Spring is the perfect time to start enjoying your time outside and planning different activities for your children that get them out of the house. While you can always go on bike rides, play sports, or go to the park, it is always fun to try something new with your kiddos! Whether you have your own garden or have never gardened in your life, this is a fun activity that is beneficial for kids.
Gardening is a fun activity that you and your children can enjoy together and work on throughout the spring and summer, and even into fall! At Yellow Brick Road Early Childhood Development Center, we work with our students to help them grow, learn, and develop in the world around them. We understand that everyday activities can be beneficial to a child’s development and we want to encourage you to try new activities that can help as well!
In this blog, we are going to talk about the benefit of gardening and why you should start a garden with your kiddos! Read on to learn more and check out our child care programs today.
Engages All Senses
Gardening is a fun activity that can stimulate all of the senses. From digging in the dirt to smelling the flowers to eating some fruit that you grew, gardening offers it all. While gardening with your child, ask them what sounds they hear, what the leaves of different plants feel like, and what flower smells the best. When your child pays attention to their senses, they will develop a better understanding of them and become more connected to them.
Develops Fine Motor Skills
When your child is young, it is important to have them do activities that help them work their fine motor skills. This is why coloring and crafts are great activities for young kids. Gardening is another great activity that can help your children develop these skills. From planting tiny seeds to taking care of seedlings to gently picking fruits and veggies, there are many tasks in gardening that involve fine motor skills.
Teaches Responsibility
When you start a garden with your child, they will begin to learn responsibility. Gardening takes a lot of work and plants require a lot of care. They need to be watered in order to keep them alive and different plants require different care. When you start a garden with your child and make them responsible for watering the plants, they will begin to learn this skill. They will want to keep their plants alive. Especially after their first plant dies (which will likely happen) they will realize that they need to give these plants care to keep them alive.
Teaches Patience
Many parents know that children are not very patient and they often expect immediate results. When you start a garden with your children, they will quickly learn that patience is required. They may expect their plants to start growing within a few days, but you can teach them that plants take time to grow. Once they start seeing seedlings popping out of the dirt, they will realize that their hard work and patience paid off.
Boosts Self-Confidence
Gardening can be frustrating at first since your child won’t see instant results. But once their plants start growing, they will feel a strong sense of accomplishment. This will help boost their self-confidence and make them feel as though they can do more. When your child sees that they were able to grow plants and start a garden, they will feel better about themselves and feel confident when it comes to other activities.
Creates a Love For Nature
Nowadays, it can be difficult to get children to connect with nature and develop a love for the great outdoors. Gardening can help draw them closer to nature and give them a chance to love it. While they may not be thrilled about it at first, their garden can become a special spot for them where they can enjoy nature in a calm and pleasant way. As their plants start growing, they will begin to enjoy their garden more, and the more they enjoy their garden, the more they will develop a love for the outdoors. This can quickly become a place they go that relaxes them and makes them feel better on a bad day.
Teaches Healthy Eating
One fun thing about gardens is that you can plant things that you can eat! Your child will love watching their plants go from a seed to a fruit or vegetable. Whether you help your child plant potatoes, strawberries, carrots, tomatoes, or any other fruit or veggie, they will grow something healthy that they can eat! This can teach them about eating healthy and help them enjoy fruits and veggies more. An article from Children & Nature Network mentions that children who grow their own produce are more likely to eat fresh vegetables and fruits. If you want your kiddo to start eating their veggie, start a garden with them! They will love eating something they grew themselves.
Relieves Stress
While young children are not experiencing a ton of stress, gardening can help children learn to relax. An article from Rasmussen College mentions that gardening can help children create a habit of calming themselves. Working on self-soothing can be challenging with your child, but when they have an outlet, they can develop the skills to help them relax and feel better. Not only does the actual act of gardening help relieve stress, but simply being in a garden can lower stress and help people relax. This is a skill that can translate into adulthood.
Allows For Bonding
When you start a garden with your child and work together to grow a variety of plants, you can create a better bond with them. Doing different activities with them, such as gardening, can help both of you feel closer and develop a better connection. If you want to build a bond with your child but are not sure how, try starting a garden together. This is a fun family activity that provides numerous other benefits.
Gardening is a great activity that can provide your child with a number of different benefits. Whether you start a flower garden or a fruit and vegetable garden, this is a fun way to help your child learn more about nature, develop new skills, and spend time together. This spring, start a garden with your child!
If you are looking for a child care center for your kiddo that focuses on developing new skills and growth, check out Yellow Brick Road! We work with our students to learn about the world around them and develop new skills as they learn. Contact us today to get started!
