Gardening with kids has such a multiplicity of benefits that it’s hard to know where to start. Digging in the dirt and growing live plants is such an environmentally-friendly activity that if you have two things you need to consider it: a desire to garden and kids to do it with.
A garden with kids being active on a regular basis offers a lot of benefits to both Mom & Dad and the little ones (even if they’re not so little – say, teenagers).
Gardening With Kids Teaches Appreciation For Life & Mother Nature
Watching a seed grow into a tree is just as wondrous as the conception to birth and growth of a child. In time, kids will learn to love their plants and appreciate the life in them. Gardening actually helps simulate how life should be treated – with care. Gardening emphasizes the necessities of life: water, sunlight, air, soil. Those necessities correspond to human necessities, i.e., water, shelter, air, food. Weeding out the garden demonstrates how life goes smoother if you avoid bad influences.
Kids + Gardens = Lots Less Stress
Studies show that gardening can reduce stress because of its calming effect. This is applicable to any age group. It stimulates all five senses. Believe it or not, gardening is therapy to abused children or those who come from broken homes. It helps build one’s self-esteem.
Gardening With Kids Brings Your Family Together
You can forget about your stressful work life for a while and let the lovely ambience in the garden soothe you. You can play and spend quality time with your children. You can talk while watering the plants or you can work quietly beside each other. The bottom line is, always do what you have to do, together with your kids. You might discover a lot of new things about your child while mingling with them in your garden.
Kid Gardening And The Plant Life Cycle
While growing a garden, children indirectly learn the wonders of science like the plant’s life cycle, and how human’s intervention can break or make the environment. They gain firsthand experience of the miracle of life through a seed. This is definitely a new and enjoyable experience for kids.
Gardening with kids allows them to become aware of their environment’s needs. One way to jumpstart that environmental education is through gardening. It’s hitting two birds with one stone – teach them to respect life while you bond with them.
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