Getting children interested in gardening can be very fulfilling. These easy gardening activities for kids can help children can learn about the environment and the importance of caring for living things. It will also keep them fit by having lots of fresh air and doing physical activity which is fun at the same time.
What your child can do in the garden depends on their individual abilities. Below are some kids gardening activity ideas you could try.
1. Help water the garden
Children love water. They like to splash around and get wet in general, so why not give them the hose and let them water the garden? Watering plants is one of the easiest ways form children to help in the garden.
Children enjoy watering flowers and plants, especially when they have their very own watering can. There are many different watering cans that you can buy. Many are cheap, but still cheerful and do the job well.
Help your child to water the plants by showing them how to do so; not too much water, try to avoid the leaves and so forth. This will teach children about how plants need to drink to grow but also about how fragile they can be if they don’t have enough/too much. This is a very easy activity even for the very young child: just make sure to teach them about water conservation.
Fun watering cans for kids
2. Digg before planting
Digging is another garden activity kids seem to adore!
If you’ve got a flower bed to dig out, ask your child to join in! Assign them a space which is appropriate for them, so they don’t hurt themselves.
Show them how to dig up the soil and let them enjoy getting messy and being ‘helpful’.
As your child is doing the digging you can explain to them why you are doing it and what will happen.
Make sure you have the right tools for your kids. If you have littles, get a special garden tool kit for kids: they are size appropriate and colorful, making it more fun for the child to help.
3. Help plant
Planting plants may be a challenging process for a young child, but you will know if your child is able to help you with this gardening activity or not.
Show them what to do and why you are choosing a certain space/depth in the flower bed. Your child can help you by bringing you the next plant, and even put the plants into the ground and gather the soil up around them.
This will give your child a sense of achievement as they will see the end result and get to watch the flower grow.
Here’s a fun gardening project to do with the kids: grow square watermelons.
4. Help weeding
Weeding is not a particularly enjoyable activity for us adults but this doesn’t mean children won’t enjoy it!
Be sure that you explain to your children which plants are weeds and how to identify them. If your child needs to wear protective gloves then make sure that they keep them on and understand why.
Kids Gardening Gloves
JustForKids Soft Jersey Kids Garden Gloves
You could run a little competition to see who can pull the most weeds in the shortest time.
Children may also be able to help with dead-heading and sweeping up of leaves, all activities which help to tidy up our gardens and make them look nicer. Seeing a tidy garden they helped weed will help your child see that hard work pays off.
5. Harvest vegetables
There’s nothing more exciting for a child than getting in the garden and helping to harvest fresh veggies. Involving them in gathering the ripe veggies will teach them how food grows, and if they participated in planting them, they’ll be more inclined to eat the vegetables, too.
6. Pick flowers to make bouquets
Most kids are inclined to pick flowers they find along the road. Why not ask them to make a bouquet for a neighbor or a friend?
Show them the proper way to pick each type of flower, and maybe even teach them how to mix the different colors and shapes to create a beautiful and unique flower arrangement.
7. Collect things
Engage your child in collecting various items to add to your garden. It could be looking for specific stones for your rockery, or wood for making a bird table. This will keep children occupied for some time as they look around the local park or even in your own garden to see if there is anything appropriate.
Gardening may seem like an adult activity, but there is no reason why children cannot enjoy it too. You must always ensure that your child has appropriate tools for their age and that you supervise them as sometimes gardening can lead to accidents if children are left to their own devices. But always find some activity your child can help with in the garden. They’ll have fun, and learn a new skill for later 😉
