Ten Ways to Get Kids Involved in Gardening
Gardening is considered work, but it’s also fun, and can also be a way for the entire family to enjoy an activity together and get the kids involved in gardening. Gardening is also a great way to teach kids about responsibly, while caring for other living things and increase their appreciation for our fragile environment.
Here are 10 ways to get kids interested in participating in gardening, getting them active and outside.
1. Buy the kids their own gardening tools. The more colorful, smaller tools make it easier for kids to spend quality time gardening with parents, grandparents or older siblings. Be sure to buy a small wheelbarrow and a good pair of gardening gloves for little hands as well.
2. Take them shopping for seeds and plants at nurseries and garden centers. Explain the different kinds of plants and involve them in making the final selections for your garden.
3. Give the kids their own small garden patch to care for. Help them get started in cultivating it and oversee planting. Explain how often their gardens will need to be weeded, watered, fertilized and so on and schedule regular times when you be around to help them out if you are needed.
5. Buy them an age-appropriate illustrated book about gardening so that they can learn about plants when they need something to do indoors.
6. Set specific days and times for family gardening —perhaps early evening and a weekend morning—and adhere to this schedule as much as possible. Children will enjoy gardening more when it becomes part of their routines, and having specific times gives them something to look forward to on a regular basis.
7. Let the kids make picture stakes to place beside each row of vegetable or flowering plants so they’ll know what to expect as plants mature.
8. Make a calendar and have children decorate it with pictures of plants in their gardens. Add notes about when their plants were planted, when they need to be watered, fertilized and weeded and when they should mature on the appropriate days.
9. Suggest ways that children can turn plant harvests into gifts for friends and other family members, such as drying fruits and vegetables for winter use.
10. Invent games you can play while gardening such as who can pull the most weeds in the least amount of time, and give small prizes for winning.
When you get the kids involved in gardening make certain to give plenty of praise and encouragement to young gardeners. Gardening should be an activity that is fun and enjoyed, not one to dread!
