**Collaborative post**
It’s an easy thing to use the old ‘kids these days only use devices and stay inside’ argument, but it’s not hard to see that this is actually where the trend is headed. It’s not some crazy declaration to make. Many of us, who have memories of going outside, falling over, getting injured, might see that something sad has been lost. Aside from the injuries, of course.
A healthy childhood always includes exposure to nature and the outside environment. You might wish to foster this in the healthiest way possible. A great idea is to have your children help you with your gardening efforts. Who knows, if this takes, they might start to develop their green thumb early. This way they can learn the value of hard work, creativity, of being in touch with nature and staying patient. If it doesn’t stick, at least they won’t be glued to the gaming console inside.
But how can you healthily introduce your children to this utmost of healthy activities without forcing them, as this only seems like a punishment from their view?
Here are a few ideas to consider:
Highlight Fun & Safety
One thing that runs through the mind of a child when you ask them to help with the gardening – chores. This is why it’s important to put an emphasis on fun, safety, and learning in order for them to understand that gardening isn’t simple menial work, but something we can all enjoy. For example, you might frame it as them learning how to grow their own planet. Showing them how to plant the seed in a pot, helping them come and water it each day and also helping them transition it into the garden soil when it grows a little bigger can be a big deal for them because it’s personal and it’s exciting. Highlighting fun and safety like this can be a big draw. It helps them emotionally connect to the nurturing requirements necessary when tending to any green space. And that matters.
Also, show them what you are doing. Show them how you plan to grow vegetables, or perhaps a drawing you’ve made of how your flower beds will look, and show them how, over the weeks and months, your practical dreams become reality.
Bring Them To The Gardening Centre
Gardening centres can be a tremendously fun day out, even for non-gardeners. It might not seem like that on the surface, but it is, especially when hoping to stoke the wonder of a child. Gardening centres can be small, humble operations, and they can also be large corporate entities. It can be worth visiting both, but often the larger centres will have a few interesting things to enjoy. For example, they might also house a pet centre in which bunny rabbits, koi fish, gerbils and all kinds of diverse life can be found and looked at. Seeing a seahorse for the first time can be a big deal, for example. Not only that, but these large gardening centres will often have textured gift shops, perhaps showing world music or other interesting implements. It can simply be a nice day out to experience with your children.
Don’t conduct all of your shopping online. It robs you of that natural exploration you might have with your child, poking around the implements you might purchase and discussing them. This is a great first step.
Watch Gardening Shows
Wildlife and gardening shows are tremendous in showing just how wonderful the outdoors is, just how incredible and diverse landscaping can be. Children’s imaginations are usually on fire at a young age, so it’s important to show them just how and why you might enjoy this. Getting involved in a show together, depending on what is available in your country, could be a great idea. Some other shows can stand the test of time. For example, Planet Earth and Planet Earth 2 are perhaps the greatest television shows ever produced. Getting into one of these together can help the child spurn a real interest in the natural world.
Of course, just try to be careful when trying to watch these wildlife shows, as sometimes they can show animals hunting in quite vivid detail. But many normal domestic-led gardening shows will not have this problem and should help your child inspire a return to your own green space.
Outfit The Garden
To help your child remain interested in gardening, you first need to get them into the garden. The tips above can often be a great help, but it can also be worthwhile to consider what a child may wish to interact with. For example, a basketball hoop around the back of your garage, a soccer ball and goal posts, a trampoline, their own bike and area to ride, and much more could potentially help them view the garden as the natural place to play. This can help them stay away from the pull of their game console and get some great exercise in. This can also give you a great chance to implement beautiful garden furniture you might want. Then, as you work on your garden at the weekends, you can show them what you’re doing and encourage them to answer questions about the entire process. It’s a fun way to bond with your child.
Encourage Their Design
It might be that you have plans for your garden. But forgoing at least a small percentage of that to encourage your child to design something on their own terms can be a wonderful thing to consider. For example, you might have decided what vegetables you would like to implement in your veg patch. But you have a little space free. So perhaps asking your child what they would like to grow, out of a list of items you could realistically nurture, could help them feel a connection to the garden. The same could be said for certain flower breeds. A little patch of their own can be a long way in helping them feel connected to this space.
With this advice, we hope you find it much easier to introduce your children to gardening.
