Planting a Garden with Your Child? Here Are Some Tips
We're always looking for things to do with our kids and one of the best ways to do that is to make things seasonal. With the change of seasons comes a change in the weather. As spring starts to warm the earth the urge to plant comes (even for those of us who live in the city). This rebirth of the earth creates new opportunities for us to introduce our child to new life growing. Dr. Maria Montessori was a huge proponent of nature education for even the youngest children.
There are many things to be learned by watching a living thing grow from the beginning. It brings us in tune with the earth in a magical way. We pay greater attention to the weather when we have planted something. We remove the obstacles from the plant so it can grow. Planting is a very nurturing task. Our children find interest in nurturing living things, as well.
“The child is initiated into foresight by way of auto-education; when he knows that the life of the plants that have been sewn depends upon his care and watering them, without which the little plant dries up.
The child becomes vigilant as one who is beginning to feel a mission in life.”
Dr. Maria Montessori, The Montessori Method
Gardening Can Bring Children Joy—If We Let It
We are constantly reminding our children what is next and telling them what to do. But gardening is a task that calls to the motivation of the child so deeply that they don’t need reminding. They want to do what is necessary for the plant to thrive. Gardening provides an opportunity for our children to be free from expectations and be fully in tune with a living thing.
The joy for the child is in watching something morph into something new. When the plant is ripe the child finds great joy in celebrating the harvest. Children need meaningful work to be fulfilled. An adult gardens to calm an anxious mind or to keep busy and active. A child gardens to produce things and to be an active participant in the life that is growing. The work adults find tedious, like pulling weeds, is a pleasure to the child looking for action.
“[H]e will for example gladly pluck weeds from paths or furrows, sweep up dried leaves, or carry away an old branch. In a word, to have a field of activity and occasions for new experiences and difficult enterprises bring satisfaction to the animating spirit which prompts a child to make its way in the world.”
Dr. Maria Montessori, The Discovery of the Child
Considering all that, we include the child in the process so they can see from start to finish the fruits of their labor. If planting is something you are looking to include your child in, you need to prepare yourself so you can include your child in a meaningful way that will ensure a pleasant experience for you both.
Try Taking These Steps to Prepare for a Pleasant Gardening Experience
Set up your materials. As with any activity, think through the steps involved and get all the necessary materials ready before you start. With everything prepared in advance, you can make the most of your child’s attention.
Gather all materials:
Gloves
Trowel to dig
Watering can or hose
Soil
Pot (if necessary)
Plants or seeds
Broom and dustpan
Cloth to wipe hands
Clothes for you child that you don’t mind getting dirty
Explain what you’ll do before you begin. Talk about the steps before you start. Define vocabulary for the tools you’ll be using. Discuss the three things plants need to grow: sun, soil, and water.
Separate tasks into simple steps. Present them to your child with limited language.
“Dig holes in the soil”
“Place plants in the holes”
“Pack soil around the plant”
“Water plants”
“Put away the materials used”
Prepare for things to get dirty. Just plan for the soil to be spilled. Provide a cloth to wipe hands and a broom and dustpan to sweep the soil. Choose a location that you’re comfortable getting dirty.
Talk about how plant growth takes time. Children don’t understand time, and waiting for a plant to grow can take a lot of patience. If you have chosen to grow vegetables to eat, your child may assume that after you plant the seeds, they will be ready. Talk about the life cycle of a plant and how you may not eat anything for a long time. Read books about plants growing and the waiting that’s needed.
Plan time for cleanup. Be mindful of the attention span of your child. Only plant a small amount so your child will still have the attention to clean up any mess that was made. Work with your child to clean up and put everything back where it belongs.
Tailor the Experience to Your Child’s Abilities—And to Your Comfort Level
If you feel as though your child will not be capable of planting the way you would like, prepare a small area for them to take care of while you plant the rest of the flower bed. If they are more interested in digging than planting, give them the opportunity to dig all the holes and forget the dropping-the-plants part. Your child is flinging the dirt around with the trowel? Give them the chance to use their hands to make a hole instead. Maybe your child loses interest midway. Call them back by offering the chance to water the plants. Or they can count how many plants you have planted. Once you’ve reengaged them, you can clean up together.
As with anything we do with a child, we must prepare ourselves for the child to be who they are and not attempt to make them fit our expectations. If you are a master gardener and you know that you will become anxious if your 3-year-old is not digging the holes at the proper intervals, find a way to include them in the gardening that allows you to feel comfortable and them to feel included. Designate one plot of land where you don’t care what grows or how it looks and let that be your child’s garden. If you are an apartment dweller, give them their own pot to tend to. Be realistic about who you are as a person and find a way to work together with your child in a low pressure environment.
Remember Your Gardening Goals: Have Fun, Learn, and Cultivate Love
Allow your child to get lost in the beauty of gardening. Provide a sense of freedom that allows your child to be called by the plants to tend to them and keep them growing. Allow your child to witness the process of plants not surviving, and to experience problem-solving in real time as you alter the care you provide for the remaining plants. Give your child space to build their own love of gardening as it relates to their inner drive.
“The most pleasant work for children is not sowing but reaping, work, we all know, that is no less exacting than the former. It may even be said that it is the harvest which intensifies an interest in sowing. The more one has reaped, the more he experiences the secret fascination of sowing.”
Dr. Maria Montessori, The Discovery of the Child