The Benefits of Gardening for Children
Today, we’re going to talk about the benefits of gardening for children. Working in a garden, whether it’s planting seeds in a pot, helping care for a big outdoor garden, or even caring for a terrarium, has many positive benefits for children.
Not only do they learn interesting things about nature but they also have fun without realizing that they’re doing a job and acquiring responsibilities. Below, discover the benefits of gardening for children.
Benefits of gardening: it involves all the senses
When you choose gardening activities for your children, they do various tasks that involve sensory play. For example, they touch dirt, causing clear physical sensations. Also, they pour some water on the soil and see the changes that occur. They see the plants and flowers grow or they grow a vegetable that they can eat and discover how it tastes.
If you set your mind to it, it’s very easy to incorporate sensory play into gardening.
Gardening promotes healthy eating
If your child doesn’t like fruits and veggies, it’s a great idea to try planting and growing some in your garden. Let them see how it’s planted and cared for and how it grows. Your child will be so proud of growing food that they’ll be excited to taste the fruit of their labor.
You can encourage them to try the vegetable or fruit directly from the plant after washing it or ask them to help you make a dish with it. It could become their new favorite food!
Improves the development of fine motor skills
We’re talking about things that range from picking tiny seeds to pulling weeds and taking care of their plants. Gardening encourages the development of fine motor skills.
Gardening helps children think about scientific concepts
They may wonder things such as “What makes leaves green?” “What do plants need to grow?” “How much water do plants need?” Thus, it’s possible to explore science with them while you’re gardening together. This shows once again that learning can be fun.
Gardening fosters family unity
Are you looking for a great family activity? Gardening is the answer! The bigger the number of people who work together, the faster you’ll get the job done. Gardening can be a lot of work, which is why doing the job together as a family makes it easier and a lot more fun.
Increases the sense of responsibility
Plants require a lot of care. Forgetting to water them could make them dry out and eventually die. In addition, you have to pay attention and see if the plant thrives in direct or indirect sunlight, as this can also affect the health of the plant. Learning to care for plants properly teaches children responsibility.
Helps children learn to organize and plan
Some plants grow best at certain times of the year. Also, others thrive if you place them next to other specific plants. Some plants grow well in rows while others, such as wild flowers, thrive if you spray them with water.
Gardening is an opportunity to talk to your children. For example, you can discuss the best way to help the garden grow through planning and organization.
Once you finish planting, as a family, you have to decide who’ll take care of the plants every day, who’ll water and monitor them, how the sun affects them, and when the right time to plant more is.
More benefits of gardening: it develops math skills
You have to know specific things, such as how many seeds can be planted in each pot or in each row of an orchard. Also, how many seedlings can fit in each garden or how much water each pot needs. Thus, math is a big part of gardening that children will practice without even realizing it.
Helps build patience
A plant needs days or even weeks to grow from a seed. Therefore, gardening is a great way to build patience. The best way, without a doubt, because waiting and patience in gardening yields good results.
Also, gardening with children is a rewarding activity. Thus, it’s a great idea to start your own urban garden, a garden in your terrace or balcony, or simply plant several flower pots in any of your windows.
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- Carmen Sáez. (2013). Jardinería para niños (Mi primer libro de…). Susaeta.
