5 brilliant benefits of gardening with children

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There are many things parents do with their children to help them develop physically and mentally. From many indoor activities to ones you can all enjoy and benefit outside as a family, there is a wide offer you can choose from. One of them is gardening.

Gardening with children not only provides a great way of connecting them with nature but it also creates a healthier environment for them. While we are surrounded by new media every second of our lives, it’s important to limit the devices in their life and take them outdoors to nature as much as possible. Here are some reasons why gardening is great for the children and how it positively affects their development.

Gardening with children creates family time

We are all busy with work and then tired when we come home. Basically, we use our last strength to give our children quality time and affect their development to the maximum. Gardening is an activity that is good for you and your children at the same time.

While teaching them how to plant and prepare the soil, you will also relax and let go of stress. This will give you a quality family time you can even do on regular basis. The memories of your time together and fruits of your work will make you and your children bond more and work on your relationship.

It teaches them about healthy foods

Processed food and incorrect diet are the number one causes of obesity among children. Even though schools try to keep up with improving the food offer, in the end, it all comes down to whether your child will choose it or not.

If you show them how the food is grown and teach them to do it themselves, they could learn the importance of healthy diet. Additionally, they will always remember how they grew a certain vegetable or fruit and have a positive association with them in the future.

It teaches them responsibility

Gardens require maintenance in order to grow and be healthy. This means that once you plant everything, you will have to take care of it. This includes fertilization, watering and weeding, which can be more frequent during summer. Showing children how to use the garden watering system for irrigation should be one of the first things you teach them when planting is finished.

This is a unique opportunity to teach them responsibility for their actions and how to value their efforts. Your kids also invested time and care in the gardening process. By assigning them to care for irrigation, you will show you trust them and believe in them to be responsible for at least one task alone.

It  influences their motor development

Manual work like digging the holes and placing seeds in them, then watering the spot, in the end, will help your child’s motor development. If your child is very small, buy them gardening set at the toy store and designate one area of the garden where they will mimic what you do. This will give them enough space to move and do the tasks. In addition, you can later check if they did it okay and make corrections where needed for guaranteed success.

It teaches them to care for the environment

Maybe one of the most important things we can teach our kids today is to care for the environment. With ongoing disasters happening all over the world, it should probably be an imperative for every family. It regards their future after all and we have the responsibility to show them how to care for the environment.

Through gardening, the children learn that they need to care for the planet in order to grow healthy and amazing plants. It will also make them more interested in the outdoor activities which will help you take them hiking in nature as a family more often.

Final thoughts

When we were kids, we liked to collect leaves, roll on the grass and climb the trees. Every animal we spotted was a wonder to us and made us ask our parents a million questions a day about nature and its laws. Today, children spend a lot of time on smartphones and tablets, as well as TV screens and start losing the bond they should have naturally form with the environment.

Gardening is the first step in allowing them to get to know the amazing things in nature and learn to care for it. This will teach them responsibility, keep them in the fresh air, active and curious about the world. It will build a fine foundation for them to expand their knowledge and interests, and maybe even find a new hobby in the future.  Want to get your little ones gardening? Here are some handy tips for gardening with children.

Author bio: Hannah Thomas is a gardening and home décor enthusiast. Garden is the place where she feels most comfortable, that’s why there are always a lot of books and empty coffee cups on the back porch.  Always learning, exploring and smiling.

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