Benefits of Children helping in the Garden

Did you know it’s not too late to plant sunflower seeds? The children have been helping in the garden all summer. Why do we let the children help and how is it benefitting them?

Gardening provides different forms of engagement for children, including designing, planting, and maintaining gardens; harvesting, preparing, and sharing food; working cooperatively in groups; learning about science and nutrition; and creating art and stories inspired by gardens.

 

 

Last week Mrs. Kelly cut dry sunflowers out of the garden, she then let the children pick the seeds out of the middle and put them in a bowl. After the children did a counting game with the seeds she then let the children plant the seeds to make more sunflowers. As the children were planting, Mrs. Kelly was talking about the seed and how if we planted it, it would grow more sunflowers.

  

The children are picking out the seeds from the middle of the sunflower.

 

 

The children are now planting the seeds back in  the garden to watch the sunflowers grow.

 

 

 

A study of children with learning disabilities who engaged in gardening found that they increased their nonverbal communication skills, developed awareness of the advantages of order, learned how to participate in a cooperative effort, and formed positive relationships with adults.

Some more benefits of children helping in the garden would be:

Children who grow their own food are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables.

Children who garden are more accepting of others who are different from themselves.

 

Do you let your children help??

 

 

Amanda Marshall