When Can Kids Start Gardening?
Allow us to take you on a little exercise. It’ll be brief, we promise! Open up your Google (or BING if you prefer) search bar and start typing in “when can kids start…” and you’ll discover the search engine autocomplete a variety of questions that parents, guardians, and educators ask the digital ether on a regular basis. Here, allow us to do it for you (we know you’re busy):
Among the most common search expressions in Canada, are six that are quite telling. These include the following:
- when can kids start preschool
- when can kids start kindergarten
- when can kids start school
- when can kids start working
- when can kids start lifting weights
- when can kids start taking vitamins
These half-dozen commonly searched terms tell us that parents, guardians, and educators wonder when they can start promoting their children’s cognitive, social, physical, and nutritional development. This leads us to the point of today’s topic (yes, we’re getting there) which touches on when children can start gardening. Our answer is simple; today! Below is a breakdown of why it’s so very important based upon your own search for answers.
3 Reasons Why Your Young Children Should Start Getting Involved in Gardening Today
Gives Them an Advantage for School
Those of you who search for information about when your young children can begin preschool and kindergarten will be pleased to know that gardening is an education. From a very early age gardening teaches them not just about sustainability and the seed-to-table process, it digs deep into concepts of science, geology, math (measuring water and seed distribution, etc.) and more. In fact, research shows that gardening boosts standardized test scores for school entry and progression, which directly relates to the queries about when kids can start preschool and kindergarten. Even if they are “brand new” bobbling-head bundles of joy it’s important to bring them into the garden to experience the sights and sounds, especially colour. By 3-months babies begin to see color in all of its glory. Exposing them to bright primary colors of red (ripe tomatoes and strawberries), yellow (sunflowers) and blue (the sky above) is exceedingly important for their development from the early stages and beyond.
Gives Them a Head Start for Their Future Careers
Getting ahead of ourselves? We were just talking about preschool entry after all. Well, to be fair, we are now addressing the commonly searched expression about when kids can start working. Once again we find that gardening will give them a head start over peers who have not had the chance to experience working in a backyard, community, or school garden. Whether gardening with family, community members, or with classmates, kids learn valuable skills and concepts that will carry over into their future careers to great success. These include the development of personal responsibility, project planning, and time-management in addition to interpersonal communication and the ability to work with others in both a following and leadership capacity.
Gives Them a Physical Advantage Too
What about those who search for information about when kids can start working out and taking vitamins? It’s not hard to draw a direct line between early involvement in gardening and early development of physical health and wellness. For one, an expansive body of research shows that when kids help grow fruits and vegetables, they are more likely to eat more produce and try different kinds. This gives them the bulk (if not all) of the vitamins the average child needs. And as far as “working out” is concerned, the act of gardening and all of the physical movements that come from bending, lifting, and carrying (with proper form, of course) along with digging, raking, hoeing, and more will have your kids giving the CrossFit gang down the road a run for their money.
When can kids start gardening? If you want to give them a health head-start in life then you should get them involved as soon as you conclude reading this.
Err…what are you waiting for!?
