If you were like most of us growing up, you went outside and played in the dirt. There was something fun and magical about being in the garden. Smelling the flowers, chasing the butterflies, defeating dragons, and pretending the garden was your kingdom.
Hands down, playing in the garden has always been a fun adventure for kids. Now, we’re going to show you how to give those little ones more fun as they make their very first garden.
Below are Dickerson Landscaping and Lawn Care’s eight first time fun and kid-friendly gardening tips. They will help you create fond memories with those little ones that will last a lifetime.
1. Choose the right plants
Kids love colors and will usually pick plants or flowers that are bright and colorful. To get your children excited, let them choose a flower they want to plant and grow, so have a variety of unusual plants to pick through. However, make sure the plant they select doesn’t have thorns on the stems. We don’t want their little hands and fingers getting hurt.
2. Learning about seeds
When you tell a child for the first time, that plants and flowers come from tiny seeds, they always get this look of surprise on their faces. It fascinates them to think that a big flower comes from a tiny seed you’re holding in your hand. Once you tell them, let them know they get to help you with planting the seeds. Just remember, they have little hands and fingers, and some seeds will be too tiny for them to hold. But, when it comes to covering those seeds in the dirt, their hands will be the perfect tools to use.
3. Creating a gardening chronicle
If you have kids, you know one minute they are excited and the next they’re bored. However, to keep your children always excited about their plant, create a gardening chronical and daily checklist. Once created, then every day ask them what is on their plant’s gardening list to do. Let them look it up and tell you what has to get done. That activity gets them in the habit of watching their plant’s progress and learning what they need to do for that day.
4. Choosing a highly visible spot
Before you set up your child’s home garden, you’ll want to pick a spot where they can see it often and quickly. Areas to select might be where they walk or play. The goal is to have their garden in their line of sight. The more they see it, your child will begin to notice their plant keeps changing. When they notice a change, they will come to tell you and will want to write it down in the daily chronical.
5. Playing in the dirt
As a parent or teacher, you know children love playing in the dirt. They’ll reach down and sink their fingers into the soil, and wiggle them around. That desire to root around with their fingers will help you show them how to ready their ground. To make their gardening more fun, you can also give them kid-sized gardening tools.
6. Let your children own their garden
You always want each child to take ownership of their garden. To do that have them imagine what their plant will look like, by giving them a picture of it, when it’s fully grown. Now use a place card and write the child’s name on it. Have the child set the image next to where the seed got planted, and have your child go to their garden every day and look at their flower’s picture.
7. Playing with water
Playing with water has always been irresistible to a child. It’s just like playing in the dirt. Instead of a garden hose, look for a small watering can to use. That can will be the tool each child uses to water their plants in the garden. That allows you to show them how to carefully, water the plant and to only water the roots, and to not over saturate the soil.
8. It’s okay to make messes
Finally, let each child have complete access to their garden. When they create a gardening mess, it’s okay. It’s their gardening mess. Let their gardening be an enjoyment. You might be surprised what they dig up. It could be buried treasure. However, as a good parent or teacher, don’t forget to show them how to clean up that mess.
If you found these 8 First Time Fun and Kid-Friendly Gardening Tips helpful, then check out our other article “Irrigation Lawn Care for a Healthy Tallahassee Yard. (Questions & Answers).”