Gardening is a fantastic hobby for people of all ages. As the weather gets better, it’s a great way to encourage your children to get outside, do something active, and learn a new skill. You can also keep an eye on your kids while you’re gardening and bond with them as you both work together.
However, especially if you’ve got young children or children of different ages, it might be tricky to get things started.
Make it Fun
It’s wonderful to be able to share a hobby with your children, but it can be easy to take things too far. Kids learn best when they’re having fun, and they are motivated by the idea of having fun. If their parents push them too much, they can turn gardening into just another chore.
The balance between gardening as a hobby and as a chore can be hard to find, because to keep your garden going, you do need to get out there regularly and do work. If you’re trying to teach your children some responsibility by gardening, you might find yourself nagging them to constantly get out there. Or you might end up doing their gardening for them to keep their plants alive.
The trick is to garden with your kids. Use it as an opportunity to spend time with them and help them to learn about what they’re doing. Most children do actually enjoy learning, but you almost have to trick them into learning by framing it as a fun activity. Use this time to chat with your children as well, and don’t be afraid to treat them after the hard work has been done.
Age-Appropriate Tasks
One way to keep things fun is by giving your children tasks that are more appropriate for their age. You probably wouldn’t want to entrust pruning a prized tree to your toddler, but they can definitely help with the watering. Young children usually love getting involved with whatever their parents are doing, so find ways for them to help.
But what about older children? Technically, there’s no age limit for watering plants, but you can find more interesting things for them to do in the garden. This might include weeding your plots or even digging over a whole new plot. You can also entrust your older children to harvest your plants, letting them see why it’s all well and truly worth it.
Give Them Their Own Projects
Once your children have the basics down and they are developing an independent interest in gardening, you could allow them to have their own gardening plot and projects. This is a fantastic way to teach your children to take responsibility for something, because they will have to manage their garden.
While you should offer some advice and tips, try to leave the lion’s share of the responsibility to your child. Help them to dig out a plot or let them use a plot you’ve already dug out so they can get started.
You can also offer some suggestions for what to grow in their first plot or simply suggest that they do some research. They might choose to grow easy plants to start with, or they might grow something they enjoy eating or have simply never tried before. It’s up to them.
What if your children struggle with their plot or lose interest? Just like basically every aspect of parenting, there’s no simple answer for every child and every scenario. Some children just need some encouragement and a helping hand and they will get back into it. Sometimes you might have to let the plot fail or take over completely if they truly lose interest. There’s always next time.
Equipping Your Family With Proper Tools
One thing that can make gardening more frustrating is when you don’t have the right tools for the job. As your children get more invested in their gardening projects, you could get them their own tools.
You should also think about different tools for different tasks, so if you’ve asked one of your kids to tidy up the leaves in fall, consider investing in a blower to make things easier and more enjoyable. Of course, always make sure that your children know how to use the tools properly and safely so they don’t get hurt while working in the garden.
After all, the most important thing is that the tools they have make the job safer, quicker, and even more fun for your children.