Gardening with Kids: Making It Fun and Educational

Gardening has long been considered a therapeutic way of spending your time. By immersing yourself into nature, you're able to let go of the pressures of the real world. If you're one of the many people that find this kind of comfort during the gardening season, why not share it with a child?

Many reports have shown that when children participate in gardening not only does it help to build their self-esteem and social skills, but it also makes them more engaged in their environment as well. Children also can benefit by becoming excited about eating fresh fruits and vegetables, especially if they were involved in growing them!

In order to get children interested in gardening, here are some helpful tips to generate some excitement when it comes to spending time outdoors this spring and summer.

Kids love to get dirty
No matter how old they are, it seems that there is a natural attraction between children and dirt. Conveniently, gardening can be somewhat of a dirty process. Allow your child to have fun while digging holes for seeds to be planted and during weed pulling time. Let them enjoy their time outdoors, and feel free to join in along with them. After all, nothing can make you feel more like a kid then making mud pies outside!

Get Creative
When it's time to mark the rows of seeds that you've planted, let kids get creative with the row markers. Give them the empty seed packets and some wooden sticks along with other basic craft materials and have them design the row markers however they would like. Not only does this encourage them to be creative, but it also makes them feel like they have ownership in the new garden.

Plant fun fruits and vegetables
Kids are far more likely to be excited about eating the product of what they have grown if it looks like it would be fun to eat. Make sure to plant some cherry tomatoes and strawberries so that your children can easily collect them when it's time for picking. The bite sized fruits and vegetables aren't just fun to eat, but also nutritious as well!