Gardening can be a great hobby for kids and toddlers. Gardening makes the environment more productive and useful, benefiting the community. But it can also teach children various soft skills and values such as responsibility, perseverance, empathy, and more. It is very surprising for parents to know how such simple activities as gardening can do so much good for children.
Read this article thoroughly to learn more about how gardening can up-skill your children. Learn how gardening activities can help children mentally and physically, along with fun and simple ideas to encourage gardening and toddlers.
Gardening as a hobby can inspire kids as well as soothe them. Here are some general reasons that will help parents understand gardening better, along with how it is helpful for children.
Caring for a plant is like caring for a pet. Plants require their food and lots of positive energy to grow well. Toddlers must be empathetic and understanding about the plants, caring for them according to their habitat.
Children caring for plants more consistently will get better results than children not caring for their plants. Children will learn a sense of accomplishment along with a sense of responsibility and authority when caring for a plant. The more vigilant a child is about caring for the plant, the better the plant will grow, giving them the essence of accomplishment and understanding of their responsibility.
Here are easy and simple ideas that are fun for gardening activities to engage toddlers with. Please note that these activities are essential gardening activities, which can be made fun with various initiatives and encouragement from parents. Keep on reading for more.
It is very easy to grow saplings from seed. Toddlers can participate when the parents germinate saplings from various seeds in the kitchen. It can be like playing a game where the kids can choose pulses like chana or moong to grow a sampling from. It is a quick way to encourage children to grow different types of saplings and teach them how plants grow from little seeds.
If your garden has several types of flower beds. Make your toddlers go with you for flower cultivation and plucking. This activity can engage kids' various sensory feelings. It can be a good activity for toddlers to explore different textures and colors, feeling happy about plucking vibrant flowers.
Watering the plants can be a basic and exciting gardening activity for kids to explore with their parents. You can teach your toddler how much to water and what plants to water so that it becomes a habit for them to check up on their plants. Watering plants is similar to feeding the pets. Watering plants can make children attach to the plants as they will return to the plants every day.
Harvesting different types of vegetables and fruits from the garden at the end of the season can teach toddlers about different fruits and vegetables and encourage them to eat healthy from their garden. This activity is fun because it doesn't require much pressure or physical activity. Kids can easily feel happy about their collected fruits or veggies, similar to the treasure hunt game.
Leveling the soil before making any kind of harvest during the year is important. This activity is mostly concentrated towards adults, but kids can participate in the activity by jumping on the soil, making it equal, and having lots of fun. Jumping upon the soil, which needs to be leveled up for sowing seeds, can be a fun and innovative idea to make kids work and learn.
Here are some mental and physical benefits for children after gardening.
There are different benefits of gardening to the mental aspect of children as it helps them be more empathetic, understanding, caring, and responsible towards their plants. Children can find a safe place while gardening because it is a soothing activity that helps refresh the mind.
Various physical benefits of gardening include activeness, energy build-up, stamina, endurance, and more.
Now that you know how plants can be more functional and benefit kids when they are opting for gardening as a hobby, make sure you, as a parent, are helping your kid understand gardening better. Kids who learn to garden will be more empathetic, responsible and caring for nature and the environment better to make the earth's future more sustainable.