Creating a garden and growing plants and crops doesn’t have to be a one-person job, it is something which the whole family can get involved in! Not only is there a wide range of activities involved in gardening, but there are also so many benefits to introducing your kids or your grandkids to it as well.
Spending time together
During term time, with the rush of work, school, extra-curricular activities, and household chores, it might be difficult to find time to spend together as a family. However, if you’ve got a couple hours after work or school, or some free time on a weekend, go out to your garden or allotment and get a few gardening jobs done. If you’ve got younger kids, let them work on something small like watering the plants or deadheading flowers. For the older kids, they can help out with the bigger jobs such as digging, raking, and getting those tough weeds out. And make it fun for them! Put on some music and have a conversation, or even make a game out of it. Gardening isn’t just another chore, it is something for each family member to enjoy.
It’s educational!
In school, your kids are probably learning about the life cycle of a plant, but in a garden, they actually get to watch it with their own eyes. A garden provides a hands-on, experimental learning experience for kids, where they can witness and learn about the biological processes of plants and all about eco-systems. They can actually be immersed into the environment. And the best thing about it? Gardening doesn’t have to be another ‘class’ for your kids to attend. They probably already have their hands full at school, but when gardening, they will probably learn all this information without realising.
Getting creative
Children are known to have wild imaginations, so why not let them use it for your garden? With flowers and crops growing in every colour, shape and size, ask your kids which kind they would like to see grow. You could even give them their own little plot in your garden so they can plant their own seeds and bulbs. Teach them how to maintain them, then your kids can watch their own plants flourish.
There are so many things that you and your family can do together in the garden. From planting seeds to deadheading flowers, harvesting and enjoying the crops that you grow, the activities are endless.