A few weeks back we took a trip to a farm where we got a flowering plant and a strawberry plant as well. I told my children they were allowed to pick a plant each. So my four year old son chose a bright yellow flowering plant called Calendula, while his two year old sister picked a strawberry plant. Good choices right?
You can read about that trip here.
I saddled both of them with the responsibility of watering their plants each day. Plus they get really excited about doing it anyway. Those times served as teaching moments on the beauty of nature and the things required for a plant to grow. They tend to appreciate it because they could see the process right before their eyes.
Below are a few benefits of gardening with your children :
It encourages healthy eating.
When kids see the way the plants grow, especially if they are a part of the process, they are more inclined and more than excited to munch on whatever they grow. You need to see the excitement and joy on my daughter’s face as she tasted the strawberry she harvested herself. The one she watered everyday. Peradventure you have a picky eating child, you might want to inculcate this into your life and encourage the child to be a part of the process of nurturing plants and vegetables, then perhaps the child would be more open to eat from the produce of your garden.
It gives them a sense of importance.
That they have been given a responsibility to take care of their plants definitely makes a child feel important. So they know that if they do not give the plants water to “drink” the plants would not grow. Observing how the plants are thriving because they are taking care of them would give them a deep sense that they are doing something very important and so their role is very valuable. Money cannot by the pure joy written all over the face of my daughter as she harvested her first strawberry from her cute strawberry patch in the tiny pot.
They get to learn some science from a young age in the most fun way.
You get the chance to explain the parts of a plant – the stem, the leaves, the fruits, and the roots. You get to tell them the requirements for a plant to grow healthy. That way they will find their science or biology class in the future more fun. The teacher would have less struggles explaining the concept of photosynthesis and all that good stuff.
It teaches responsibility.
It teaches kids at an early age to be accountable and responsible for something. They know that it is their duty to give the plants a “drink” of water or that they will dry up if they don’t. They do not want their plant to dry up so they take their responsibility seriously. They also have a faint idea of what consequences could mean too.
It helps kids appreciate nature.
From the brilliant and beautiful colors of the flowers, with their glowing radiance, to the lush greenness of the leaves, children learn to observe nature at close quarters, respect it and develop a keen sense of appreciation for it. They tend to be more observant of the beauty of the world around them. Many times my son would offer to draw me pictures of flowers. These are the various flowers he has seen and observed at some point.
It teaches patience.
This is an important life lesson you want your child to learn early in life especially in a jet age of instant gratification. Gardening is a slow process. They appreciate that it is not the day you plant a seed or get a small plant that you will start harvesting fruits or vegetables from it. They understand that it takes a while for the flowers to bloom. They daily observe the tiny bulb as it shoots out, they see it gradually get bigger, and then appreciate it when in full bloom. It teaches children patience by being a part of the process.
“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul”. -Alfred Austin