Plants For Kids: Best Houseplants For Kids’ Rooms

HP child room
HP child room
(Image credit: KatarzynaBialasiewicz)

Keeping houseplants is an easy, very effective way to make your home a more pleasant place. Houseplants purify the air, absorb harmful particles, and just make you feel better by being around. The same thing goes for keeping houseplants in children’s bedrooms, though the rules are a little bit stricter. Keep reading to learn more about the best varieties of child’s bedroom plants.

Choosing Houseplants for Kids’ Rooms

When selecting houseplants for kids' rooms, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. Most importantly, remember that your child is going to be spending time alone and unsupervised with these plants, which means toxic plants are completely out. Ideally, your child won't be eating his or her plants, but to err on the safe side, you want to be sure it isn’t a problem. Some other plants, like cacti, can be dangerous too. Older children should be able to enjoy cacti (and benefit from their low water requirements), but with young children the danger of those spines might be a lot more trouble than they’re worth. Good children’s bedroom plants are ones that have low light and water requirements. You want a plant that can handle some neglect. It’s also a good idea to opt for plants that have an interesting texture and can tolerate being handled. The more senses your child can engage with their plant, the more interesting it will seem.

Below are some plants considered safe for kids that can be placed in their rooms: Snake plant– Low light and water requirements with long, interesting leaves that come in a range of patterns. Spider plant– Low light and water requirements. These plants put out small hanging plantlets that are fun to look at and easily transplanted for an interesting project. African violet– Very low maintenance, these plants bloom reliably and have soft, fuzzy leaves that are fun to touch. Aloe vera– Low water needs. These plants are interesting to touch and can be soothing to irritated skin. Put them in a bright window. Sensitive plant– An interactive plant that kids will love touching. Venus fly trapCarnivorous plants are cool no matter how old you are. A little harder to care for, these are better for older children.

Liz Baessler
Senior Editor

The only child of a horticulturist and an English teacher, Liz Baessler was destined to become a gardening editor. She has been with Gardening Know how since 2015, and a Senior Editor since 2020. She holds a BA in English from Brandeis University and an MA in English from the University of Geneva, Switzerland. After years of gardening in containers and community garden plots, she finally has a backyard of her own, which she is systematically filling with vegetables and flowers.