. The longer the stem, the better!
Loop one stem around the other as shown above.
Continue to add on more dandelion flowers by repeating the same loop. Every time you add a flower, make sure to wrap it around every previous stem.
Continue adding on until it’s long enough to fit around your child’s head. Tie it off by either weaving the ends together (no particular technique here) or by grabbing a twist tie from inside. Place the finished flower crown around your little fairy’s head and watch them frolic!
2. Make a dandelion recipe!
Possibly one of the most fun things to do with dandelions is to eat them! Kids will be intrigued by the fact that they can eat a plant they see growing out in their yard!
So it can be kind of fun to whip something up with them to sample! (It’s also a good time to mention that they should never eat anything from the yard without your permission, no matter how certain they are.)
There are so many options! Try this dandelion jelly, some dandelion fritters, or these dandelion shortbread cookies. Or, if your kids are super adventurous eaters, there’s always dandelion greens salad. No matter what you choose, making a recipe with your kids can be one of the most fun things to do with dandelions!
Just make sure to gather dandelions from an area that hasn’t been sprayed with chemicals and that’s far away from Fido’s poop corner. Needless to say, that wouldn’t be preferable.
3. Make dandelion play dough.
Another one of our favorite things to do with dandelions is to make this dandelion play dough! It’s a great sensory activity to have kids help mix up and then (obviously) play with afterward! Here’s the recipe:
- 1 cup dandelion flowers
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup salt
- 2 TBSP vegetable oil
- 2 TBSP cream of tartar
- turmeric (optional)
- (Makes enough for 2-3 kids)
1. Have your kids tear up dandelion flowers into small pieces and add to the pot of water. Bring to a boil and stir for a few minutes to get some of the color out.
2. Turn stove off and add dandelions + water to a bowl. Add in the salt, oil, and cream of tartar. Stir to dissolve.
3. Add flour and mix together well. Feel free to add more flour and water alternately to get just the right consistency.
4. If the dandelions don’t color the play dough sufficiently, add a few sprinkles of turmeric for a nice, deep yellow.
That’s it! Have fun with your homemade play dough!
4. Make a dandelion threading board.
The last on our list of fun things to do with dandelions is a threading board. They’re the perfect little craft for working on fine motor skills. We got this idea from the Little Pine Learners blog.
Check out the original blog post here for some detailed instructions! The concept is pretty simple. I grabbed an old box out of our recycle and carved out a heart shape. (Feel free to try whatever shapes you want!)
Using an awl, I poked holes throughout. There’s no exact science to this part; just holes spaced approximately an even distance away will do.
All that’s left is to have your little ones pick dandelions and poke them through the holes until the entire board is covered. (Tip: shorter stems are the easiest to thread through the holes.) This is a great activity for some fine motor practice, and it feels really cool to run your hands over the dandelions once it’s finished!
That’s our list of fun things to do with dandelions! And, of course, there are quite a few more fun things to do with dandelions that we didn’t even have time to mention, but those are our favorites. Hope you have fun with them and appreciate the little flower that has become the disdain of the masses!
Looking for some other fun spring activities? Try these fun mud faces or this gorgeous nature rainbow craft!
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