We just had a huge planting day here at the farm, which means we recruited lots of help from our family! It’s such a cool process to be able to plant and take care of our garden(s) together and then in the fall be able to harvest and enjoy the fruits and veggies that we have grown together! When I say family I mean everyone no matter the age. From 6 years old to 71 years old everyone lends a hand and it’s one of my favourite things ever!
Now this might not be everyone and I get that but if you clicked on this post you probably at least have your kids with you which is just as much a blessing and let’s talk about how you can get them more involved – and actually enjoying themselves.
Growing up I remember helping my mom in the garden but I never really remember loving it all that much. While there were definitely times when I did enjoy it, watching things grow, eating fresh fruits and veggies, even watering the plants was sometimes fun, (as long as we had a hose and didn’t have to do it by hand.) There were also plenty of times when I didn’t enjoy gardening so much. For example, weeding, (that was the biggest one) and being out in the hot sun for what feels like hours.
So how can we encourage gardening and make it fun for kids? Well, first of all make sure they feel like they are a part of it. Sometimes we tend to give kids smaller jobs because we aren’t sure if they can handle it or don’t want to overwhelm them but most of the time they love to feel like they are really doing their part and contributing to the growth of things.
This one goes along with the first, making them feel like they are a part of things but ask them what plants they want to plant. This really helps to get them interested in what’s happening and helps them to grow because they are going to want to see the finished product!
Encourage them to track the growth of the garden; This could look like many different things, journaling and/or taking pictures of their favourite plants every week or every other week. This can just help them really see how things are growing and encourage them to keep helping and working because their hard work is paying off!
Lastly, have a harvest party! At the end of the season when you are harvesting everything, have a little party, maybe cook and/or bake with some of the things you get out of the garden. This will encourage them to get excited for the end results and work towards it!
Feel free to share any other ideas you might have in the comments below! Hopefully this was helpful and if you try any of these and they are helpful we would love to hear from you feel free to reach out in an email or through social media!
– Jess
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