Children tend to love planting, tending to and harvesting in the garden. They love the contact with nature, the responsibility of helping something to grow, and it can also be a great way of helping them to feel connected to the food we eat. For some children it can even encourage them to try new foods.
There are many benefits to gardening with children. The physical activity supports their physical development, helping them to develop fine and gross motor skills. They also learn to be careful as they do things; planting small seeds requires hand eye coordination and control over movement. Growing vegetables gives us the opportunity to talk with children about healthy eating, and what our bodies need to grow well.
Gardening and contact with nature is good for supporting well-being and reducing stress. In fact one large study found that those who garden report higher levels of physical and mental health than those who don’t. Growing food to eat develops self-esteem and helps children to feel competent and like they are contributing to family life.
There are numerous learning opportunities while gardening, such as counting, talking about size and measuring. When we garden with children we can also introduce lots of new vocabulary, and read books with them about growing and how to tend to plants. When it comes to harvesting, we can involve children in the preparation and cooking of the vegetables, which again brings many opportunities for learning.
Here are some tips for growing vegetables with children:
Vegetables can be grown in pots and planters, you don’t need to have a large garden or dig up whole areas of the garden to start a growing project. Herbs can be grown indoors. It is worth seeing if you can get on a waiting list for a local allotment too. Some areas now have community garden spaces where you can contribute to the growing programme.
Start with something that has immediate impact, in other words not something that takes too long to grow. Herbs are a great way to start and can be grown in small spaces or indoors too.
Courgettes are a good first vegetable to grow as they mature from seed in just 8 weeks!
Children tend to love growing strawberries - they are colourful and tasty to try once ripe.
Potatoes take longer to grow, but they are great fun to dig for and harvest.
If it’s affordable, get a small gardening kit for your child to use - a watering can, small spade, fork and a bucket is a great start. Some children love to wear an apron too.
Pop small sticks with the name of what you are growing into the soil - this is a chance to model writing and introduce the idea of labelling to your child.
Involve them in the whole process, including washing up their tools afterwards!
Involve your child in making hangers out of old CDs to scare away birds.
“Getting outside and into nature gives children the opportunity to learn in a hands-on way, encouraging them to move their bodies and develop their gross and fine motor skills; for example digging, carefully separating tiny seeds and handling delicate seedlings. Gardening encourages the use of all five senses, with sight, sound, smell, touch and taste being regularly exercised, whilst sensory gardens offer a wider range of textures, visual contrasts, and fragrances. Growing vegetables offers the added benefit of the potential to expand young palettes – children are much more likely to be open to tasting foods that they have been involved in growing and nurturing themselves.” Nurture UK