The Benefits Of Gardening With Your Children
Everyone knows that being outdoors is good for your health, and most will known that planting flowers and caring for your plants can be very therapeutic. But did you know that gardening also have amazing developmental benefits for children too?
Gardening offer amazing opportunities for children to play, learn and grow all in one place!
Here are just some of the reasons why you should get out in the garden with your little ones…
Encourages Healthy Eating
Many parents understand how hard it can be to get children to eat fruit and veggies, especially as they’re so vital for brain and body development. But, if they grow their own they will start to gain a sense of pride in what they are eating as it is what they have nurtured and created. In turn, it helps emphasise the importance of healthy eating and they will begin to love eating all those homegrown fruits and vegetables.
Enhance their fine motor skills
As children grow they develop important motor skills which then help them improve their academic skills such as writing and cutting. Digging the dirt, placing seeds in pots and watering all make use of their fine motor skills and help strengthen them without even realising.
Introduce Science & Maths
Gardening is such a fantastic way to introduce the world of science and maths; from measuring the soil to planting their first seed, children become curious about what happens next and begin to monitor the progress each day. As a result they are learning basic steps of the scientific process, and as they get older they begin to understand the impact of sunlight and water on the growth of a plant – a science lesson at home!
Fosters Family Bonding
Spending time with family in the garden planting your flowers and vegetables is a great way to bond. It can also lead to working together to make meals using the vegetables they have grown.
Teaches Responsibility
Gardening can be a great way to teach children responsibility, they learn the need to take care of the seeds each day for them to be able to grow into healthy plants.
Teaches Patience
Children are very much used to immediate gratification but with gardening being a slow process they have to learn to be patient and wait for the flowers and vegetables to grow. The waiting makes the moment the flower or vegetable sprouts much more exciting!
Plants
- Choose plants and flowers that offer instant impact
- Choose seeds that can be planted straight into the ground, and germinate quickly with bright coloured flowers.
Vegetables
- Little ones love seeing vegetables grow, so look for young plants!
- Cress, radishes and lettuce grow quickly so are great ones to start with
