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 motivation to go outside, but once you’re out there you will soon reap the rewards. Gardening when young inspires 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. Gardening teaches children to be patient
While actively gardening is fun, you don’t necessarily get the results 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 enjoyment of creating the conditions for plants to grow and then flower or produce a tasty harvest. It’s good to teach kids that famous phrase: “Good things come to those who wait”.
2. Gardening encourages kids to learn about nature
It’s good to teach young children about about the importance of nature, life cycles and ecosystems. How everything is linked and how we can all take steps to help nurture and care for the natural environment around us. 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, not only in the garden but to the natural world in general. If they start to understand and appreciate their surroundings from a young age, they will be more prone to care for their surrounding environment as they grow.
3. Gardening gets them active
Kids love the dirt, and the space in which to be free and express themselves, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get them outdoors away from distractions and constraints of being indoors. It’s also a great way for families to spend time together, participate in hobbies and exercise together. Gardening can be a great way to burn off some energy, especially when there is lots of bending, raking, digging and planting involved.
4. Gardening is good for their health
Apart from the exercise, getting out in the garden is good for everyone’s health, but in particular for kids. Growing and picking your own fruit and vegetables is the best encouragement for kids to explore and enjoy a whole world of new and exciting varieties bursting with deliciously fresh flavours and vitamins.
Having some regular sunshine (although make sure that they have sun protection) will do wonders for their Vitamin D levels. Studies have shown it will also help with their mental health, particularly having a positive effect on ADHD, depression and anxiety.
5. Gardening gives them some responsibility
It doesn’t stop once the seeds have been sown. A garden, it's ecosystems and the plants in it need to be nurtured to ensure that they’ve got the best chance possible of growing, and there is nothing to hinder this process. It’s important to complete general maintenance tasks, like regular watering and weeding. This ongoing attention will help give your little ones a real sense of purpose and achievement, when the plants start to flourish, flowers bloom and crops ripen.
