Fed up having to try find ways to get kids outdoors? Giving them garden chores for kids and hoping they would help you?
And when you get them outside and give them a job to do, only to have them wander off uninterested?
It’s a constant chore that makes everything more difficult.
So stop! Don’t bother!
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Is It Good For Kids To Go Outside?
Don’t know where to start with a vegetable garden? This will help you out!
Being outdoors help children be physically healthier children.
Research show children burn more calories when they are outdoors.
Being outdoors helps strengthen muscles and playing in the sun is a fantastic way to get natural vitamin D in the body resulting in stronger bones.
Children are naturally draw to exploring new things.
The great outdoors is full of things to explore from bugs, lifecycles, seeds, hidden corners full of old twigs that can become pirate swords or fishing poles.
Getting kids outside Instead of them being face deep in screens all day everyday is so good for a million different reasons so get them outside and helping.
Get fit gardening using this guide
How To Get Them Out
If you really want your kids to get outdoors and help with gardening chores or even just enjoy being outside.
Stop Nagging! Seriously, It just turns kids ears off, so instead, here are three effective steps you can take.
End Distractions. Having a time for things like tablets and screens.
Set a Time Limit for outdoor activities. If kids think they are going to have to dig or be outdoors ALL day, they won’t be so keen.
Don’t ask for help!!
Yip that’s right as soon as you ask for help, you make gardening a chore. Kids switch off and aren’t interested.
Let kids play and start the jobs you need to do, after a while the kids will start asking if they can help. Kids love to imitate adults and they always want to be doing ‘grown up’ things.
Here’s WHY you need to Garden with your kids.
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When they ask if they can help, let them. Some gardening tasks can be dangerous so make sure your aware of the ages and capabilities of your kids but my 3 year old is hands down the most helpful child in the garden.
So don’t use the excuse that “no it’s too dangerous” spend a few minutes showing and teaching your kids the safe way to do the job.
Here is a great post on what tools you need.
Then stand back and supervise for safety. As soon as one wants to help -“Can we help too?”
What Garden Jobs Can Children Do?
Weeding is a fab gardening chore for kids
It doesn’t matter how attentive a gardener you are, there are always weeds to deal with. So why not make a race out of it? Whichever child gets to the top of their weeding pail first wins a prize.
Make sure you explain what is a weed and what is your prized seedlings you’ve spent a week planting!
Trust me this is a hard one to swallow.
Use Secateurs To Chop Down Dead Stems.
Recently, while the kids were playing outdoors, so I decided to amuse myself tidying up the garden while they played, so I could supervise at the same time.
Anyway, I used my secateurs to chop down bead stems and shorten the stems of my buddleia tree before the winds arrive.
One of the kids asked if the could help. So I gave her a pair of secateurs (she’s 12) and I explained what to do. I found another job to do next to her so I could supervise.
My eldest son asked if he could have a go too, so I let him step in and started weeding around the beds next to them
And 2 of the younger kids asked what I was doing and could they help. By this point I was stunned but didn’t want to burst the bubble I’d found myself in.
So for the rest of the afternoon we happily tidied the garden. My goodness it made a huge difference and the kids were so proud of themselves. And I didn’t have to stress out trying to get them help.
Deadheading Flowers
Most kids love picking flowers, but my kids love using scissors to chop them even more.
They love to make their way around the garden “picking” blooms that are past their best. They then love to pretend their making potions etc.
This is a job that does require supervision so they stay safe with scissors, but most flower stems can by cut with round safety scissors.
Watering is one of the easiest gardening chores for kids.
Probably one of the easiest gardening activities for kids is to water the plants.
invest in small watering can for younger children to help. It keeps our little man amused for hours.
To save water waste we fill a large pail with water he can dip into so the tap isn’t running for hours.
Most of the water makes it to the plants this way- if you don’t could the around he soaks up!
Gardening chores for kids don’t need to be hard- let them feed the birds
Making and filling bird feeders is a fun way to get outside and helping you. Check out this post for some fun DIY bird feeders your kids will love making. Ours do.
Snail Hunting
Snail are EVERYWHERE in our garden. So each year we hold snail gathering competitions.
Everyone grabs a bucket and sees how many snails they can find.
Common garden problems and how to deal with them
The winner gets to brag until the next time and then we all take the snails on holiday to the woods so they can find food there and leave my plants alone.
An obvious gardening chore for kids is Digging
Most kids enjoy playing in the mud. So if you have digging to do you can take advantage of it and tick a job off your to-do list.
Give the kids some small trowels and forks so they can break up large clumps of soil in borders to prepare it for planting.
Mowing the lawn
Mowing the lawn can also be a satisfying activity for older kids. Depending on their age and size. Supervision is obviously needed here too.
Picking Fruit And Vegetables
If you have grown fruit, vegetables or flowers, its a fantastic way to show kids the benefit of all that hard work by letting them harvest some of it.
Growing
There are a lot of easy to grow plants kids can help to grow. Sweet peas are a good one to grow indoors over winter to plant out next year. Check out how to grow them here.
After involving them in all the aspects of gardening, the last and best thing you can do with the kids is to harvest and eat the fruits and vegetables they’ve helped to grow.
Encourage them to help in the kitchen too so they can see the full cycle from seed to plate.
So, when you have gardening chores for kids….
Don’t ask for help in your garden. Just make sure your little darlings see you enjoying what you’re doing.
They will flock to you wanting to have a go too and all you have to do is let them run with it.
This is great! My kids love working in the garden!