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If you are looking for a simple grass in a cup activity for toddlers, you already know that the best-laid plans often end in a pile of dirt on the floor—and honestly? That is perfectly okay. When you have little ones like my girls, you quickly learn that the best activities are the ones that don’t require perfection or a ton of prep work during the afternoon hustle.
Lately, I’ve been looking for ways to slow down and really connect with my girls in a way that helps them understand who God is. But let’s be real: trying to explain deep truths while you’re wrangling them into pull-ups or rushing through the morning school run is a challenge. That’s why I love this grass in a cup activity for toddlers. It’s easy, a little messy in the best way, and deeply meaningful.
Why Simple Wins Every Time
If you’ve followed my journey since launching Everyday with Faith, you know I’m all about finding those small moments of faith in the middle of the chaos. This activity created such a natural opportunity to start planting seeds of faith in their little hearts while their hands were busy playing in the dirt.
Watching my girls—Ellie with her naturally helpful energy and Lainey with the “I can do it myself” attitude—reminded me that God meets us right where we are. They didn’t need a formal lesson; they just needed to see that something was happening beneath the surface, even when they couldn’t see it yet.
What You’ll Need:
You probably have most of this in your garage or under the sink, but if you want to make it extra special, here is what we used:
- Clear plastic cups: We used simple clear cups like these so the girls could actually see the roots growing against the sides.
- Potting soil: Any basic kind works perfectly – like this one
- Grass seed: Look for a “fast-growing” variety so your toddlers can see results within a few days – like this one
- Watering can: This is optional, but having a tiny toddler-sized watering can can make it extra fun for your kiddos!
- Craft Supplies: Permanent markers, colorful pom poms, and googly eyes.
How to Do It (Toddler Style):
1. Create Your “Cup People” (Draw First!) Before you even touch the dirt, sit down with your girls and get the “base” of your project ready. We found it was much easier for them to draw faces on the cups while they were clean, dry, and empty.
To really get the full effect, we didn’t just stop at markers. We pulled out the craft bin and used some colorful pom poms and googly eyes to give our cup people some personality. Watching my girls decide where the “nose” and “eyes” should go was half the fun!
Let them go wild with the decorations—once the grass grows, those drawings and craft supplies will be topped off with wild, green “hair.” Doing this step first also keeps your markers and glue from getting covered in mud once you move the project outdoors.
2. The “Take it Outside” Strategy While you can do this at the table, I highly recommend taking the whole setup outdoors. We brought our cups and soil outside so the girls could get as messy as they wanted! There is something so freeing about letting them really dig into the dirt without worrying about the cleanup afterward.
3. The “Scoop and Pour” Phase Fill each cup about ¾ full with soil. I let the girls help with the scooping—and since we were outside, I didn’t have to stress when half the shovel ended up everywhere except in the cup!
4. Planting the Seeds Have them sprinkle the grass seeds on top—no need to be precise! We weren’t counting seeds; we were just making a “nest” for the grass to grow. Add a light layer of soil over the seeds, then help them gently water it.
5. The Daily Check-In Place the cups in a sunny spot and check on them together daily. Within just a few days to a week, you’ll start to see those tiny green sprouts poking through.
The Faith Connection: Simple + Age-Appropriate
Toddlers don’t need big, technical explanations—they just need simple, beautiful truths. As we waited for the grass to grow, I used it as a chance to speak life over them. While they were peering into their cups, I’d say:
- “We can’t see it growing yet… but God is still working under the dirt!”
- “God is working in our lives even when we can’t see it.”
- “Just like our seeds, God helps us grow big and strong!”
Scripture to Speak Over Them
I love to keep Hebrews 11:1 close during this project: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” You don’t have to explain every word—just speaking the truth of the Word while they play is powerful enough.
The “Grass Hair” Finale.
Once the grass gets long enough, it looks like “hair” sticking out of the cups! I’m going to let the girls give their “cup people” a haircut with toddler safety scissors. It’s the perfect way to wrap up the project and keep the fun going for another week.
A Gentle Reminder for Moms
This doesn’t have to be a perfect, picture-worthy moment. Your toddler might dump the dirt, lose interest halfway through, or just want to play in the water—and that’s okay.
What matters is the time you spend together in the ‘messy middle’ of life. Whether you’re celebrating the first time they whisper a prayer on their own or a tiny green sprout, God is in those details.
