Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
How Seeds Grow Diary: Free Printable Chart for Year 2
- ForYear 2
- StageKey Stage 1
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
How Seeds Grow Diary is a free printable science chart for Year 2 (ages 6 to 7). Children start a seed and record how it changes as it becomes a seedling. They fill in a table with the day, what they see and how tall the plant is. The diary runs over two weeks, on each day marked.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages. Give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. For the diary you need a pencil and a ruler. To grow the seed you also need a pot, compost, water and a seed. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Page 1 is a diary table with three columns: Day, What I see and How tall. Children look closely at their seed on each day marked and write or draw what they notice. They also measure the height of the plant and record it. Over two weeks the table builds into a clear picture of how a seed grows into a seedling.
- Day
- What I see
- How tall
Setting up your seed
Choose a seed
Pick a seed that is big enough to see easily, such as a bean seed. Check the packet for growing advice. Use seeds sold for growing, and remember that they are not for eating.
Fill a pot
Fill a clean pot with compost and make it damp, not soaking. Press the seed into the compost at the depth the packet suggests. Cover it gently.
Label and place
Write the child's name and the start date on a label. Put the pot somewhere light and not too cold, where you will see it every day.
Plan your check days
Look at the days marked on the diary. Put them on a calendar so nobody forgets. Water when the compost feels dry.
Why grow a seed to learn science?
In Year 2, children learn that plants grow from seeds and bulbs, and that plants need things like water, light and a suitable temperature. A diary lets them see this for themselves. Instead of being told what happens, they watch it happen. They also practise a key science skill: looking closely and recording what they find.
Change in a growing seed can be slow, so a diary works well. Children come back on different days, notice small differences and compare them with earlier entries. Some days there may be little to see, and that is a real result worth writing down. Measuring height in the same way each time also helps children see steady change.
Wash hands with soap after touching compost, soil or seeds. Seeds from packets are not for eating, so keep them away from very young children.
Seed facts for children
- A seed has a tiny young plant inside it.
- Seeds come in many sizes. Some are as small as specks of dust and some are as big as your fist.
- A seed needs water to wake up and start growing.
- Seedlings have leaves, and plants use their leaves and light to make food.
- A seedling is a young plant that has grown from a seed.
Skills and curriculum link
- Observing closely
- Recording in a table
- Measuring height
- Plants and growth
- Comparing change over time
Helping children observe a growing seed
- Look before you writeAsk your child to look at the seed for a moment before they record anything. Ask what they can see, what colour it is and what shape. Careful looking comes first.
- Describe, do not guessEncourage children to write what they actually see today. If nothing has changed, they can write that. A true record matters more than an exciting one.
- Measure the same wayChoose one way to measure and use it every time. For example, measure from the top of the soil to the highest point of the plant. This makes the numbers easier to compare.
- Compare with beforeLook back at earlier rows in the diary. Ask what is different now. This helps children spot change over time.
Key words
- SeedThe part of a plant that can grow into a new plant.
- SeedlingA very young plant that has just grown from a seed.
- RootThe part of a plant that grows down and takes in water.
- ShootThe part that grows up from the seed.
- LeafA flat part of a plant that grows from the stem.
- GerminateWhen a seed starts to grow.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes for you.
- Plant a seed together in a pot of damp compost. Label it with your child's name and the start date.
- Fill in the diary on each day marked, over two weeks. Write the day, what you see and how tall the plant is.
- Talk about each entry. Ask what has changed since last time, then check the notes on page 2.
- Come back to the diary when the two weeks are done. Look through all the entries and talk about how the seed has changed.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Take the child through each row with sentence starters such as I can see a root or I can see a leaf. Look at the plant together first. Let your child point to what they see, then help them write it or draw it in the box.
To stretch confident children
Ask the child to measure the height in centimetres and predict how tall the plant will be on day 14. Then compare the prediction with the real measurement at the end. Ask why the prediction was close or not close.
Make it a game
Plant a second seed in a dark cupboard and compare. Use the same kind of seed, the same compost and the same amount of water, and keep both pots at a similar warmth. Only the light is different. Predict what will happen, then check.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child writes only the word grew in every row.
Try thisUse sentence starters such as I can see a root or I can see a leaf. Ask what colour, shape or size they notice, and ask them to draw it.
Watch forThe numbers in How tall jump about because the plant is measured from different places.
Try thisAgree one starting point, such as the top of the soil. Use the same ruler placement each time.
Watch forA child worries because nothing seems to happen in the first days.
Try thisExplain that seeds can take time to start growing. Write what they see, even if it is nothing yet, and look again on the next marked day.
Talk about it
- What does your seed look like today? How is it different from last time?
- What do you think a seed needs to grow?
- What do you think is happening under the soil?
- How tall do you think your plant will be next time? Why?
- How did you measure your plant? Would you measure it the same way again?
- What do you think will happen to the seed in the dark cupboard?
Take it off the page
Seed packet detectives
Look at seed packets together. Compare the pictures of the plants and read the growing advice. Ask which plant would be the tallest and which seed you would like to try next.
Draw and label a seedling
Draw a seedling from your pot or from a picture. Label the root, shoot and leaf. Use the vocabulary on this page.
Garden or park walk
Look for small young plants in a garden or park. Notice the shapes and colours of their leaves. Do not pick them. Talk about where they might have come from.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit with your child for the first entry, then let them lead. Keep the seed where they can see it each day. Praise careful looking and honest recording, even when the plant looks the same as before.
Teachers
Use it as a class growing project over two weeks, with one pot per child or per table group. It links to the plants strand in Year 2 science and to working scientifically through observing and recording. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
Home educators
The diary fits neatly into a wider plants topic. Pair it with seed packets, garden visits and books about growing. Siblings can each start their own seed and compare diaries. Keep the finished chart as a record of the project.
Where this fits in science
Before this, children in Year 1 learn to name common plants and the main parts of plants, such as roots, stems and leaves. They also begin to look closely and talk about what they see. This diary builds on that by following one plant over time.
After this, children go on to learn more about what plants need to grow and stay healthy. In Key Stage 2 they study the parts of flowering plants and what they do in more detail. Recording change in a table is also a skill they will use again in later science.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is How Seeds Grow Diary for?
It is written for Year 2 (ages 6 to 7), in Key Stage 1. Younger children can join in with a grown up helping them write, and older children can use the stretch idea on page 2.
- What will children practise?
They practise observing and recording how a seed changes as it grows into a seedling. They also measure the height of the plant and write down what they see in a simple table.
- How do I use it?
Start a seed together and fill in the diary on each day marked, over two weeks. Work through the first entry together, then let your child try on their own. Check the notes on page 2.
- What if it feels too hard?
Take your child through each row with sentence starters such as I can see a root or I can see a leaf. Look at the plant together first and let them point. Page 2 has more help.
- What do we need to do this activity?
You need a seed, a pot, compost and water to grow the plant. For the diary you need the printed pages, a pencil and a ruler. A label helps you remember the start date.
- Is this a screen free activity?
Yes. The diary itself is paper and pencil, with a ruler for measuring. You also need a seed, a pot, compost and water to grow the plant. No tablet or computer is needed.
- Can teachers use it in class?
Yes. It works well as a class growing project over two weeks. It needs no preparation beyond printing and gathering pots, compost and seeds. Page 2 has support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.