Gardening is great for your health and it gets you out the house, away from the TV and into the fresh air – so why wouldn’t you want to get your kids involved?
If getting them away from the screen is proving difficult and the response to you asking if they want to do some gardening with you is, ‘no, that’s boring’ then here are some easy tips and tricks that will introduce your child to gardening and get them excited to be involved.
Give them their own tools
Before you start gardening with your child you need to kit them out! Having their own gardening set – from a mini watering can and wheelbarrow to a little spade and gloves, will make it much more exciting and special. Young kids love to mimic their parents and so when you are getting your tools out of the shed, they will be able to get theirs too!
Let them get messy
There is no getting away from dirt whilst gardening; it is a huge part of it! Kids love playing with dirt so let them get it in their hands, over their clothes and in their hair because trying to stop this will take away any enjoyment. Plus, this can help you explain the importance of composting along the way.
Discover wildlife together
Gardening isn’t just about the plants – your outdoor space is full of creatures great and small – from wiggly worms to beautiful birds. Take the time to discover all the wildlife in your garden with your child; perhaps they could draw what they find, and then together you can find ways to make the space more wildlife friendly. While you are doing this you can talk your children through the importance of wildlife in general and particularly within your garden.
The courgettes are doing better than the rest of the garden. That’s all I’m saying.
‘Grow your own’
Does your kid know where the food on their dinner plate comes from? Growing your own food is a great way to eat healthier, save a few pennies in the supermarket and teach your children where their food comes from and the importance of eating fruit and vegetables. You could section off part of your garden and dedicate it to growing food, but you could also plant fruit trees!
Kids will love the novelty of picking an apple straight from the tree to eat.
Document plant growth
Choose a wide selection of plant and flowers that will capture and keep your child’s interest. From seeds they can watch growing out of the dirt into beautiful flowers to bright plants that are already fully grown. Sunflowers are one of the best plants to grow with children as they are easy to grow and their height and quick growth is fun for kids to watch.
They are also a favourite of bees, so will work alongside teaching children about wildlife in the garden. This will allow your children to learn the importance of looking after the plants and ways in which to do it – that enable them to not only stay alive but also thrive!
Bring the garden inside
Gardening doesn’t just have to take place in the actual garden; it can also be done inside! So on those wet and windy days, when being outside is the last thing you want to do, bring the garden inside! Cover the table in a wipeable cloth and plant a few flowers for inside the house that will brighten it up!
This is a collaborative post.
I love gardening with the kids, though they just like getting messy and digging! It’s a great way to get kids to eat veg they wouldn’t normally try. Wish I had a bigger garden x