Gardening is a great activity for summertime and can be a beautiful bonding time for the family. While you may be totally convinced about this, your children might not agree. Well, you can’t blame them. Gardening can seem so difficult. To most children, it’s actually a chore.
The first day you tell your kids to join you, they’d oblige. But can you sustain the tempo? Can you build an interest that will make them rush to the garden even when you’re not around?
Yes, you can.
If you’re looking for inspiration on how to attract and keep your kids interested in gardening, you are in the right place. Here are three simple but powerful things you can do that will change the game.
Ready?
Tips on how to keep your kids interested in gardening
Table of Contents
1. Start well
It is super important that you start on the right foot. You can’t keep your kids interested in gardening if they don’t find it appealing. So how can you increase its appeal to your kids?
First, pick a nice sunny spot with the right dirt. You don’t need a large yard to do this. A mini-garden close to your house is fine, as long as it’s neat and spacious. Pick the place, get two bags of soil and you’re all set.
Next, pick the right plants that are not only interesting for your kids but also flourish with the climatic conditions of the environment. Planting pretty plants in bad soil will ruin the entire experience, don’t you think?
2. Use interesting plants
As earlier stated, you should plant interesting crops. So, you may be wondering, what are interesting crops? What crops will attract your kids?
It is recommended that you plant edible crops instead of ornamental flowers. This is more likely to attract the child because he/she is involved in the entire process. They will see when the seeds are buried. They will also watch as it progresses through various changes. They will simply love it!
When they eat or sell it, the entire journey will feel very satisfying and refreshing. So, they will likely want to do it again. This time, they will be more serious about tending it.
Ornamental flowers are good too if you show the kids an idea or a portrait of what you’re trying to achieve. This allows them to plant with a picture in their heads.
3. Give them their plots and tools
This may sound funny, but it actually works!
Have you ever noticed that your kids will destroy all the toys you buy for them, but will look after one they got by themselves? Yes, they do. Children look after what belongs to them, especially if it’s a sentimental gift or if they bought it with their savings.
So, give them that feeling of ownership. Map out their plots next to yours, and tell them that they are solely responsible for whatever grows on that plot. If possible, give them an incentive if they do a good job. That way, they’d want to preserve what they own with tools that have their names written on them.
Conclusion
So, there you have it! Helping your kids cultivate an interest in gardening may not be as difficult as you think. You only have to put in the effort and make them feel like the boss.