A Guide to Making Your Children Fall in Love With Gardening
Help your child discover a love for spending time in the garden, with this thoughtful but simple guide
If you are a parent who is consciously trying to inculcate some healthy habits in your children, gardening should definitely be on the list. Working in the garden is a great outdoor experience from which kids can benefit greatly, and a healthy alternative to too much time spent in front of the TV or computer. Depending on how intensively you pursue gardening, it can also help kids develop skills and appreciation for growing their own food. But the fact is that with so many distractions, many children don’t find gardening fun. Wondering how you can make gardening fun?
Read on to find out.
Read on to find out.
2. Show them how to start
For starters, sowing seeds is an excellent small motor–sensory project for toddlers and young school-age children. Teach them how to make small seedling pots. Show them how to moisten the soil, and then place two or three seeds per space. It may take five to ten days for some seeds to sprout, but waiting for it to happen and watching the growth is exciting for budding gardeners. It’s all about generating an interest and curiosity in their minds.
For starters, sowing seeds is an excellent small motor–sensory project for toddlers and young school-age children. Teach them how to make small seedling pots. Show them how to moisten the soil, and then place two or three seeds per space. It may take five to ten days for some seeds to sprout, but waiting for it to happen and watching the growth is exciting for budding gardeners. It’s all about generating an interest and curiosity in their minds.
3. Sensitise and acclimatise
Let them have some fun. Playing in the soil is a perfect example. Kids love the soil and play with it because they love to touch and feel things. They don’t understand soil and are curious about it. Tell them they can play with soil, but not where you are gardening. Sensory connection with soil is something that kids will keep with them lifelong, and will connect them with their inner nature as well.
Let them have some fun. Playing in the soil is a perfect example. Kids love the soil and play with it because they love to touch and feel things. They don’t understand soil and are curious about it. Tell them they can play with soil, but not where you are gardening. Sensory connection with soil is something that kids will keep with them lifelong, and will connect them with their inner nature as well.
4. The child’s own gardening space
Children love to feel a sense of ownership, and giving them their own little gardening space is a great way to pique their interest. A large container, a few small pots or a dedicated section of your garden will do. The size of the garden doesn’t matter as much as designating the spot as theirs. Give each child his or her own spot, unless they express a desire to collaborate.
Children love to feel a sense of ownership, and giving them their own little gardening space is a great way to pique their interest. A large container, a few small pots or a dedicated section of your garden will do. The size of the garden doesn’t matter as much as designating the spot as theirs. Give each child his or her own spot, unless they express a desire to collaborate.
A dinosaur-inspired mini garden is an example of how children can connect with their own little garden space.
5. Involve them in the garden’s design
Kids can follow directions, but they’ll be much more excited about the gardening process if they are also somehow invested in the space. Let them give you feedback on the garden’s design and layout. Maybe take a step further and let them suggest some changes, even if their choices are unconventional or impractical. You can offer guidance but leave the choice of plants and flowers up to them. And, to give them a chance to be creative, allow them to decide how to place the plants within the garden.
Browse through garden design ideas in Houzz photos
Kids can follow directions, but they’ll be much more excited about the gardening process if they are also somehow invested in the space. Let them give you feedback on the garden’s design and layout. Maybe take a step further and let them suggest some changes, even if their choices are unconventional or impractical. You can offer guidance but leave the choice of plants and flowers up to them. And, to give them a chance to be creative, allow them to decide how to place the plants within the garden.
Browse through garden design ideas in Houzz photos
6. Allow them to choose the plants
Browse the nursery together. Whether you’re looking to plant a herb garden or making a container garden on your front entrance, let your child pick and choose what plants they like best. Take the time to show them what will thrive best in your environment (full sun vs shade, for example), and don’t be too surprised if all of their picks have flowers of their favourite colour! Let your kids care for those baby plants all season long.
Browse the nursery together. Whether you’re looking to plant a herb garden or making a container garden on your front entrance, let your child pick and choose what plants they like best. Take the time to show them what will thrive best in your environment (full sun vs shade, for example), and don’t be too surprised if all of their picks have flowers of their favourite colour! Let your kids care for those baby plants all season long.
7. Establish roles
Once armed with a brand-new plan for your garden, guide your children by establishing their roles and making each role unique and fun. For example, if you have two children, let one plant vegetables and the other plant flowers. If both want to do the same thing, that’s okay, too. Set out a roster for regular gardening tasks: one watering and the other weeding in turn. Teach them how often to water the plants and how often to inspect the site.
Once armed with a brand-new plan for your garden, guide your children by establishing their roles and making each role unique and fun. For example, if you have two children, let one plant vegetables and the other plant flowers. If both want to do the same thing, that’s okay, too. Set out a roster for regular gardening tasks: one watering and the other weeding in turn. Teach them how often to water the plants and how often to inspect the site.
