You’ve probably experienced the sense of satisfaction that comes from looking over your backyard at the end of a fruitful day spent in the garden. Have you ever considered that gardening teaches kids beneficial life experiences? Rather than seeing gardening as work or a chore, it can be a healthy part of children’s development, socially, physically and emotionally.
Here are just three of the many things that gardening teaches kids:
The importance of teamwork
Gardening is often a large job that can be shared among several family members. When you take this family approach to gardening, it teaches your kids how to work in a team, learn from others, and how to share (because a garden is there for everyone to enjoy, not just one person).
Don’t have a garden at your place or restricted by renting? Why not pay a visit to the community garden with your kids and allow them to expand their sense of community as well?
A healthy relationship with food
When you grow fruit and vegetables in your own backyard, your kids get to benefit from a more wholesome understanding of where food comes from, and an appreciation for the earth. They’ll start to see that food in its natural state is healthier than processed options, and this will hopefully lead them to make better nutritional choices later in life.
Your kids will also get to enjoy the full farm-to table-effect. They’ll have fun exploring new and exciting ways to grow food, but also to cook it.
Emotional skills
Gardening also teaches kids many lifelong emotional skills. Gardens provide learning spaces for:
- Giving and receiving
- Planning & patience
- Satisfaction in seeing the benefits of hard work
- Responsibility
- Self-confidence
- The wisdom of having a backup plan
- How to nurture life
- Healthy ways to destress
Ready to start a backyard veggie garden with your kids? Pop in to see our friendly garden centre team, for advice on what to plant this season.
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