Gardening Helps to Grow your Children.



Get gardening with your children and give them skills they will use for the rest of their lives. All of us committed to children’s gardening know that it helps to promote a healthy and active life style. New research by the Royal Horticultural Society shows that it can also improve confidence, resilience and self-esteem. The report concentrated on Gardening in Schools.  However much of its findings can also translate into gardening at home with your kids.

Here are a few detailed findings of the report pertinent to gardening in most settings.

1. Tasks such as planting seedlings and tying plants to canes can help to develop children’s fine motor skills.
2. The changeable nature of gardening projects and uncertainty e.g. weather and plant disease forced children to become more flexible and think on their feet.
3. Waiting for crops to grow taught the value of patience.
4. Public praise for a school garden generated a sense of pride.
5. A calm outdoor space helped to improve children’s concentration.
6. Gardening helped children to take responsibility for their own physical health and diet. Children who grew their own crops displayed a greater willingness to eat new vegetables.

What better reasons are there for you and your children to get gardening.  Don’t leave it all to the school.