Did you plant a garden this summer? Now is a great time to teach your kids how to garden! However, there is a lot about gardening that can be boring, such as weeding or watering all the vegetables. Here is some advice on how you can make gardening fun for kids while also teaching them how to do it.
Let Them Get Dirty
Kids are always looking for an excuse to get dirty. They’ll love gardening because it lets them play in the dirt without upsetting you! Set aside special clothes and shoes for gardening, and explain to them that gardening is one of the only times where it is actually okay to play in the dirt. Maybe you can even get them to help wash their clothes afterward!
Give Them Gardening Space
If your children have a designated part of the garden that they’re responsible for, it will be much easier to teach them how to do it. Ask them to choose the plants that they want to grow, and give them a chance to tend to their plants on their own as you explain to them what to do. Whenever you go outside to work on your part of the garden, you can give them a task to do in their own space. Knowing that a part of the garden is theirs to take care of, it will motivate them to learn. This is especially true once they begin to understand how their hard work is actually helping their garden grow.
Start Plants from Seed
Before you start the garden outside, consider starting some plants from seed indoors before you begin planting outside. While it could still be fun buying plants from the garden center, you lose a part of the process when doing so. Helping kids grow plants from seed is fascinating and also educational. They’ll feel a sense of accomplishment because they will understand that they helped the plant grow. This will motivate them to care for the garden once they do start helping you outside.
Have Them Choose Their Own Tools
Gardening tools don’t have to look boring. By letting them choose their own, you can make the process so much more interesting for them! Buying watering cans, small shovels, and other tools that are colorful will help make them feel excited to learn all about gardening. This will also give them a chance to take ownership of their own gardening space because they’ll be eager to use their new tools.
Starting a garden can be an educational project for your children, as long as you make it fun! By giving them a chance to play in the dirt, letting them choose their own plants, and educating them in an engaging way, they will be happy to learn! Not only that, but gardening will give them a new appreciation for the food they eat and also for the world around them.
Looking for other activities to keep your kids busy this summer? Here are a few Summer Activities For Kids to keep them from bugging you all summer long.