Children have so many ways to keep busy. Computers, televisions, tablets, game consoles, the Internet, and more. However, as a parent, you know that some of those “things to do” are rather mindless and void of any learning value. The question is, how do we get children away from the mindless into something not only educational, but fun as well.
Take gardening for example. Gardening for kids can be more than a hobby; it can be a life skill that can serve them for the rest of their lives. Gardening is not only educational, it is relaxing, fun, and can bring you and your children together in a new exciting way. Not only that, but creating a garden that is free of artificial pesticides, growth hormones, and other dangerous chemicals is healthy for your family.
Here are five ways to get your child in the dirt and growing a garden that everyone will enjoy.
1. Let your kids choose what to plant. Give them a say as to what goes in the garden. Just be sure to offer some guidance without making the choice for them.
2. Give them the opportunity to dig in the dirt and create the rows. Yes, they may be crooked, but with time it will get better.
3. Design a garden just for them. Put their favorite veggies and fruits in a spot created for them. You can even let them make a special sign just for their garden. The book Roots, Shoots, Buckets, and Boots explains how make a pizza garden for instance.
4. Make your garden an insect friendly one. No, not for unwanted insects, but rather for those that aid in keeping your garden clean of the all the bad bugs. Lady Bugs are great insects to have around because they eat the nasty aphids that want to ruin your garden. Bees are also quite welcome and once you explain how vital they are to a garden, it helps alleviate fear.
5. Tell your kids that once the garden in complete that they can create a special salad or bouquet just for the family. Don’t get in the way mom, just be a guide.
There are so many ways to make gardening for kids a special treat. Find a nursery near your area and visit it often with your children. Get them ready for the experience and the joy of gardening.
Remember that as a parent, you have way more influence than any television show ever could. So be creative with your approach, make it a fun experience, and your children will learn to appreciate, maybe even love, gardening.
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We have a small garden and when the kids were younger I would elicit their help. Now they just like to pick the veggies when I ask…
These are wonderful ideas for gardening with kids. My youngest wants to plant some flowers and I think we will be doing that very soon!
Great ideas! Gardening is a really great way to connect with kids, and I appreciate your emphasis on giving children ownership of the activity. That will help build their confidence and self-esteem too.
These are great ideas! Our kids love to help with gardening! It seems then they are more excited to eat what we grow when they know they did it. And it’s a great way to teach them how to be sustainable.
My kids take after me and they love to play in the dirt! We just started cleaning out the front flower bed to get ready but we still have at least another month before we can get out and plant anything though.
I’m so glad you posted these tips! My kids and I were just making a list of what we are putting in our first garden!
I appreciated these tips and agree it is a nice thing to get kids outdoors and doing something productive like gardening. I wanted to have a backyard garden this year to do with my kids but my wife vetoed the idea saying it would attract rodents and birds. Tips on preventing that nuisance might be a good follow up post.