With spring right around the corner, it’s not too early to be thinking about gardening with the family. You don’t really need a lot of space (you can grow quite a few things in pots or other containers) and this is such a great activity to do with children — for so many reasons.

Gardening is a Wonderful Way to Spend Time Together as a Family
Planning, planting and maintaining a garden are great family bonding activities. Kids can be engaged, they’re outdoors, spending time with Mom/Dad, and are developing a work ethic. Talk about your garden first. Research. Get some books on gardening from your local library or Amazon. Talk about where you might plant it, what kinds of things you all would like to grow. Draw a design for the garden and have your children give input. This will help keep them engaged for the long haul. When it comes time to actually assemble the garden and plant, make sure you explain what you are doing, why you are doing it and give them something to do. They don’t want to sit and watch the grown-ups work — they want to help too.

Lessons On Caring for Our Planet
Aside for the kids taking an active role in growing organic food for their family and friends, this is the perfect time to explain about the benefits of walking outside and picking produce for a meal or snack. There are no pesticides on the food from the garden, which is not just better for us, but better for the planet. Talk about the dangers of pesticides and why farmers use pesticides in the first place. If you don’t already, starting a garden is the perfect time to begin composting. Teach the kids about the science behind composting, how and why it works. They can begin to learn what food scraps to save in pails to put in the compost bin, and come next spring, use the compost on the garden for that year!

Sharing is Caring
Of course the food your family is growing is for the benefit of your family — but what about sharing some of the fruits of your family’s labor with extended family or friends? Or maybe an older neighbor who doesn’t get out much? Teaching children about sharing what they have makes for amazing adults. Good deeds are so important!

All the Feels, Smells and Sights
Gardening can also be a super sensory activity. The kids can get plenty of proprioceptive input from digging and mixing soil and compost. Let them play in the dirt if they like, it’s just dirt!!!! When you go to pick your produce, let your child smell it — items like tomato plants and herbs smell so good!!!!

Teaches Work Ethic
Once your garden gets going, the sense of accomplishment the children feel is so satisfying. Designing, creating, planting and caring for a garden is hard work! Kids will see the benefits of completing a project and the work that goes into it. And yes, sometimes it’s not fun and it’s certainly not easy. Being able to be an active participant in growing food for the family really makes the kids feel like they are making a contribution which can be a big deal.

Cooking With the Kids
When you are able to actually go and pick some produce, search online for some recipes you can cook with the kids. Maybe the family could eat vegetarian for a week or two and you could try making that eggplant Parmesan you always wanted to try. Cooking is another awesome learning activity. You can teach measurements, food safety, kitchen safety, following a recipe, and of course healthier eating habits. There are so many skills your child can work on by cooking with you in the kitchen. Or even if you want to make a new dip for dipping veggies, this might encourage your child to try a vegetable he/she isn’t too keen on. There are a ton of dip, sauce and dressing recipes on Pinterest, that you could pick several to try, maybe one new recipe a week.

The benefits to gardening with your children are plentiful — hopefully just like your garden will be! Happy Gardening!!!!