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Gardening can be a wonderful way to get children outdoors, away from screens, and learning about the natural world. 

It’s a great way for them to get some fresh air, be active, and gain a sense of responsibility by nurturing plants. But if you’re wondering how to keep them safe in the garden, and how to spark that interest, don’t worry—we’ve got some fun and simple ideas to get the little ones digging, planting, and exploring.

10 Ways To Get Children into Gardening?

1. Start Small with Easy Projects
The key to getting children interested in gardening is to keep it simple and fun. Rather than introducing them to a big domestic polytunnel, start with easy, achievable projects like growing cress in egg cartons or planting sunflowers. These types of plants are fast-growing, which is perfect for children who might be impatient to see results. By starting small, they can see the progress more quickly, which helps keep them interested and excited.

2. Give Them Their Own Patch of Soil
Kids love having their own space to look after, so if you can, allocate a small patch of garden just for them. Let them decide what to plant, whether it’s strawberries, herbs, or a few colourful flowers. It doesn’t matter if what they plant are companions and the area doesn’t need to be large—just a small corner of a flower bed or even a big pot will do. Having a sense of ownership over their very own garden helps children feel proud of what they’re growing.

3. Make Gardening a Sensory Experience
Gardening is naturally full of sights, sounds, and textures that kids love. Get them to feel the different textures of soil, smell the herbs, and watch the bees and butterflies visiting the flowers. Choose plants that are engaging for the senses, like lavender for its wonderful smell, or lamb’s ear for its soft, velvety leaves. If the experience is more hands-on and sensory, children are far more likely to enjoy themselves and want to come back for more.

4. Use Child-Friendly Tools
Adult-sized garden tools can be unwieldy and unsafe for young children, so invest in a few child-sized tools. Small spades, rakes, and watering cans that are just the right size make gardening safer and more accessible. Brightly coloured tools can also be more inviting, turning gardening into more of a playtime activity rather than a chore.

5. Focus on Fun Activities
Make gardening a playful experience rather than a serious one. Create fun activities like painting plant pots, building a bug hotel, or making wind chimes to hang in the garden. You could also play games such as a scavenger hunt for different plants, bugs, or colours. The more fun you make it, the more they’ll want to participate.

6. Teach Through Storytelling
Children love stories, so weave some storytelling into gardening time. You could explain how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, how bees make honey, or tell the story of Jack and the Beanstalk while planting beans together. By connecting gardening to fascinating stories, children learn to see it as part of a bigger, magical process.

7. Encourage Wildlife-Friendly Gardening
Most children are fascinated by bugs and animals, so encourage wildlife-friendly gardening. Create a small pond, put up a bird feeder, or leave a section of the garden a bit wild to attract insects. Let them look for worms, ladybirds, or caterpillars, and teach them how these little creatures help the garden thrive. 

By making the garden a haven for wildlife, children will feel connected to nature and excited by all the discoveries they can make.

8. Grow Edible Plants
There’s something particularly rewarding about growing your own food, and children love the idea of eating something they’ve grown themselves. Strawberries, tomatoes, and peas are perfect choices for children—they’re easy to grow, and children can snack straight from the plant. Not only does this teach them where food comes from, but it also makes them more likely to try new fruits and vegetables, especially if they’ve nurtured them from seedling to snack.

9. Celebrate Their Successes
Always celebrate the little milestones to keep their enthusiasm up. Whether it’s a sunflower reaching new heights or the first strawberry ripening, make a big deal out of it! Take photos, let them show off their work to family members, or even make a gardening journal where they can draw or write about what they’ve achieved. Positive reinforcement will encourage them to keep going.

10. Make Gardening Part of Routine
The more often children get involved in the garden, the more comfortable and excited they will become. Make watering the plants part of their daily routine or set aside a specific day each week as “garden day.” Routine helps children feel like gardening is a normal and fun part of life, rather than just an occasional activity.

Gardening with children is all about fun, exploration, and the joy of seeing things grow. By keeping it simple, giving them ownership, and making it sensory, you can inspire a love for gardening that lasts a lifetime. Whether you have a large domestic polytunnel or just a small space with pots, there are endless opportunities to get children outdoors, exploring, and excited about nature.