Many psychologists and experts in the field have determined that it is important to spend quality time with children. However, this does not mean that, if you only spend 15 minutes a day talking with them, it is enough and recommended.
In reality, parents should strive to take time out of their busy work schedules to share with their children, since they have needs that must be met so that they can develop healthily and become productive and responsible adults.
The situation due to Covid-19 has led to the opportunity to share a greater amount of quality time, since almost all activities must be carried out from home, which includes entertainment.
If children do not entertain themselves in a healthy activity, they will be much more likely to develop anxiety attacks, hyperactivity, depression, insomnia and many other ills. Therefore, it is best to use your ingenuity and give them work to do, so that they stay busy in productive activities.
One of these activities is gardening. Several studies have shown that it reports great benefits for the physical and mental health of the person who practices it. In addition, it contributes to creating environmental awareness, takes care of the planet and promotes healthy coexistence with all animal species that are attracted to the garden.
Since gardening is full of different types of activities, you can assign your child a few of them and even offer to do them with him, in order to strengthen the emotional bonds between the two, improve communication and deal with problematic situations peacefully.
But what kind of gardening activities can children carry out? During this article you will know what they are and how you can put them into practice. Let’s see.
Instructions
Some of the gardening activities that children can practice are the following:
- Plant legumes in a glass jar. This is one of the most common activities at school. However, once the task has been completed and a grade has been received, it is normal to stop taking care of the seed that was planted. Now the goal is to continue taking care of it so that it can develop and become a plant.
- The activity consists of putting in a glass jar some cotton and some raw legumes, such as lentils, chickpeas or beans. Lugo, moisten the cotton a little and, after the passage of a few days, you can observe together how the legume has been germinating. As you may have noticed, it is easy, fast and very enjoyable for children.
- Decorate pots. Take a container that you have at home, no matter what the material, give the child other work tools and allow him to decorate it in the way that best suits him. Doing this will give free rein to your imagination.
- When it is ready, it will be time to use it to plant some aromatic plants inside it, such as basil, rosemary, chamomile or some vegetable seeds. Children should also be involved in this part of the activity.
- Make a drinking fountain for the birds. To do this activity together with the children, you just have to use several pots that are the same size and ceramic dishes, which usually come with them.
- Place the pot upside down and the other on it, using one of the plants as support. In such a way that it acquires the shape of a small fountain. Then, place another of the ceramic plates on top and fill it with water. Try to place it in a quiet place so that the birds can get to drink some water.
Other activities that children can do in the garden are pruning the plants, watering them, decorating, removing the branches and dry leaves, mowing the lawn, sweeping it with the rake, fertilizing the plants, collecting the ripe fruits, etc.
However, although most of the time these are very safe activities, it is always recommended that children carry them out under the supervision of their parents. Actually, the ideal is that they can do it together with them. Thus, both will end up enjoying a pleasant and very pleasant time. But what do you need to achieve it?
What You Need
- The first thing you will need to do is take enough time to do these activities without haste and in a pleasant way. Gardening can help your child cultivate valuable qualities, such as patience, kindness and self-mastery. If you set an example for them, the lesson will be better recorded.
- Make sure you have the necessary instruments. This includes, the use of protective elements, such as glasses, a pair of gloves and appropriate clothing and shoes, a hat to protect from the sun’s rays, etc.
They will also need pruning shears, hose to irrigate, enough plants and seeds, soil, water, fertilizer, vitamins for plants, a lawn mower, among other materials and specialized tools.
- Since you will combine gardening with some crafts, you will also need clay pots to decorate, paint, brushes, glue, colored ribbons and other decorative elements, depending on the project they will carry out.
- Finally, they will need an action plan. Each of the participants must know what task to perform and how it is recommended that they do it. In this way, they will finish on time and can enjoy contemplating their work by drinking together a refreshing lemonade with lots of ice.
Gardening can be a very rewarding activity for children. That’s why it’s worth a try. But what other benefits does it offer your children? Knowing them will encourage you to get down to work today.
Councils
Some of the main advantages of gardening, for the smallest of the house, are the following:
- It helps them cultivate qualities such as patience, as children are forced to wait, however long it takes, to see how the seed they have planted develops and grows.
- It encourages responsibility, because they learn to take care of another living being, instead of always having to take care of them.
- It allows them to know what the field is like, how the flowers develop and grow, where the fruits and vegetables they eat come from, etc.
- It instills in them respect for nature and the environment.
- It encourages a healthier, more organic lifestyle for them.
- Values such as perseverance, effort and dedication are strengthened.
- They experience great satisfaction and sense of well-being in seeing the result of their hard work and the progress of the seeds and plants they have sown.
- It allows them to have a fun time, away from television and video games.
- It makes them kinder, because it merits that they treat the plants with respect and delicacy so that they can develop well and continue to grow.
- They engage in the activity and feel useful.
- It makes them feel closer to their parents, as they spend quality time with them, collaborating shoulder to shoulder in this activity.
- It contributes to their mental and emotional well-being.
- It makes them happier.
- It helps them develop healthier and stronger, among other benefits.
For these, and for many more reasons, it is important that, from a very young age, you strive to carry out different gardening activities with your child. Many of them can be assigned taking into account aspects such as age, size, strength, motor skills, understanding, attention span, etc.
- If you put these recommendations into practice, you will never regret it, as it will be an excellent way to spend quality time with your children, not only now, while the Covid-19 quarantine lasts, but also in the future to continue strengthening their emotional ties and make their relationship between father and son much healthier and stronger.