Collaborative post
Gardening can be hugely beneficial for anyone, but it can be especially enjoyable for children. Getting into the garden can be good for developing personal and social development skills. This is because it gives little ones something to care for and tend to, as well as getting to reap the benefits that come with being outside on a mental and emotional level.
Here, we look at how to get kids out of the house and into the garden.
Introduce things they love
Incorporate the things they love doing in the garden. For instance, if they love nothing more than reading a book, you could theme their little patch around their favourite book. You could show them how to plant roses, Alice in Wonderland-style or plant rows of flowers in the Hogwarts house colours.
Teach them the benefits
There are so many benefits of gardening with children.
For reluctant little gardeners, it can be helpful to explain why tending to plants is a good thing. One way to do this is to give them ownership of a corner of your garden and let them grow their own veg patch.
Be on hand to help them as they sow the seeds and instruct them as they set out their different crops. By handing over responsibility, they’re likely to see the benefits of caring for something and then they’re rewarded with fruit and veg at the end.
Better still, you can then cook with them using their strawberries or tomatoes. This means they can see exactly how their hard work in the garden has paid off.
Plan with them
Your child can work with you to plan out their plot. It’s exciting to work out where to place different plants or how to set out some flowers.
Get your little landscapers to make suggestions and embrace their ideas so that the feel included and responsible for creating an outdoor space they’ll love.
Allow for mistakes
Plants are delicate and require care. Allowing your little ones to see that a lot of work goes into growing fruit and veg from a seedling through to harvest can be beneficial as they will learn that it’s possible to over-water or for the soil to dry out.
Making mistakes is a huge part of any learning journey. Gardening allows for that to happen and for your kids to dust themselves off and try again.