Plant Life Cycle Spanish Lesson

In this post: Take your Spanish lessons in the garden and teach your kids all about the life cycle of a plant!

Spring is here! We bet that you’re just as excited as the kids to get outdoors and enjoy the fresh air.

A great way to do that as a family while encouraging learning is discovering how a plant grows. This activity will keep your kids engaged, help them practice their fine motor skills and present yet another opportunity to expand their Spanish vocabulary.

With our Llamitas Spanish Level 3 Curriculum and the right gardening tools, your kids will be outdoors and expanding their knowledge while having fun. 

Related Post: Here’s Why Thematic Spanish Lessons for Kids Actually Work

Spanish Plant Life Cycle Lesson

In our Level 3 curriculum, Unit 4 “El medioambiente” (The Environment) will take you and your kids on an exciting journey to learn about caring for the environment, and the life cycle of a plant. 

The unit includes a number of activities that develop Spanish vocabulary, phonics, literacy, and scientific understanding for the lower elementary grades. You’d also benefit from native speaker audio to help with pronunciation. 

In addition, your child will read the Latin American folktales about La Madremonte, a protector of the forest!

Related Post: El bosque: Spanish Nature Unit in Spanish for Kids

Plant Life Cycle in Spanish

The life cycle of a plant ‘el ciclo de vida de una planta’ can be broken into four main stages. Use diagrams or create an activity where they can draw their own so they can clearly see the differences among the four stages as the plant grows.

Stage 1 – semilla (seed)

The seeds are buried in the ground and watered. 

Stage 2 – raíces (roots)

The seeds will shoot out roots that continue to develop.

Stage 3 – brote (sprout)

Once the roots are firmly in the ground, further growth takes place leading to a small plant called a sprout. 

Stage 4 – flor (flower) 

As the plant continues to receive the necessary sunlight and water, it will eventually grow to reach the adult stage where it is considered mature and flowers develop. 

Spanish Song about Planting Seeds

We absolutely love this Spanish garden themed song by Little Parade called ‘Mi jardin’. Check it out on Spotify and see the lyrics in English and Spanish below:

Este es mi jardín (This is my garden)
y yo lo cuidaré, (and I will care for it)
y planto semillas (and plant seeds)
y esperaré. (and wait.)

Hasta que el sol brillara (Until the sun shines)
y la lluvia caerá (and the rain will fall)
mi jardín florecerá (my garden will bloom)
¡y crecerá y crecerá! (and will grow and grow!)

Así es como cuido (This is how I care for)
mi jardín tan lindo, (my lovely garden)
esta época del año, (this time of year)
yo cuido mucho mi jardín. (I take care of my garden a lot).

Plant Themed Vocabulary in Spanish

Once they’ve got those stages down, move on to other essential phrases that you’re likely to use. Though the excitement of gardening may mean that they’re not as focused on Spanish, try your best to incorporate new vocabulary as much as possible throughout the process.

The good part is that gardening and caring for plants is an ongoing process that presents many chances for continued learning. 

You can also use the opportunity to reinforce earlier lessons on colors and skills such as counting in Spanish.

For example, ask about the colors of the flowers they see or tell them to count the number of seeds. There’s always a way to make learning meaningful yet fun. 

Related Post: El Jardin: Garden Lessons in Spanish

Useful phrases

Tools and items around the garden

Spanish Books about Gardening

In addition to the experiments and hands-on activities, find time to enjoy reading which helps to expand vocabulary and improve pronunciation. Here are some Spanish books about gardening that you can enjoy:

1. Maravillas Naturales by Ben Hoare

Take a deep dive into the many wonderful things in nature including animals, plants, rocks, minerals, and microscopic life. Enjoy interesting facts and close-up images all in one book. 

2. De Semilla a Planta by Kristin Rattini

With years of experience capturing nature, we can say that National Geographic gets it right. This book is part of a series and explains the life cycle of a plant from the first stage of the seed onward. It also includes activities. 

3. Lola planta un jardín by Anna McQuinn

After being inspired by books she read, Lola sets out on a mission to plant her own garden with the help of her mother. After planting the seeds and caring for her garden, she waited and eventually got to witness the results of all her hard work.

4. Arriba, Abajo y Alrededor by Katherine Ayres

The title of the book translates to “Up, Under and Around”, a fitting description of what you can expect. With the use of colorful illustrations, this rhythmic text explores food, gardening and plants like you’ve never seen before. 

5. Como crece una semilla by Helene J. Jordan

This is the Spanish version of the book, “How a Seed Grows”. It explores basic concepts which makes it ideal for children in the primary grades. In just 31 pages, this book allows you to experience both entertainment and education. 

6. La semillita by Eric Carle

Nature is beautiful and that’s exactly how it was captured in this book with collage illustrations done by the author himself, Eric Carle. Follow the life cycle of a tiny seed as it grows and becomes a beautiful flower for all to admire. 

7. El ciclo de vida de las plantas by Julie Lundgren

Get scientific insight behind the growth of plants. This book includes colorful images and offers an age-appropriate explanation of the life cycle of a plant for those between kindergarten and 3rd grade. 

For more springtime fun, check out one of our recent blogs for even more books as well as spring-themed flashcards you can enjoy all season long. 

Spanish Curriculum Levels

If you’re looking for even more resources to teach your kids Spanish but don’t have the time to go looking or do it yourself, we can help. 

We’ve created Llamitas Spanish, our comprehensive curriculum levels with both parents and kids in mind to make bilingualism easier than you ever imagined.

This structured open-and-go program is packed with fun, dynamic activities and includes scripts in both English and Spanish so you can interchange as needed. 

After this curriculum, your kids will have a higher level of fluency in the Spanish language, stronger cognitive skills (memorizing, thinking, listening and questioning) and much more. 

>> Shop here to learn more!

Kimberly Inglis

Kimberly is a freelance writer from Trinidad and Tobago who was always fascinated by language and holds a B.A in Spanish with a minor in Linguistics. She considers herself to be a multipotentialite due to her many interests and a few of her favorite things include coffee, pasta and scented candles.

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