If you love to garden, you might have thought about sharing your hobby with your children. Gardening is an excellent activity for kids.
It has sensory aspects, gets them outside in the dirt, and can teach them life lessons and some important science. What’s more, gardening with your children can also boost their immune system, and teach them at an early age how to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
Tips For Gardening with Kids
Start With Small Projects
Start with small projects that they can follow and enjoy. If you prefer, you can begin with plants in pots rather than out in your garden. Alternatively, stick to a single garden bed or assign one plot to each child with a single crop.
These goals will be more realistic, both holding their attention and helping them follow through to (literally) reap the rewards!
Get Them Their Own Tools
Get them proper tools that will let them work effectively – just be sure to supervise them to ensure they don’t accidentally hurt themselves, such as gardening gloves, a pail, hoe, and spade.
Give Them a Voice in the Process
One good way to get your child interested in gardening is by giving them a say in each step of the process. Let them choose what they want to plant. If your kid loves flowers, help them pick a variety that blooms in their favorite color (or lots of colors, such as a wildflower mix).
Let Them Enjoy the Rewards of Their Work
Make sure your kids fully get to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Enjoy food from your garden together and involve them in the cooking process.
If your garden includes flowers, your child might also enjoy making a flower book and pressing the blossoms that they grew in their first garden plot.
Fun Gardening Activities to Do with Kids
Grow Flowers with Their Name
If your child has a floral or nature name, invite them to plant the corresponding plant in their garden plot! Many of these plants are easy to grow. If your child doesn’t have a botanical name, you can use the name of a family member, friend, or neighbor.
Grow All the Colors of the Rainbow
It can be fun to grow gardens in segments, letting kids work on one section at a time. One fun activity is to plant a rainbow garden. Choose your favorite herbs, flowers, fruits, or vegetables in each color.
Here are some suggestions for each color of your rainbow garden:
Red – bell peppers, roses, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, radishes
Yellow – squash, sunflowers, daisies, gourds
Green – zucchini, herbs, lettuce, onions
… …
Choose Plants That You Can Snack On
If there is anything more fun than seeing your garden grow, it is getting to eat the food you grew yourself. Kids love eating food out of the garden. Plant various fruits, veggies, and herbs that kids can pick and enjoy whenever you are out in the yard. Some favorites include tomatoes, strawberries, carrots, greens, and even edible flowers.
Do A Science Experiment
Gardening with your kids is a great opportunity to share science lessons with them. Some plants, for example, are known for dramatically changing color based on the pH of the soil in which they are planted. You can also test companion planting, just make sure you pick plants that are compatible. Plants like tomatoes don’t plant well with potatoes.
Add A Birdhouse
Add things to your garden that attract local wildlife, including birdhouses and butterfly bushes. This is a good opportunity to explain the role these creatures play in your garden’s ecology and how they diversify your yard. It will also provide a fun activity for your kids to learn how to identify different kinds of birds.
There are so many wonderful ways to garden with your kids. It gives you a chance to spend time with your children, which can be the most vital thing of all!
