Skip to main content

Five Reasons to Encourage Your Kids to Garden

For many older people today, some of their best memories involve doing things in the family garden. However, in today’s day and age, more and more kids are spending half of the summer sitting indoors, watching television or playing video games. While video games and even the internet play a large part in educating children today and helping them to develop into well-rounded adults in the modern world, it’s important to make sure that your little ones don’t miss out on some precious outside time.
Not only do kids who rarely get outside miss out on fun and games, a lack of contact with nature can also be hugely detrimental to a child’s health and well-being, leading to all kinds of problems including a weaker immune system and even a higher risk of mental health complaints. We’ve put together some of the top reasons why gardening is a great activity for kids.

Reason #1. It’s Fun:

Everybody knows that kids love to have fun, however, there are more ways to have fun than simply playing indoors! For many parents, it’s important that their child is able to have fun in a way that’s also educational and teaches them a lot at the same time. Many children, especially little ones and toddlers, absolutely love gardening since it means that they can get a bit messy as well – stomping around in the mud in their rubber boots, or rolling in the grass! In turn, your kids will also benefit from a strengthened immune system, as they’ll be coming into contact with the bacteria and various other substances found outdoors that will give their body a better chance of fighting off infections and disease.

Reason #2. Stay Active:

Any parent knows that it’s important for children to stay active. Childhood obesity is at an all-time high, and as a parent, you will already know that allowing your child to gain too much weight at this early point in their life can cause all kinds of health complications for them as they grow into an adult. Gardening is a fun way of getting some exercise, and certainly, provides energetic children with an outlet for getting rid of some of that pent-up energy. In turn, you’ll also be able to enjoy more peaceful nights, since your little ones will be tired out from all the digging, planting, and simply playing in the garden.

Reason #3. Learn Skills for Life:

Gardening isn’t just a fun and healthy activity for children to take part in, it can also be hugely educational for them, and teach them skills that will come in handy throughout their life. For example, you could start a project in your garden with your little ones where you plant your own vegetables, which can then be used for teaching them how to cook different meals. Even knowing how to plant and tend to a vegetable garden can come in really handy for your little ones in later life; they might continue doing it into adulthood, which will benefit both their health and their finances. And, spending time in the garden can also help your children to learn more about nature, such as how bees pollinate plants and why this is needed, or even how a plant grows from a seed with the right care.

Reason #4. Appreciation for the Environment:

Today, it’s more important than ever before to raise our children to become environmentally friendly citizens. With so much strain on the world’s natural resources at the moment, it’s essential that we teach the future generations to be eco-friendly and respect nature in all their decisions. For your children, spending more time in the garden can certainly help them to respect and understand nature more. In turn, as they grow up, they will hold nature in a higher regard and be more conscious about how they treat the natural environment.

Reason #5. Bond as a Family:

There’s something great about gardening in that it can lift moods, and bring people together. Spending time together in nature as a family is a wonderful thing, and it can surely help to strengthen your family bond and bring you all closer together. When you spend time with your children in the garden, tending to plants, digging the soil, cutting the lawn or even putting together greenhouse kits for planting more flowers or vegetables, it can be a fantastic bonding experience. You can learn new things from one another, and spend valuable quality time together as a family to make lasting memories.

Do your children love gardening? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Top Tips for Moms Taking Online Degrees

  Online degrees can often be the best option for moms who want to get back into education due to their flexibility and the wide range of subjects that there are available for them to study. However, online degrees are not always plain sailing, and to make sure that you can get the grade that you deserve, read on for some top tips for moms interested in taking online degrees.  Choose the Right Degree Choosing the right online degree is vital to your success. Picking a subject that you are passionate about and that you have a natural talent for will ensure that you can breeze through your course and ensure that you have the motivation to continue even when you do struggle. If you are looking for an online degree that is perfect for moms, a Bank Street Early Childhood Leadership certificate can help you to advance your career in teaching, build upon your previous qualifications, and allow you to get a career that can be easily juggled with the commitments of parenting.  Balance Family a

Liquid Chalk spray! Chalk Idea #7

Last week we tried out the fizzing sidewalk chalk- click here to read that review. This week it is liquid chalk spray.  They are a bit similar but yet different.  Here is how to make it: Supplies: 1 tsp. washable tempura paint 1 cup of hot water 1/2 cup of cornstarch squirt of dishwashing liquid 1 squirt bottle- I found them at the dollar store 1.  Add cornstarch to one cup of hot water whisking to mix so that there are no clumps. 2.  Add one teaspoon of washable tempura paint and a quirt of dishwashing liquid.  Mix well. 3.  Pour it into your squirt bottles and shake well. 4.  Go have fun!!!   This kept my daughters attention much longer the the fizzy chalk last week.  I also think this was easier to work with and just more fun in general.  I love seeing the chalk wet but then to see it dry.  I think it dried darker so it was fun to see the changes.  :)  Ready, Set, Go!  Have some fun! She is my little model... she kept saying "take my picture mom." She is like her

Toddler Rainbow Craft for St. Patricks Day

St. Patrick's day is March 17th so its approaching quickly.  I have a few ideas on art and food projects that i want to do with the kiddos.  Hopefully I will have enough time to complete them and share them with you.   This was a super easy one for those little hands.  I cut the stripes of colored paper but if you are working with a preschooler or school aged child then they can practice cutting.  The two toddler boys here only had to glue the pieces on their piece of paper.  EASY, but they enjoyed it!  :)  It sure has brightened my kitchen with them hanging on the fridge!  :)   I also talked more about the Promise God gave us with the rainbow since I know that history a whole lot better then the history of the Irish Holiday!