You may not think it, but your garden is a pretty inspiring place to be for kids. Yes, it may be tricky to tear them away from their devices or getting the energy to go outside, but once you’re out there you will soon reap the rewards. Gardening young encourages a rewarding hobby that’s for life and it has many benefits for young children.
Here’s our top 5 reasons why kids should be encouraged into gardening:
1. Teaches children to be patient
While gardening is fun, you don’t necessarily get the results that you’re after straight away. Think about growing from seed – it can take time for the seeds to germinate and start to grow.
It’s not about the instant gratification, it’s more about the long-term gain of those plants starting to grow and flowering or producing something to harvest. It’s good to teach them from an early age, that famous phrase of: “Good things come to those who wait”.
2. Encourages kids to learn more about nature
It’s good to teach children young about the importance of nature and how to care for the environment around them, and, by getting them out in the garden, they’ll be surrounded by an abundance of nature to take a look at.
They can learn about pollinating insects and just how important they can be when growing in the garden. If they start to appreciate their surrounds, then as they grow up, they will be more prone to care for their surrounding environment.
3. Gets them active
Kids love the dirt, so it shouldn’t be too hard to prize them outdoors away from distractions indoors. It’s also a great way for families to spend time, have hobbies together and work on a joint project. Gardening isn’t always particularly easy, especially when there is lots of bending, digging and planting involved.
4. Good for their health
Getting out in the garden is good for anyone’s health, but in particular for kids. Having some regular sunshine (although make sure that they have sun protection) will do wonders for their Vitamin D levels. It will also help with their mental health, particularly having a positive effect on ADHD, depression and anxiety.
5. Gives them some responsibility
It doesn’t stop once the seeds are sown, or plants put into the ground. In order to thrive, plants need attention to ensure that they’ve got the best chance possible of growing, and nothing hindering this process. It’s important to complete general maintenance tasks, like watering and weeding, and will help give your little ones a sense of achievement, when the plants start to flourish.
