Getting the next generation of gardeners outdoors and in contact with nature will teach them so much about growing and nurturing.
Making gardening fun and entertaining will inspire the little ones and may instil a lifelong passion.
There’s not much better than eating freshly harvested crops that you’ve grown at home.
David Domoney
Kids can immerse themselves in the garden, marvelling at the sights, smells, textures and tastes of the plants that are growing around them.
They will be fascinated by watching fruit and veg grow and being able to eat it at the end, which is an added bonus. There’s not much better than eating freshly harvested crops such as peas, carrots, apples, strawberries and raspberries that you’ve grown at home.
Gardening with kids is also a great release of energy, allowing them to be free and safe outdoors and get a bit of exercise in too.
Not only is gardening an excellent way to exercise and give your whole body a workout, but it’s great for your mind as well. Being out in nature improves your wellbeing by reducing stress and increasing relaxation, and we’re never too young to give our mental health a boost to help us feel happier and more positive.
Spending time as a family in the garden together and encouraging the kids to play, have fun and use their imaginations will create many happy memories as well as teaching them about the life that survives in the garden and how to nurture and care for nature.
There are plenty of practical ways to get the kids interested in the garden, and learning whilst they’re at it:
- One of my family’s favourite activities for the kids is to give them an old wheelbarrow or large container and give them free rein to plant in it whatever they like and let their imaginations run wild to create a wonderland using plants, leaves, stones and toys. Whether they want to create a fairy woodland or a Jurassic jungle, there's an opportunity for the children to get really creative.
- Giving kids the responsibility to nurture their own section of the garden will teach them to care for their space and make it look exactly how they want it, not to mention the huge sense of achievement and joy they will feel when they see their mini-garden blooming.
- Let them copy you! We know kids like to act like grown-ups, so get them their own mini tools and gloves and let them mimic what you’re doing out in the garden, whether they’re following behind you with a toy lawnmower or potting up a plant.
Get outdoors with the kids and get them gardening, after all, they are the gardeners of the future!
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