Children will get closer to nature, understand their environment better and respect it more when involved in gardening. Indeed, working with plants can be quite fascinating for children. You just need to implement the right approach.
There are numerous simple outdoor activities that can be done by children, such as planting seeds, watering garden beds and picking vegetables.
Are you looking for ways to make gardening more attractive for your little ones? You can take full advantage of the following seven tips:
- Turn an activity into a game: kids like to sort seeds by size and color. Finding a specific plant, bush or tree can seem like a treasure hunt.
- Offer tools for kids: buy a colorful watering can and other gardening tools just for your kid. Make sure the equipment is age-appropriate. Your child has to take care of their tools, learn how to use them properly and keep them after each use.
- Invite a friend: children are proud of their achievements and want to share them with friends. Invite a friend for the afternoon. Your kid can teach his friend some gardening tricks.
- Lead by example: the easiest way to spark interest is to show your love for gardening. Your kids will be looking forward to joining you outside.
- Choose vegetables that are easy to grow: children are not as patient as adults. They want fast results. Select vegetables, flowers and plants that are easy to grow and harvest. Examples are radishes, sunflowers, beans, peas, squash, pansies and calendula.
- Take a trip – Show the possibilities of what can be established in a garden by taking your child to local farms, botanical gardens and farmers markets.
- Keeping a Diary: Tracking and recording the results is a great way to keep kids fascinated.