For many older people today, some of their best memories involve doing things in the family garden. However, in today’s day and age, more and more kids are spending half of the summer sitting indoors, watching television or playing video games. While video games and even the internet play a large part in educating children today and helping them to develop into well-rounded adults in the modern world, it’s important to make sure that your little ones don’t miss out on some precious outside time.
Not only do kids who rarely get outside miss out on fun and games, a lack of contact with nature can also be hugely detrimental to a child’s health and well-being, leading to all kinds of problems including a weaker immune system and even a higher risk of mental health complaints. We’ve put together some of the top reasons why gardening is a great activity for kids.
Reason #1. It’s Fun:
Everybody knows that kids love to have fun, however, there are more ways to have fun than simply playing indoors! For many parents, it’s important that their child is able to have fun in a way that’s also educational and teaches them a lot at the same time. Many children, especially little ones and toddlers, absolutely love gardening since it means that they can get a bit messy as well – stomping around in the mud in their rubber boots, or rolling in the grass! In turn, your kids will also benefit from a strengthened immune system, as they’ll be coming into contact with the bacteria and various other substances found outdoors that will give their body a better chance of fighting off infections and disease.
Reason #2. Stay Active:
Any parent knows that it’s important for children to stay active. Childhood obesity is at an all-time high, and as a parent, you will already know that allowing your child to gain too much weight at this early point in their life can cause all kinds of health complications for them as they grow into an adult. Gardening is a fun way of getting some exercise, and certainly, provides energetic children with an outlet for getting rid of some of that pent-up energy. In turn, you’ll also be able to enjoy more peaceful nights, since your little ones will be tired out from all the digging, planting, and simply playing in the garden.
Reason #3. Learn Skills for Life:
Gardening isn’t just a fun and healthy activity for children to take part in, it can also be hugely educational for them, and teach them skills that will come in handy throughout their life. For example, you could start a project in your garden with your little ones where you plant your own vegetables, which can then be used for teaching them how to cook different meals. Even knowing how to plant and tend to a vegetable garden can come in really handy for your little ones in later life; they might continue doing it into adulthood, which will benefit both their health and their finances. And, spending time in the garden can also help your children to learn more about nature, such as how bees pollinate plants and why this is needed, or even how a plant grows from a seed with the right care.
Reason #4. Appreciation for the Environment:
Today, it’s more important than ever before to raise our children to become environmentally friendly citizens. With so much strain on the world’s natural resources at the moment, it’s essential that we teach the future generations to be eco-friendly and respect nature in all their decisions. For your children, spending more time in the garden can certainly help them to respect and understand nature more. In turn, as they grow up, they will hold nature in a higher regard and be more conscious about how they treat the natural environment.
Reason #5. Bond as a Family:
There’s something great about gardening in that it can lift moods, and bring people together. Spending time together in nature as a family is a wonderful thing, and it can surely help to strengthen your family bond and bring you all closer together. When you spend time with your children in the garden, tending to plants, digging the soil, cutting the lawn or even putting together greenhouse kits for planting more flowers or vegetables, it can be a fantastic bonding experience. You can learn new things from one another, and spend valuable quality time together as a family to make lasting memories.
Do your children love gardening? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
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