Children love exploring new horizons, and it is our duty as parents or seniors to guide and offer a definite shape to their interests. Talking about hobbies, we bet most kids love being outdoors, which makes gardening an ideal choice! If your kids have similar likings, you can teach them the basics of gardening like how to grow a plant. After all, which kid doesn't like digging soil and getting dirty? This can be your chance to help your kid master new skills and have a good time while enhancing his confidence level and sensitiveness. We will include a few DIY activities in our blog that are very popular with kids, especially the younger ones.
DIY Grow Kit
Gardening hobbies can create fun and memorable experiences for your child. Following are a few points why we believe, if you teach children about plants & gardening, it can do wonders in your child's development process.
● Provides early morning sunlight exposure and open air.
● Offers fun and exciting opportunities for gardening skill learning.
● Encourages them to learn about fruits, vegetables, and plants in general.
● Chances are your kid might take an interest in eating vegetables and fruits.
Now that we know how beneficial gardening for kids is, efforts should be taken to make the activity enjoyable. DIY Grow Kit is one way to make your kid take the required interest in gardening practice.
For instance, your kid hates salad (don't worry, you are not alone here!). You can give him this salad grow kit and offer some initial guidance on how to take the planting matters in his hand. The DIY gardening kit is an ideal gift for your kid as it comes with a thorough grow guide or manual and everything you will need to start kitchen gardening. It makes the learning process a lot easier.
You can inform children about different plants like tomatoes, peppers and lettuce during this process. You can also teach them about:
● Which crop grows in which season?
● Watering and other growing requirements of different plants.
● Plant diseases and ways to prevent them.
Other learning's include:
● Builds sensory development
● Encourages healthy eating
● Increases responsibility and patience
● Assists in exploring new educational topics
● Improves social skills
Making gardening a fun activity!
A great way to teach a kid anything is to make him believe that you are playing with him. Therefore, it is essential to tailor-make the activity to a kid's level. We cannot talk less about the benefits gardening as a hobby can render to your kids.
We have crafted a cheat sheet you can use to create perfect kid's gardening activities and get them interested in gardening.
● Ensure the process/activity is simple to understand.
● Offer your child his own planting space. It doesn't have to be big; you can give him a pot for the starter.
● This tip is for parents who have two or more kids; you can ask the eldest one to design the garden (if you have a single child, you can take this responsibility into your hands).
● Include light-weight gardening tools that your kids can easily access and use.
● Ask them to dig; trust us, kids love that!
● Start with planting plants that your kid might be interested in, such as sunflowers, tomatoes, carrots and more.
● Divide planting areas according to the plant growth. For instance, you can grow tomatoes in pots if you have less space.
● Flower gardening is an exciting choice to teach kids. With it, you will tell them about butterflies and ladybirds that will be attracted to flowers.
● Build a scarecrow, because why not?
● Install water storage for birds to drink and bath.
● Make visits to the nearest organic farm to explore more gardening ideas with kids.
Encourage kids to eat more greens!
Many parents suffer through this issue at some point in their parenthood. It is not wrong to say that the animosity between children and greens is worldwide. However, vegetables and fruits aid a ton in the child development process. We all know about the animosity and the benefits. But do you know how to excite kids about eating vegetables?
It can be achieved by carefully planning the gardening activity. For instance, you want your child to eat salads. You can include tomatoes, cucumber, tomatoes, bell peppers, leafy vegetables like spinach, and more that can quickly grow in smaller areas. Meanwhile, you can make the process qualitative by informing your kid about each vegetable. Here is the list of health benefits for the mentioned plants, which you can tell your kids.
● Tomatoes: Tomatoes contain two vital nutrients that are important for strengthening bones: calcium and vitamin K. Another essential nutrient found in tomatoes is vitamin A, an elixir for good eyesight.
● Cucumber: It is a vegetable loaded with vitamin A, B6, C, E, K, thiamin, niacin, and folate. Most importantly, cucumbers are heavenly for kids who don't like drinking water. It helps your kid to stay hydrated. It is an excellent option to boost your child's immunity, keeping him healthy and energetic.
Spinach: Is your child a Popeye fan? If so, he would already know spinach is a super food you require to beat those nasty villains and diseases. Eating leafy greens along with Vitamin C allows our bodies to absorb more iron. Besides this, it also contains vitamin K and polyphenols that promote healthy bones, blood, and cell function.
The bottom line!
No doubt, it is fun to teach kids about plants & gardening and it is healthy too. However, there are specific safety measures that you should implement in the learning process. These are:
● Selecting the right sized tool.
● Use organic fertilizers (not chemical ones which can be harmful for them)
● Watching over your kids when they are around water.
● Ensuring they are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized post gardening time.
Alongside gardening, you can include your children in supervised activities like mulching, weeding, and cooking. See if your kid's school has planting activities for the kindergarten program; if yes, ensure your kid is enrolled in it. This can do wonders in enhancing his awareness of his surroundings from a very initial stage of his life.
FAQs
How is gardening an enjoyable activity?
Gardening engages children in hands-on learning about nature, generating curiosity and responsibility as they look at plants growing. It provides sensory experiences, which help them learn patience and fill them with a sense of accomplishment when the plants they have planted bear fruits and flowers.
Why children should pick gardening as a hobby?
There are various benefits of making your child pick gardening as a hobby.
Educational: Gardening teaches children about plant life cycles and ecosystems.
Healthy Living: It encourages your little one to spend more time outdoors, reducing their screen time.
Life Skills: These skills make children more responsible and patient and help them learn teamwork.
Nutritional Awareness: This makes children interested in eating fresh and nutritious foods.
What is the best plant to grow for kids?
Sunflowers are excellent planting choices for kids because they grow easily, have large seeds that are easy to manage, and look beautiful. They also provide a sense of accomplishment to children as they grow tall. Cherry tomatoes are also a great option if you want to go for a fruit-bearing plant. By the end, your little one will have a tasty reward and it will also teach them the importance of food.
