When adults garden, we focus on the final outcome—the prized tomato, the perfect roses, etc. Gardening with children is more about an enriching process than a tangible product. In this process, a child is spending time with an adult in an activity that is physically and mentally beneficial. Gardening provides an environment for children to learn where food comes from and to gain an understanding of the creatures that live in nature. Children are naturally curious and will enjoy the chance to spend time with an adult doing this important but fun work. Fun is the important part. Always make it fun. Their attention span may be short, so let them enjoy tasks that are within their ability. Be prepared to be flexible in your goals. Serious garden planning may recommend planting in straight rows, and your child’s row may be straight but in a diagonal sort of way. Children may want to plant marigold seeds in a circle instead of a row, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Digging in the soil is a fun activity for kids, although in the book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, this activity often leads in other directions. You may have planned to add a cartload of compost to the garden bed, but then your child sees a worm, then a butterfly. What started out as one task is diverted into a beautiful experience in wildlife appreciation and a first-hand understanding of the delicate balance of the food web. After allowing time for enjoying the wonders of nature, come back to the task at hand and explain how adding compost to the soil creates food for the worm families to eat and nutrition for the flowers that will feed the butterflies.
Kids also love to water. Giving young children a small watering can to fill and water plants would give them great joy, but know that they water for joy rather than having a concrete awareness of how much water a plant needs. They often think that watering a plant means getting water on the plant itself. It’s hard for them to understand that it is the underground part they can’t see that actually needs the water. Think of the roots of a plant being as big underground as the plant is above ground. Make up for the extra water the plants may need or guide your child in knowing when it is time to share the water with another plant.
Seed planting is more fun for kids when using big seeds they can easily handle, such as sunflowers, nasturtiums, squash, cucumber, chard, beans, peas, etc.
When choosing which vegetables to grow, start with the ones you know your child already enjoys eating and those that will grow in your climate. Then try a new one or two that they may learn to love through the process of growing it. It’s important, as much as possible, to ensure that the children are successful in their gardening endeavors. They are too young to understand that if they forget to water, their plants may not survive. They will come back looking for that special plant they helped to start by seed or planted into the ground. Give children increasing responsibilities for the success of their garden as they gain more experience and patience.
Get children excited about gardening by having tools they can easily manage. Most garden centers carry shorter shovels that are not plastic toy shovels. Magnifying glasses make it fun to observe insects and flower patterns. And there is nothing better than to end the evening by snuggling with your little ones and reading the many wonderful picture books available with a gardening theme.
Some of my favorite garden-themed picture books:
Sunflower House by Eve Bunting
Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens
In the Garden with Dr. Carver by Susan Grigsby
The Little Red Hen Grows a Pizza by Philemon Sturges
Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
The Gardener by Sarah Stewart
The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller
Jack’s Garden by Henry Cole
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
Books by Gail Gibbons
From Seed to Plant
Ladybugs
Monarch Butterfly
The Pumpkin Book
The Vegetables We Eat
