Gardening and tending to houseplants is a great way to engage children in learning. There are so many processes and lessons to learn from taking care of growing things. It’s even more fun when those plants have interesting characteristics that engage the senses. 

Some plants smell nice, and others don’t. Some taste good, and others we shouldn’t taste at all. When it comes to tactile interest, fuzzy plants are favorites for my kids. There is something about the way they look and feel that makes them seem a bit more special than usual.

If you’re looking for ways to engage your kiddos and spark their interest in growing things, engaging their senses is a great place to start. Here are some super soft, fuzzy plants that your kids will love to explore. 

Lamb’s Ears

It’s perfect for sensory gardens with its unique leaf texture.

Lamb’s ear is a plant in the mint family. It looks and feels just as it sounds, with large ovate leaves covered in soft fuzz. The silvery green color is softened even more by the fine white hairs. Your kids will love to feel these soft ears. The velvety nap of the fur is delightful to the touch. However, they can be invasive in some areas, so be aware before you plant.

The pussy willow plant is a large shrub or small tree. It grows upright with an open branching habit. It is not picky about soil composition but does need consistent moisture and plenty of exposure. It’s fun and easy to propagate this shrub with cuttings in the spring.

Woolly Thyme

This low-maintenance ground cover brightens your garden year-round.

If you’re looking for a ground cover that tickles kids’ toes, fuzzy woolly thyme plants are perfect! Wooly thyme forms a thick carpet of soft leaves that are slightly aromatic when you walk on them. It’s incredibly sturdy and low maintenance and prefers excellent drainage. A rock garden is a great spot for this herb. 

In the winter, this evergreen takes on a pinkish hue, making it just a little more magical. In summer, pretty pink flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies. The hairs on this plant are pronounced and highly visible, giving it a frosted appearance. It’s truly beautiful.

Purple Passion Plant

Grow this beauty in indirect light for optimal color.

This stunning perennial will knock their socks off. When you see it, you’ll want to track one down for certain. I know I did. The purple passion plant, also called purple velvet, is a gorgeous member of the aster family. It makes a great houseplant if you place it near a window where the natural light accentuates the electric violet fuzz that covers the deep green foliage. 

It prefers bright, indirect light but will tolerate a bit of direct exposure. Moist soil is great, but don’t let it get soggy. These will use less water in winter. Make sure to use a well-draining soil and container. Keep it in a spot with drier air, and never mist it, or you could end up with leaf rot. 

African Violet

Petite purple blooms and velvety leaves add charm to rooms.

Many types of violets have flocked foliage, and African violets are among them. These are low maintenance, and if they get enough, they will flower year-round. I find they like more direct than indirect light, but they can dry out quickly in a brighter space, so monitor the soil. They prefer it to be moist. 

Between their velvety leaves and their petite, shimmery flowers, African violets are an enchanting group. I have a dwarf variety that reproduces prolifically, and we love sharing the babies with friends and family.

Panda Plant

Soft silver leaves and dark tips make it charming.

Another plant that I’ve found easy to care for and rewarding in the visual and tactile departments the panda plant, is as adorable as it sounds. This type of kalanchoe has soft, velvety silver leaves with dark brown tips that kids love to admire. Kalanchoes are easy to propagate. Just break off a stem, let it callous over, and then pop it into some lightly moistened potting mix.

The panda plant is an early spring bloomer. I allow mine to get some cold temperatures going into winter, as this encourages blooming. The tall flower stems and plump buds are flocked as well. Because it’s a succulent, it doesn’t require much water and needs good drainage. It’s also a winner of the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.

Chenille Plant

Gorgeous blooms add a unique touch to any space.

Chenille is a small shrub that you can grow outdoors or in a container if you want to keep it smaller and grow it indoors. This plant doesn’t have fuzzy foliage, but it flowers freely, and the blooms are a textural masterpiece for kids to marvel at. Bright pinkish red, they are long and thin, hanging downward in a weeping fashion. They are also exceptionally fuzzy!

This winner of the Award of Garden Merit is versatile and beautiful. You can grow it in a hanging basket to see the flowers trailing from beneath. Deadhead regularly to prolong the blooming period and give it a fair amount of light.

Bear’s Paw

This small succulent is adorable and easy to care for.

Bear’s paw is pawsitively adorable. Yep, I said it, and I meant it! This small succulent has itty bitty, fuzzy, paw-shaped leaves. They are toothy at the edges, which makes them look like they have tiny claws.  It’s wonderfully low maintenance and prefers to stay warm, so be careful about drafts and vents if you keep it indoors. 

This native of South Africa stays compact and shrubby, though it will reach nearly three feet tall if you give it a large enough container. In spring, it will send up tall stems, and yellow and orange, bell-shaped flowers hang toward the ground. Pollinators will visit them if you keep them outside. 

Mexican Firecracker

Perfect for beginners, this plant offers beauty with ease.

Echeverias are easy to care for and make great starter plants for youngsters learning to take care of plants. They are succulents, so they need well-draining soil, and if you forget to water them occasionally, they are forgiving. The fleshy leaves grow in a pretty rosette shape. 

Mexican Firecracker is a classic echeveria with lovely blue-green leaves. They are spoon-shaped with a pointed end and covered in short, white fuzz. This hybrid blooms in late winter, producing orange, bell-shaped flowers similar to a bear’s paw.

Flame Violet

This perfect hanging plant has colorful, striking blooms.

Flame violets are closely related to African violets and have a lot in common with their cousins. They have larger, more pointed leaves and a trailing habit, which sets them apart. Their leaves are every bit as fuzzy as African violet plants, though, and kids love them! 

These violets don’t flower as prolifically, but with enough light, they bloom in shades of orange, yellow, red, and magenta. They make incredible hanging plants and are extra easy to care for and fast growing. 

Fuzzy Leaf Begonia

This beautiful, low-maintenance plant has soft, frosted foliage.

I love all begonias. They are delightful plants with beautiful flowers and are so easy to tend to. It has just a hint of the classic whirling leaves of a rex type, but they are solid colored, a smooth, soft blue-green. The leaves of this plant are flocked lightly with fuzzy white velvet, giving them a frosted appearance for kids to touch and admire.

Begonias don’t like direct exposure. If you notice leaves looking limp or brown at the tips, it’s getting too much light. There is a fine line if you want to see them bloom indoors between too much and not enough exposure. If you get it right, though, they are delicate white blossoms with a subtle shimmer.