Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
It has been researched and proven that kids who have a liking for gardening or those who indulge in gardening once in a while, score better in science and have healthier eating habits. Kids have a natural inclination towards gardening because of two major reasons, one being the curiosity to watch the process and the other being the inquisitiveness to see a new life springing from a seed.
Kids should start learning gardening as early as possible; and for this, you need to make sure that the activities and tricks of garden are interesting enough to engage them whole heartedly.
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Here we have some useful tips for you that are sure to motivate and inspire your kid to garden.
- Keep it simple
In order to make gardening safe for your kids, first choose what type of garden you would like to have such as herbs or vegetables and then work on it until and unless you have not perfected the art of gardening yourself. Large gardens should be handled with care because they are more difficult to handle due to invading weeds. Here in large gardens, getting rid of pokeweed is very important because it contains significant toxicity.
- Involve kids
Since, you are trying to make gardening fun for the kids, make sure to involve them in all the steps of planning. Engage them in a conversation about the design or location of the garden and crop-list or soil preparation needed for the garden. You need to show them how things are done but let them try, own it themselves and therefore, enjoy the entire process. Entrust them with the responsibility of maintaining the garden.
- Add Kid-friendly elements
Include raised beds, wide paths to walk through the garden, sunflower houses or flower tunnels that are sure to keep the kids motivated to be a part of the gardening process. Also, you can choose those plants which have interesting features, have a refreshing smell, and are fun to eat and look at, just to keep the kids engrossed in the process. You also need to remember to plant the crops that you don’t take much work and time so that the kids don’t have to spend all of their play time in the garden.
- Provide kid sized gardening tools
For the little hands, invest in kid sized tools such as watering cans, rakes and hoes and make enough provisions for all the kids. This will make them feel like they own the place and hence, they will wholeheartedly take the responsibility and invest themselves in the work. Children are also quite keen to try and consume the fruits and vegetables that they have themselves grown which will in turn build their liking for vegetables for a lifetime.
- Teach them the gardening nuances
Give them the right shoes and clothing. Let them use all of their senses to explore everything around them. Kids need to be taught when it is fine to taste or touch and when they need to consult the adult in the house. Make sure to teach them the basics such as where to walk and where to not, how to be safe with tools, their responsibilities in the garden and also the essence of team work in the entire process.
- Don’t be afraid of crawly critters
Inherently, the kids are not really afraid of crawly critters or bugs. They pick up this aversion to the caterpillars, spiders, insects, grubs and worms, from the adults in the house. You need to understand that all these creatures present in your garden are wondrous creatures that are an integral part of the ecosystem. Kids will normally be curious and amazed and generally not afraid to see these creatures in the garden.
When you are working with your kids, you need to be ready to answer all the unexpected questions that you are going to be bombarded with by your kids every now and then. Also, motivate your kids to share their gardening experiences with friends and family which will make the kids beam with the feeling of proud sharing their hard work stories. Lastly, you just need to make everything fun for the kids so that they enjoy and grow happily.
About The Author
I’m Ann, I have dedicated most of my life in gardening. This is a subject I enjoy the most. I have been a fan of flowers and plants ever since I was a kid. My blog: http://sumogardener.com
In about 2 months i can just buy those plastic garden sets LOL for my boy his still yo small and wont be able to do this soon but nice reading about it then when his old enough i have advice tips and fun things to do with him.
This topic I have no problem with as I enjoy gardening and so does my son. he keeps trying to grow things and wants to do a vegetable garden. I have taught him about cutting the tip of a carrot to grow and the onion. We also have mint and lavendar xxx
My son is afraid of dogs even the dog is too small his crying a lot when he sees a dog any where.
Thanks for these great tips. I really need to get my boy some of his own gardening tools. He will love that so much, thanks for the idea.
We can`t wait for weekends .Then it is our work and play time in the garden (bonding time).
My little one LOVES working in the garden with us.
She finds lots of little stuff to play with while.we are working.
She is very eager to help and all geared out with her own gardening set gloves and all.
That is so cute Chantelle – I agree kids love being outdoors and getting involved in the gardening. My kids are the same and they love watching the plants grow when we plant seeds.
This is helpful, but I always end telling her not to eat soil the entire time. How do I show her ways of not eating soil?
Oh dear! Both my kids did this too when they were toddlers and it drove me crazy. I just kept telling them not to do it and tried keeping their hands away from their mouths. But a little bit of sand is not the end of the world, just ensure that your kids are dewormed regularly!
My daughter loves this but not me I cant stand thinking about worms and stuff so I dont do it as much as I should but my daughter has a small garden and I water it sometimes.