Gardening can be a fun hobby, a way to save (and make) money, and an important life skill. It’s also an important way to interact with the natural world, especially considering more and more time is spent indoors interacting with technology. If you want to get your kids out enjoying and learning in the dirt, then these tips will help you out.
1. Make It Fun
To get kids into the habit of gardening, you need to make it fun. Treat gardening almost like playtime and let them experiment with their little plots of dirt. Once they have been at it for a couple of weeks, then you can start teaching them more complicated and regimented gardening skills.
2. Make Gardening Year Round
If you only undertake a gardening project for part of the year, then your kids may forget most of the skills learned once the season ends. It may also be difficult to motivate them to get back in the garden. Consider year-round planting to create a yearround-harvest.
3. Build Confidence By Growing Herbs
Herbs are one of the easiest plants to grow and pretty hard to stuff up. They can also handle a variety of weather conditions. Therefore, it's recommended you chose some to start off with, such as basil and rosemary. You want to assure your kids’ first growing endeavors turn out successful so that they stick to it. For more advice on which plants are easy to grow, check out mygardeningnetwork.com.
4. Make The Kids The Owners
You want your kids to feel in control of their own garden rather than merely playing a part in an adult’s garden. They should help create ideas for what should be in the garden, should play a big part in the construction, and should be responsible for ongoing maintenance. Don’t do all the work for them.
5. Mix Long Term Projects With Instant Gratification
If your kids’ plant seeds and then have nothing much to see until they sprout, boredom can quickly set in. Give them something to do in the meantime, such as a sunflower to water. This will get them back in the garden every day and prevent them from losing interest.
6. Take Kids Shopping And Let Them Pick Their Own Plants
A good way to create a bond between your kids and their garden is to let them pick their own plants or flowers. Similar to picking a pet, this will give them a lifeform that is theirs to look after. This will also help foster the feeling of ownership even more.
7. No Yard, No Problem
If you don’t have a yard, then you can still grow. Many plants can grow in large pots placed on a veranda, porch, or windowsill. Plastic containers can also be used. You should still be able to grow plants such as tomatoes, greens, and herbs.
Gardening is a great past time that kids are likely to love once they are eased into it. Now is the time to assign some plots of lands and get the kids growing their own plant life. Just remember to make it fun for the children and slowly build up their gardening confidence.