Gardening can teach children so many things and is there a better way to build a healthy immune system then out in the fresh air making mud pies and planting seeds!
Not only is the clean fresh air such a welcome break from screens and the indoors children will learn essential life skills from growing your own food but also patience and self confidence.
Encourages healthy eating:
Getting a toddler to eat fruit and veg sounds so simple…. until you have a toddler, and then it’s a whole new mammoth task that we never knew existed!!
Growing fruit or vegetables with your toddler and allowing them to care for their newly found strawberry plant or raspberry bush and BINGO! This is something your little person can really get excited about or buy into. They have watered it (likely too much on occasion) , cared for it and patiently watched your fruits grow and ripen then they have something they can really be proud of and share with family and friends. I’ve mentioned before in posts that I grew my first grapevine with my cousin when I was 3 and it’s still going 20 +.... Okay 30+ years ago. This peaks a whole new level of interest for children and they look at fruit differently and are excited to try new flavours and textures.
Responsibility:
Gardening teaches children about caring, caring for something which needs them to survive. Our plants need water, to be sheltered and to be potted on when they have outgrown their pots. Our children must take note of these needs, and factor in the weather so that they can water the plants accordingly. All of these things help children to look outside of their own needs. Gardening is also a commitment, we must care for our plants daily for them to grow and survive.
Self confidence:
What better way to build confidence and esteem then to give our little people the opportunity to achieve. when everything is water and grown, they will have an incredible feeling of self-confidence and empowerment
Sensory Development:
Gardening engages all sorts of senses and helps children to develop and recognize them without even realizing. They can feel the texture of soil, seeds, flowers and petals. They get to smell all the amazing flower scents and see all the colorful petals.
It also helps develop hand-eye coordination and builds physical strength. Gardening is quite physical and requires the body to work hard digging, carrying, lifting, sieving, watering etc.
As children garden, they develop important motor skills that will help them improve their academic skills such as writing, cutting and typing.
Insects and bugs
Gardening also allows children to delve into the world that lives below the soil: the one inhabited by wiggly worms, bugs and other insects. They can see spiders and bugs for themselves, and can also learn about the many different ecosystems.
National children's gardening week runs from May 28th - June 5th, 2022 what better way to celebrate then to get growing and planting some seeds this spring in our communities, now that our children can grow together again!