Gardening is great time for children to spend time in useful way. Allowing children to cultivate their gardens is a smart way to teach them responsibility and creativity. However, there should be some fun part so children can love what they do and enjoy the process. This blog highlights some easy ways to make gardening fun for your children.
Start small
You may begin by going for easy-to-grow flowers like marigolds, sunflowers, and dandelions. However, if it is the first time your kid will be gardening, you should first get them acquainted with easy tasks such as putting fresh soil on flowers and raking or watering them. Engaging your kids in these small tasks will show them how to assume responsibility while boosting their confidence.
Expose them to nature
Based on research, only one out of five kids have some form of connection with nature. In an era where fewer children show interest in stepping outside, finding a way to reconnect kids back to nature is essential. One smart way to get kids involved with nature is by taking them outdoors to somewhere new.
Getting dirty is smart
Gardening helps children get their hands dirty in a safe and serene environment. Get them involved in pulling out weeds, digging holes, and the like. Ideally, you could buy children gardening tools to encourage them to pick gardening as a hobby.
Begin with the uninteresting part
Gardening can be tedious, so you need to begin with these aspects before delving into the tricky part. Some of the boring topics you could start with include checking soil conditions, site analysis, and observing sunlight. Before planting can be done, you need to ensure that every environmental condition is met.
Give them functions
If children are not guided, they may never begin gardening. Ensure you assign roles to them and do what you can to make them interesting. You could let one handle the vegetables while the other deals with flowers if you have two kids. Also, teach them how frequently they should water and inspect plants. Assigning roles makes kids want to keep track of their progress and ensure they always come back.
Reward them
Kids love a little pat in the back here and there, and this is not an exception in gardening. Find a way to praise them and reward them constantly. Gardening can become boring if there is no incentive, and this is why you need to come up with creative ways to reward their progress.
Train them
While the main aim of teaching your kids gardening may not be to become horticulture experts, getting relevant knowledge shouldn’t hurt. You could organize training sessions for your kids on simple things like equipment handling.
Conclusion
Gardening could be fun if you do it the right way, especially if kids are involved. You can make gardening fun by rewarding your kids, exposing them to nature, starting with the easy stuff, and assigning roles to them.