Garden Ideas For Kids

Get your kids outside and excited about what to do outside with these great garden ideas for kids. From creating their very own vegetable garden (and learning how to look after it) to creating their own fantasy garden, OMO has the best ideas and tips for gardening with kids here.

Gardening Ideas for Kids

It can be hard to get kids interested in and excited about gardening. Not only is it important for kids to be active but getting them interested in nature and the outdoors is a valuable lesson that will stay with them for life. Learning to care for and have responsibility for a garden is also a great lesson in learning that what you put in, is what you’ll get out.

OMO has got you covered with fun garden ideas for kids. With our simple tips, even the youngest of children can help out in the garden and have fun doing it.

Creating a Vegetable Garden

If you’ve ever had your own vegetable garden, you’ll understand how satisfying it can be to help something grow that you will eventually eat – sustainability at its best. Getting kids involved in this hobby is a great decision and it will teach them many valuable life lessons too. Here’s how to get started:

• Select an area in your garden that you can turn into the Kids Veggie Patch. Make sure the area gets sun almost all day long, veggies need lots of sun.

• Get the kids involved in clearing out the area, taking out any old plants (and replanting them elsewhere) and removing any weeds and debris too.

• Add a lot of rich compost to the area and work it into the existing soil very well. The more compost the better for vegetables, as they like rich soil.

• Allow your kids to select the vegetable seedlings they want – help to guide them with the right choice of summer or winter options, depending on what season you are planting for.

• Guide them on how to plant the vegetables – following the guidelines of about 10 – 20 cm deep and between 20 – 30 cm between each plant.

• Allow them to water their new seedlings thoroughly after planting.

If you’re worried about the kids getting dirty when planting their vegetables, don’t! OMO has you covered with our range of laundry detergents, plus we believe that Dirt is Good for kids after all and activities like this actually help to build their little brains and their personalities too.

Creating a Fantasy Garden

If you don’t have the space, or you’re not the veggie-growing kind of family, consider getting your child to create their own fantasy garden with creative bits and bobs that they love. A fantasy garden is an ideal small garden play area because you don’t need a lot of space and your kids can enjoy hours of fun playing in their own little world there. Here’s how:

• Find the best area outside for the fantasy garden. Ideally, if it’s going to be a kid’s play area, you’re going to want it to be a warm area that offers lots of shade to avoid nasty sunburns.

• Clear out the area and get rid of any debris or dirt. Consider laying down fake grass as the perfect floor base for any child’s area.

• Ask your child what kind of garden they’d like to create, be it a fairy garden, a dinosaur garden, a bug garden or maybe even a rock garden. Get them to make or paint whatever objects you might have that could do in the garden including hanging ornaments for any trees or bushes that might surround it.

• Allow them to paint any trees or rocks in the garden too, to their heart's content. Just make sure it’s enamel paint and not water-proof paint otherwise it’ll wash off with the first rains of the season.

Tips for getting the kids involved, long-term

It’s no use creating an edible garden and then having no responsibility for it afterwards. We’ve created some top tips for keeping your kids involved and responsible for growing their own food every day.

• If you have more than one child, create a schedule for watering duties. Vegetables need a lot of water and should ideally be watered daily in summer. Each child should be responsible for learning how to water the veggies and taking on that job each day.

• Harvesting veggies is the best part, you get to see the literal fruits of your labour. On harvesting day, get the whole family involved and teach them how to harvest the veggies in the correct way so that the plant can continue to flourish.

• Allow each child to choose their favourite meal to use the vegetables in. This way they will learn about growing and eating their own food, which is a wonderful lesson in sustainability and learning where the food on our plates comes from.

• If you are using wooden planters, give each child their own planter box to decorate. They can paint it in whatever colours they want, allowing their creativity and imagination to flourish. This can be their veggie box, and they could even be solely responsible for it too.

• Get the kids their own veggie gardening toolbox, which contains gloves, a fork, a spade, and a pair of kid's gardening scissors. Allow them to decorate their box for themselves and they need to be kept responsible for looking after the contents of their special box.

After all the planting, painting, and creating fun, take your kid’s dirty clothes off and wash them with one of your favourite products from the OMO washing detergent range. Let us worry about the dirt and stains, while you worry about creating happy children.