Encouraging children to grow plants from seeds

Having a garden is an excellent addition to any family home. It gives you a space to be outside and in nature, and it also is an extension to your home. A spot that you can come together to eat, drink, chat and play. 

The thing about gardens is that they are what you make them. Plenty of people add raised garden beds to give their garden colour, but then they realise that they have to work on those flower beds to have them looking their best. 

Why not combine the idea of working on your garden with spending some family time together? Encouraging children to take an interest in gardening is something that more of us should be doing. But how do you do this? 

Let them get messy

Plenty of children love the idea of being able to get messy, but their parents might not be quite so keen. A garden is a safe space for mess and allows a child to really explore the natural world. Let them rub their hands in the soil; let them get up close and smell the plants. All of these things give your child an experience and will help them to want to garden more.

Encourage them to choose

In order to get children to want to grow plants, they should be given a choice in what they produce. They might have a particular plant or flower that they really like, which means that this should be one that you think about growing, especially if they will enjoy watching it develop. 

Buy kid-friendly kits

Some flowers are more challenging than others to grow, and you may need plenty of accessories to get the sprouting. This means that it might be a good idea to research kid-friendly kits that you can use in your garden. These will have plants that are easier to look after and often come with everything you need. It also has a sense of fun about it and can even be treated as a gift to your child. 

Grow things to eat

Another great approach to encouraging children to grow things is to ask them if they want to make a salad garden, a herb garden or a fruit and vegetable patch. Growing something that they not only recognise but also eat one way to encourage them to get out in the garden regularly. Not only this, but it also has the added benefit of perhaps encouraging them to try different foods too. Ideal for fussy eaters. 

The main thing that you need to remember when it comes to getting your kids in the garden with you is not to expect perfection. Things will get messy, and there will be some mistakes, but not only is it your chance to spend time together, but it is also their time to learn and explore too, which is the important thing to keep in mind.