Easy ways to get kids in the garden

Some of the greatest childhood memories are made outdoors. Backyard campouts, rowdy street cricket, the smell of sweet summer tomatoes, constructing makeshift forts – so many memories revolve around being outside in the garden.

Easy ways to get kids in the garden

Today, getting kids in the garden isn’t always easy with the powerful allure of the screen and the comforts of the indoors. There are a few ways you can encourage your little people to get their hands dirty and reconnect with nature without kicking and screaming. Here are a few tips to help your kids to start creating their own memories of being out in amongst the garden.

Spend time outside too

How often have you told your kids to go outside and play, only to shut the door on them and turn to your screen? Your kids aren’t going to be fooled! Spending time outside too and setting a great example will help inspire them to do the same. You can’t expect your kids to eat their vegetables if you avoid them at all cost.

Get them equipped

One of the easiest ways to get your kids in the garden and excited about it is to equip them with their own special tools. Choose quality, well-made tools that will last over the plastic, disposable kind. They’ll feel a greater sense of purpose if they have a legit set of tools that are theirs to look after.

Make a game of it

If you make it a game, chances are your kids will last longer out in the garden and enjoy it more. Think caterpillar hunting or assign your child the superhero character of the weed destroyer.  See who can plant the most seeds or who can rake up the biggest pile of leaves. Have a bit of fun while you’re doing everyday gardening jobs.

Give them a patch

Let your little one take some ownership of the garden with their very own patch. Allow your child to pick what plants or veggies they’d like in their patch. If you’re short on space, give them a few pots to look after or something different like a mushroom box farm.

Find some great advice about designing a garden with kids in mind here. 

Let them eat

When it comes time to harvest, let your kids eat and cook with what they’ve helped grow in the garden. This might only be herbs or the three carrots that survived, but it’s often enough to get them enthusiastic about growing produce. Along the way, they’ll also learn that food comes from nature, not the aisle of the supermarket!

Fill their minds

Kids love facts and their thirst for knowledge is immense. As you spend time with your kids in the garden, start filling their little minds with facts. It could be about the plant itself, an insect or what occurs in the body when you eat a particular vegetable. Word of warning – you may have to brush up on your knowledge before you start!