Skip to Content

Why Gardening as a Family Is the Best

Doing the same family activities can get boring. You and your kids might want to try something new, so why not consider gardening? Gardening as a family is the best.

Here’s why!

1. Everyone Spends Time Together

It can feel nearly impossible to get everyone in a large family to agree where they want to eat dinner or which roller coaster they want to ride at a theme park. Gardening has many activities to keep kids busy even if they have differing interests. You’ll talk and laugh while everyone does something they love without arguing or compromising before heading outside.

An older kid might want to take responsibility for checking for bugs or pulling weeds. Younger ones could water their flower beds or pick cherry tomatoes. There are so many ways to get involved that everyone will find something fun about the garden.

2. Plants Can Grow Anywhere

Gardening is also great because it can happen indoors or outdoors. Whether you have a yard or an apartment patio, pick a few plants and start growing them with your family. Potted flowers and sprawling vegetable gardens require the same commitment, so your kids will benefit from however gardening looks in your life. Consider where you live and where your plants will get adequate sunshine to determine the best gardening method for your family.

3. Children Become More Responsible

Plants can grow on their own, but only if they’re in the perfect environment. Your kids will learn to be responsible for their greenery because they’ll need to water and weed them regularly. When young children start becoming responsible, they’ll experience numerous lifelong benefits like taking care of themselves and finding solutions to whatever problems they face.

They’ll apply the same skills of checking in on their plants and ensuring their well-being by leading healthy lives. They’ll know how to take care of others and get more out of life, all because they started working in a garden.

4. Kids Learn About the Environment

It’s more interesting to pick up on something new when it’s interactive. Your kids will learn about the environment as they grow flowers, vegetables or anything else they want to plant. They’ll have to research how they’ll support local water levels while giving their vegetation enough water to grow and how their fertilizer will affect the local environment. If they see the real-time effects of their actions, they’ll feel more personally connected and motivated to help the planet.

5. Communication Skills Grow Stronger

Kids won’t know how to handle every gardening complication that arises. They’ll need to practice voicing their questions and communicating their needs. Everyone spends their lives polishing their communication skills, but your family will get a jump start on this crucial ability by starting a garden together.

6. Everyone Gets Better at Planning

Planning and sticking with a schedule are two skills that prove why gardening as a family is so beneficial. Even as elementary school students, children need these skills to make excellent grades, keep up with friends and take care of themselves.

They’ll start by learning when to harvest vegetables and schedule their planting around that timeline. Everyone will also have to stick with a watering and weeding plan so the garden can grow. They’ll practice throughout the year and be prepared to handle anything outside the plot because of their hard work.

7. Gardening Encourages Physical Activity

Hauling hoses and digging in the dirt is a new form of physical activity that may be more fun for kids who don’t like to exercise. They’ll get their heart rate up and benefit from the cardio without realizing it. It’s an easy way to get them off the couch and away from screens, which they may be more inclined to sit in front of during prime gardening seasons like summer break.

8. Kids Want to Try New Foods

Parents know it’s nearly impossible to get children to eat new food if they don’t like it on sight. They’ll be more inclined to eat their veggies if they grew them in the backyard. Add whatever they normally dislike to your garden, like zucchini and tomatoes. The anticipation of watching them grow will make it much harder for kids to turn down a healthy meal after picking the food themselves.

Start Gardening as a Family

There are so many reasons why gardening as a family is the best daily activity. You’ll spend more time together, grow foods you love and build essential skills your children will need as they get older. Invest in a few seed packets, and your family will be on their way to an incredible pastime they can continue for years to come.

Jeff Campbell