Small hands, big harvests: the joy of gardening with your children

In a world where screens are increasingly important and children often spend far too many hours indoors, introducing them to gardening seems like a breath of fresh air, offering a multitude of benefits for their development, their health and even the strengthening of family ties. Here are some tips to introduce your children to gardening and create a vegetable garden together that will benefit the whole family!

The benefits of gardening

Educational and Cognitive Benefits of Gardening

Gardening is nothing less than a real open-air school, where they can not only learn where fruits and vegetables come from , but also discover the life cycle of plants and quietly develop their scientific minds through their concrete observations of nature.

Development of motor skills and stimulation of the senses

By allowing them to have fun in water and soil, gardening allows little ones to develop their fine motor skills (by handling small tools, in particular) as well as their gross motor skills (by digging or carrying soil or plants, for example), in addition to abundantly stimulating their five senses .

Learning important values

In addition to being an indisputable source of relaxation, gardening allows children to develop fundamental values ​​such as patience (you have to be patient before you can taste the fruits of your efforts!), a sense of effort and a sense of responsibility (if the plants are not watered sufficiently, they may very well die!).

Gardening, step by step

Planning

Start by planning the contents of your garden ; choose the fruits and vegetables you want to grow, ideally choosing foods that they like to eat and that are easy to care for. Lettuce, peas and beans, carrots, radishes and potatoes are all very good choices. Also make sure to select a suitable location : the chosen area should receive at least six hours of sun per day and ideally be protected from animals that could damage the fruit of your efforts!

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Seedlings

In order to be able to experience the path of seeing the seed planted with love grow quietly over the days, start your garden with seedlings that you will first grow indoors . To help you determine the best time to start your planting according to the type of vegetable, consult this detailed calendar prepared by the Montreal Botanical Garden.

The big departure

Following the planting calendar, choose a day (ideally not too hot) to officially start your garden outdoors . Prepare the soil with the children, taking care to explain to them the importance of nutritious soil for optimal plant growth. Finally, plant the previously prepared seedlings!

The interview

To make garden maintenance easier, take the time to assign tasks and responsibilities to your children (watering, weeding, etc.) so that they are concretely included in the project and develop their sense of responsibility. Don't hesitate to include them in your Household Chores Chart or the Little Chores Chart to help them develop their autonomy at the same time.

The harvest

Sharing the joy of harvest is undoubtedly the most rewarding moment. Take the time to cook together with the products of your garden to celebrate your efforts and savor the fruits of your labor!

Gardening with kids is more than just a hobby; it’s an educational adventure, a way to strengthen family bonds, and a fun way to instill values ​​of responsibility and respect for nature. Ready, set, plant!

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