8. Get child-friendly gardening tools
Adult-sized gardening tools can be difficult for little hands to manoeuvre properly – and kids are often reluctant to keep trying if a task is too hard. Providing your children with lightweight, child-sized and child-safe garden tools will make working in the soil easier and much more fun. Armed with their own gardening supplies, kids may not want to stop working in the garden. Learning to care for and keep track of their own tools will also help teach kids responsibility.
Adult-sized gardening tools can be difficult for little hands to manoeuvre properly – and kids are often reluctant to keep trying if a task is too hard. Providing your children with lightweight, child-sized and child-safe garden tools will make working in the soil easier and much more fun. Armed with their own gardening supplies, kids may not want to stop working in the garden. Learning to care for and keep track of their own tools will also help teach kids responsibility.
9. Add a special feature
Add a water bowl, a wind chime or a bird house as a special feature in your garden to create added interest, where your children can watch the relationship between plants and bees and birds. Add chairs from where they can sit and observe the garden, as that also has many wondrous lessons to teach. Sit down with a cup of tea in the garden and let your kids tell you what they observe.
Add a water bowl, a wind chime or a bird house as a special feature in your garden to create added interest, where your children can watch the relationship between plants and bees and birds. Add chairs from where they can sit and observe the garden, as that also has many wondrous lessons to teach. Sit down with a cup of tea in the garden and let your kids tell you what they observe.
10. Showcase the practical aspects
Since children can easily get distracted, let them know they’re doing something good when the are gardening. The plants they are growing have a variety of uses: flowers make the perfect gift and fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs can be used to enhance any meal.
If your kids show interest in cooking, teach them the importance of using fresh ingredients. Grow fresh herbs and vegetables for meals. You can cook together and your child will learn two different skills.
If your kids love flowers, teach them to grow flowering varieties. They are great gifts and decor pieces around the house. Have your child grow roses or tuberoses to give to a crush or to display on the patio.
Since children can easily get distracted, let them know they’re doing something good when the are gardening. The plants they are growing have a variety of uses: flowers make the perfect gift and fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs can be used to enhance any meal.
If your kids show interest in cooking, teach them the importance of using fresh ingredients. Grow fresh herbs and vegetables for meals. You can cook together and your child will learn two different skills.
If your kids love flowers, teach them to grow flowering varieties. They are great gifts and decor pieces around the house. Have your child grow roses or tuberoses to give to a crush or to display on the patio.
11. Track their progress
Gardening is a lot of work. That’s why it’s important to track progress. But children don’t know this. An easy way to make gardening fun is reinforcing the idea that they created and accomplished a goal. Encourage them to keep a journal. Measure how much the plant grows every day and help your child to write down everything they did for the plant that day. You can even take pictures so your child can visually measure the progress. Alternatively, let them take photos to document the changes in the plants, and reflect back on those images during the day.
Gardening is a lot of work. That’s why it’s important to track progress. But children don’t know this. An easy way to make gardening fun is reinforcing the idea that they created and accomplished a goal. Encourage them to keep a journal. Measure how much the plant grows every day and help your child to write down everything they did for the plant that day. You can even take pictures so your child can visually measure the progress. Alternatively, let them take photos to document the changes in the plants, and reflect back on those images during the day.
12. Visit your local nursery
To get your kids to feel inspired, take them on frequent visits to your neighbourhood plant nursery. This gives your children an in-person view of a wide range of outdoor plants, shrubs and landscaping trees. With new varieties and gardening supplies coming in all the time, there’s always something new to see.
To get your kids to feel inspired, take them on frequent visits to your neighbourhood plant nursery. This gives your children an in-person view of a wide range of outdoor plants, shrubs and landscaping trees. With new varieties and gardening supplies coming in all the time, there’s always something new to see.
Working in the garden is like a hands-on, living classroom. Getting your kids involved in gardening is much easier than you may think. In fact, you can start growing your own little gardeners this year by helping them develop a passion for gardening.
Read more:
6 Superb Indoor & Outdoor Swings for Kids
How to Design a WFH Office in Your Balcony or Garden
Tell us:
What were some of your childhood garden stories? Share them in Comments below. Join the conversation!
Read more:
6 Superb Indoor & Outdoor Swings for Kids
How to Design a WFH Office in Your Balcony or Garden
Tell us:
What were some of your childhood garden stories? Share them in Comments below. Join the conversation!
Kids learn from observation. Start by spending five minutes a day to step into your garden to check in on the plants. Observe how they’ve changed, and how much they’ve grown. Start with fuss-free plants like lemon grass and sadabahar or Cape periwinkle. Get kids into the sensory experience by plucking fragrant leaves such as mint, which you might need for the kitchen.