5 Benefits of Gardening With Kids
With Emily Shipman, Executive Director of Kids Gardening
With all that’s going on in the world, it’s understandable that stress levels for families are pretty high these days. Add to that the growing disconnect from nature, with more and more of our time spent on devices, and it’s not surprising that a lot of people aren’t spending enough time outdoors to really get their hands dirty.
We spoke to Emily Shipman, the Executive Director of Kids Gardening, to better understand the benefits of gardening with kids. A lot of people might see only the surface-level attributes of gardening, when in fact we discovered that the goodness of garden-based learning provides multi-layered benefits that build on one another.
The exciting thing is that heading outside and gardening with kids is accessible for everyone, and offers a free way to boost kids’ health, inside and out.
5 BENEFITS OF GARDENING WITH KIDS
Provides sensory input for calm, happy bodies
Boosts curiosity, wonder and joy
Builds empathy
Fosters growth mindset
Inspires informed, healthy choices
1. Provides sensory input for calm, happy bodies
Everybody’s nervous system needs a different level of sensory input, and each child is wired differently in terms of what they require. Some kids are ‘sensory seekers’ and are drawn to getting messy and being physically active. Other kids are ‘sensory avoiders’ and prefer to hang back and observe more, rather than diving in. The wonderful thing about gardening with kids and being in nature in general is that it provides just the right amount of sensory input for everyone. With nature, it’s easy to get either more or less of what you need in terms of sensory input, so it’s not overwhelming. For example, you can listen to and locate birds, which allows you to integrate your sight with your hearing. Or you can dig in the dirt and take deep breaths in through your nose, which means you’re feeling and smelling at the same time. You can notice which plants are soft, fuzzy, spikey or fragrant.
When people have just the right amount of sensory input in their bodies, they feel calmer and more organised. When kids are calm, they are able to learn more and be receptive to information. Gardening with kids engages the whole body and senses, which can help kids with self-regulation. If kids learn at a young age that going outside and gardening can help calm them down, then they’ll build a positive association with nature and gain a useful tool to reduce anxiety. Additionally, because gardening with kids helps parents feel calm, this has a knock-on effect and leads to a calmer, happier family unit as a whole!
2. Boosts curiosity, wonder and joy
Kids have an innate sense of curiosity, wonder and joy when their bodies are calm, and gardening helps them access that. Nothing is quite as miraculous as a flower blooming, or a caterpillar making a cocoon. It’s like science and magic combined! When kids witness the mind-blowing things that can happen in nature, their sense of curiosity is awakened and their love of learning is inspired.
As all parents know, kids go through a stage of constantly asking “why?”, which diminishes as they grow older and their attention is diverted elsewhere. The beauty of gardening with kids is that it keeps that inquisitive spark alive, and encourages kids to continue investigating and asking questions. Gardening with kids cultivates little environmentalists and sets them up to become lifelong learners.
3. Builds Empathy
Gardening involves noticing what living creatures need, and what helps them to flourish. Caring for plants, pulling out weeds, watering, feeding, helping plants thrive — these all build responsibility and ownership in kids. When kids feel connected to what they are nurturing, they develop genuine care and consideration for something beyond themselves. Gardening with kids involves investing time and energy to see results as plants grow and become healthy, which increases kids’ empathy. Also, because gardening is an activity that spans across all age groups and cultures, it can bring people together that might not otherwise interact. This can support empathy cross-culturally and across age divides, which promotes community and unity.
4. Foster Growth Midset
Gardening encourages people to start from a place of humility and curiosity. It’s a perfect place to test out what might work and what might not work, with minimal risks. Sure, you might waste a few seeds, but it’s not the end of the world. By providing a ‘low stakes place to make mistakes’, gardening allows kids to develop a growth mindset. Gardening with kids allows for so many chances to try new techniques or start over completely! Kids are encouraged to observe and ask questions and tweak their approach to make improvements. Because gardening will always bring challenges, it allows kids to get comfortable with making mistakes, feel confident to test new approaches, and continue trying. Gardening isn’t about being attached to a fixed identity of always doing something right. Instead, it’s about immersing yourself in the experience and staying humble and eager to learn in the face of challenges.
5. Inspires informed, healthy choices
One of the most important things we can do in life is to figure out what our minds and bodies need to stay calm and healthy. We tend to make bad decisions when we are in fear or stressed out. Gardening is similar to meditation for kids, in that it allows kids to discover self-regulation. It’s an easy-access gateway to a sense of calm that helps kids make better choices. Because gardening involves actions that ultimately impact other living things, it helps kids understand that they are one part of a much bigger picture. Also, gardening isn’t about immediate gratification, but rather it develops patience and an appreciation of long-awaited rewards as a result of hard work.
As well as increasing patience, gardening with kids encourages healthy eating choices too. When kids grow their own food and feel invested in what they’re creating, they’re more likely to taste and enjoy what they’ve grown. Also, kids tend to become more responsible in their purchasing decisions at grocery stores too. Kids who garden will know how hard it is to grow vegetables, for example, and so will naturally appreciate healthier choices. Gardening also teaches kids to be aware of food waste, and to make eco-friendly choices in their lives.
Gardening with kids has so many layered benefits, but some people might feel a little overwhelmed and not know how to start. For newbies, be sure to start small. Try growing sprouts or plant other seeds in a windowsill box. Parents need to accept that things may not go as planned, and that’s ok! Gardening should be seen as a never-ending opportunity to ask what can be done differently next time. Learning is always happening, regardless of the visible results. We hope you get out there in nature, spend time gardening with kids, and bring some extra ‘green’ to your lives!
KidGardening is working to ensure all kids have a garden in which to play, learn, and grow, engaging their natural curiosity and wonder. We inspire and support hundreds of thousands of garden educators, volunteers, and families by offering grants, original educational resources, and inspiration to get more kids learning through the garden.
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