Are you already embracing the alfresco lifestyle? If so, then you might be interested in getting the kids involved. In doing so, you can ensure that they are making the most of the outdoors and learning all about nature as well as sustainability. But how can you get your kids active in the garden? What steps will lead them to spending their free hours outdoors, enjoying the backyard with you. We’re so glad you asked because we have some great ideas when accomplishing this goal.
Highlight The Benefits
First, you should make sure that you are taking the time to highlight the benefits of a great garden with your kids. Show them the delicious foods that you can make with the produce you plant in the backyard. Or, help them unearth the wildlife and wonderful bugs that live in the plants and shrubs around your garden. Help them discover how they can use the space you clean up and tidy in your backyard and they’re sure to keep coming out and exploring every day.
Engage Their Creative Side
If you’re struggling to get kids engaged with garden work and what are seemingly just outdoor chores, then you might want to consider targeting their creative side. Ask them how they would design and decorate the garden space. Explore what shrubs and plants they should plan and encourage them to choose lots of different vibrant colours for your outdoor area.
Ensure Its Safe
Next, you should ensure that the garden is safe for your kids. The last thing that you want is for them to have an accident when they are in the backyard because then they’ll never want to come out there again. Particularly, if they are quite young. The good news is that there are lots of simple ways that you can make your garden space safe. First, make sure that you are checking for any trees that look unstable or any branches that look like they are going to fall. This isn’t just a danger for your kids, it’s a danger for you, your home, and anyone else in the area. If you have young children, it might be worth ensuring that the garden space is closed off too, particularly if it is close to a busy road or any other dangerous environment. If you have a pool or any water feature, you’ll need to make sure that this is blocked off too. It only takes a couple of seconds for an accident to happen. Finally, make sure that they are aware of any dangerous plants or shrubs that might be growing in your garden and take care to keep them away from them as much as possible.
Get The Right Equipment
Next, you should make sure that you are investing in the right equipment to use in the garden with your kids like a weed wacker. Be aware that a weed wacker and similar equipment can be dangerous for young kids so it’s important to teach them how to use it properly. There are also some items that are safer for little ones to use such as a trowel. This means that your kids can work on the soil while you are getting rid of the weeds that are building up around your garden. It’s just a matter of using common sense here and ensuring that you never put your kids in a situation that is too dangerous with garden equipment.
Let Them Have Input Into Garden Design
It’s no fun to do something when you’re just constantly being told what to do, but you’ve had no input into the project itself. Even if it’s something that you don’t really care about too much, if you’re going to be involved in making it happen then it’s still nice to have your opinion considered.
So, if you want to get your kids involved in the garden, then we strongly recommend that you let them have some kind of input over the design of the garden. This way, they are likely to be more engaged with the garden itself, and this will lead to them taking a more active role in maintaining it going forward.
Help Choosing And Planting Flowers
One of the most exciting parts of gardening is when you get to decide where the flowers go, as well as choosing what flowers should be added to the space. It can be a tough decision, and a lot of the time the best way to get kids interested enough in the first place to actually contribute something effective to the garden.
The process of choosing the right flowers can be tough, especially if you and your kid have opposite tastes. You’ve got to work something out though so that they feel as though they were part of this, and then let them plant it, nurture it, and watch it grow.
Educate Them About Why It’s Important
The final thing that we’re going to say is that you should be educating your kids on why it’s important to know about gardening. Again, you don’t want to do this in a fun-killing way to the point that they’re not even listening to you, but you do want to get your point across. They need to understand the impact that people are having on the Earth and how important it is for them to be able to grow plants and vegetables. Obviously don’t scare them with some of the scarier facts about the environment, but stress the importance to them as much as you can as this might get them outside a little faster
While it might not be the easiest task in the world to achieve, we have every confidence that you can get your kids out there in the garden, at least somewhat regularly. All it takes is a little perseverance because kids love the outdoors, they just don’t tend to love things that they perceive as boring. Keep all of this in mind when you’re giving it your best shot, and remember that you’ve got this.
Our super author here at Famous Parenting and an absolute wealth of knowledge. She has studied many topics including creative writing, psychology and journalism but her real passion lies in raising her 3 children. Between working from home, homeschooling her youngest 2 children and navigating the world of teenagers she is a guru for parents.
