Easy Gardening With Your Toddler

Spring is here, even if it may not feel like it. Now’s the time to prep for your garden. Gardening can be a fun for littles as well as offer us caregivers some amazing bonding opportunities-and of course tire the kids out (hopefully).

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Starting:

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Now, not all gardens have to be big to-do’s, in fact, if you’re not a seasoned gardener you may want to start small.

You can start by planting herbs and spices in cups, think dixi or solo cups. This way you can introduce your child to gardening with very minimal effort on your part. You don’t even have to buy dirt at that point, just go out to the yard or find a dirt patch outside and put some dirt in the cup. Gardening also does not have to be expensive, why spend a small fortune on seeds when you have access to what you need in your own home! You can use seeds from your favorite berries, or use some old potatoes that have eyes on them. You can also use the butt of lettuce and celery or dried beans/peas to start your garden.

If you are more ambitious, you can start with a pop-up green house or a tiered garden planter. This way everything is self-contained and easy to manage, while also providing enough space for some veggies and fruit.

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How your toddler can help:

Your little one can help by putting the dirt and the seeds where they need to go; they can also help out with the watering when that needs to be done. Inevitably, after the novelty of playing in the dirt wears off, kids tend to want the results of their hard work to come quickly. This may take some coaxing on your part, ensuring that there are going to be little sprouts popping up soon, but that it takes time, patience and love to make them grow (Hey! Just like kids!). But once your little starts seeing the sprouts pop up they’ll get excited again.

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Time to reap what your sow!

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When what you’re growing is ready be sure to keep your child involved in harvesting and preparing and eating what they have grown. Show them that they are able to create as well as share with others in what they have created!

Gardening should be fun and exciting and fun for littles; they are so eager to learn something new with someone they love and share it with whom they love.