Designing a Garden for Children!

“Break O’ break open till they break the town and show the children to green field, and make their world Run azure on gold sand…”                                                                                                 -Stephen Spender

Jump with children to know how to enjoy life to its fullest! Spread bubbles of joy to rewind your childhood. Pluck all colours of flowers that you fancy and make a bouquet as you compete with the butterflies!

Childhood is about innocence. Childhood is about retreating from the blight of life, and submitting to the unexplored beauty of nature. Children are bundles of joy and they love running around in the garden. They just need a space to call their own: a secret place that will silently witness all their prancing and frolicking!

Benefits of playing in a Garden for Children:

The garden space can be converted into your child’s little play-land where he/she can get a chance to be in the close proximity with of harmonious vibes of Mother nature. There are multiple benefits of letting your child play in the garden:

• Children will learn to recognize fruits, flowers and even garden wildlife. These live demonstrations will help them insert these pictures into their memory card permanently. Early interaction with nature will teach the child to become a friend as well as a saviour of nature.

• A garden area, exuding its green visual splendour, will help your child to concentrate, de-stress and relax. This will help them in coping better with the cut-throat competition of the modern day world.

  

• It will instil in them the compassion for nature and one day, they will take up your passion for gardening.

Planning a Garden for Children:

However, making your garden a child-friendly space is no child’s play.

• Plan your garden in a fashion that instantly connects with the child. Theme gardens are not only enticing to the child, but for the adult onlookers as well. You can make a conjoining pencil-shaped fence, either in the form of a wave like pattern, or a merry-go-round.

• Children love swings, see-saws and slides. Hence, if your garden is spacious, you can build these elements so that the child has enough option to engage himself/herself in.

• Build playhouses where your little ones can plan birthday parties for dolls, or simply indulge in car racing practices.

  

• Avoid sharp, fragile or brittle garden accessories since the innate curiosity of the child might result in the child getting injured, or your favourite garden accessories being damaged. You can put tables, chairs, bean bags and bird houses in your garden.

• Plant flowers that do not have thorns. Children love to pluck flowers and if you plant prickly flowers, then the child might get injured.

• Landscapes with rocks, boulders and pebbles are not the best options if you are nurturing an infant.

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Gardening with your little ones:

Child-friendly gardens also entail the child participating in the activities of gardening. However, the child should be accompanied by an adult so that she/he learns to use the garden tools and at the same time, becomes aware of all the myriad activities that contribute to gardening.

• It is better to begin with a small patch. Do not intimidate the child by encouraging him/her to commence with a huge stretch of land.

• Let your child decide what fruits, flowers, herbs or vegetables he/she wants to plant. You can begin by utilizing summer vacations. Ask them which plants have an affinity for the season and in this way, quiz their knowledge about seasonal flowers and vegetables.

• Plants like marigolds, sunflowers, beans, squash and peas are easy for children to grow and handle.

• There are child-friendly garden tools available in the market. Trowels that are sturdy can be easily handled by the little ones. Similarly, small colourful watering cans can also be used by them to water the plants.

• Ensure that your kid is wearing gloves so as to stay clean and tidy.

  

• Children should learn the importance of keeping the garden clean. So let them clean away the decayed leaves.

• When the fruits of a plant are ready to be harvested, let the child do the harvesting. You can be a proud parent as you sit back and witness the valuable smile on your baby’s face.

• Gift your child a play garden and see how he/she develops a selfless and uncensored love for dear nature.