As the days get warmer and the sun gets brighter, our thoughts turn to dirt and all things garden. Our thumbs are only the lightest shade of green, but we love nothing more than a freshly-picked tomato from our own garden. We grew up gardening, and we had a connection with the earth. But it seems today’s kiddos are more urban and less … well … dirt-loving. However, you can inspire your kids to get down and dirty in the garden, and back to nature, with these handy tips:
Know your audience
If your little one loves flowers, let him help you plant your hanging baskets. If your little lass thinks worms are where it’s at, show her how worms help the garden grow. Get them excited about small gardening activities, and eventually they’ll want to help you with the big ones.
Act their age
Make sure you adapt activities to be age appropriate for your kidlets. Nothing turns a kid off more than being given something that is too hard, or too easy. If you have a toddler, get her digging in the dirt. But give your older kids the job of making rows, or putting the seedlings in. Just don’t be too picky on the straightness of the rows!
Share the plot
Let your little one choose what he wants in his garden, and engage him in the process. It’s also a great opportunity to get picky eaters excited about veggies … they may be more interested in that “icky” zucchini if they helped it grow.
Don’t bug them
Kids have an alarming affinity for bugs, so use this to your advantage. Teach them what the assorted bugs and worms contribute to the gardening process, from pollinating to aerating the earth. Plus, there’s a good chance your kid will be happier taking the slug out of your strawberries than you will.
Chores no more
We know that weeding sucks, but kids don’t. Make it a game, and keep chores short. Then go back to the fun stuff, like watering or picking fresh peas off the vine for a snack break.
We’re hoping our kids learn to love gardening so much they’ll soon want to do all the planting themselves. Which means we could supervise from our lawn chair while sipping a cold lemonade. Not that we would ever do that …
Yo, mama! Looking for other ways to engage your kids with the everyday chores around the home? Then you might like: