It Starts with a Square

Gardening With Your Preschooler

BY Regan Hewitt

Gardening allows your child to learn about biology through fun, hands-on experiences. Here are a few ways that you can get your child interested in gardening at home:  

  • With your child, start off by researching which plants will develop best in your area. Let your child choose which plants they would like to see grow right in their backyard. Then take a trip with your child to purchase the necessary seeds and tools. 
  • If you want to have a more advanced garden, keeping in mind age appropriateness, help your child plant vegetables. It will be rewarding to eat the vegetables that you and your child have helped grow. 
  • Talk with your child about the changes and patterns they notice as the plants begin to grow, and ask them to predict what will happen in the future.  
  • Discuss the different kinds of bugs that you see in the garden. Determine if certain bugs are beneficial or harmful to the garden and why. 
  • Ask your child to draw pictures of what they observe happening in the garden and help them write down what they see. 
  • Keep track of how tall the plants are, and ask your child to use their math and ruler skills to determine how much each plant has grown each week. 
  • As your preschooler “digs deeper” into gardening, they will retain lasting memories of what they have learned. 

Teaching your child how to garden is a fun, hands-on learning experience that encourages patience, imagination and environmental awareness. The best part about learning to garden is that it is something your family can enjoy together, indoors or out! 

Cathy Jo Mattson, on-site owner of The Goddard School®

For more information on why The Goddard School located in Collierville is the place for fun and learning, please contact Cathy Jo Mattson at 901-861-0108.

 

September/October 2021 Tour Collierville Magazine