C hildren
gardening with kids: how it affects your child’s
brain, body and soul
F
or parents struggling to find
ways to encourage their kids
to eat a healthy and balanced
diet, gardening can be an import-
ant tool. Don’t let the idea over-
whelm you. Gardening doesn’t
require a perfectly level, large or
sunny backyard. Try planting in a
small raised bed or growing a few
edibles in existing landscaping.
Lean a trellis against an outside
wall to grow beans or other edible
vines. If you don’t have a lot of
outdoor space, a few containers
and soil in a sunny spot can be an
easy way to grow herbs or some
sweet cherry tomatoes that kids
won’t be able to resist. Plants like
zucchini, radishes and herbs are
fairly easy to grow without a lot of
fuss, making them a great return
on your investment. The much
bigger return is how planting a
garden can affect not only your
child’s body but also their brain
and soul.
How gardening can affect the
BRAIN: There is a myriad of sci-
entific concepts you can discuss
with your kids when planting and
tending to a garden. One study
showed that children who par-
ticipated in gardening projects
scored higher in science achieve-
ment than those who did not.
The wonder of seeing a garden
grow may spark your kids to ask
questions like: Why do the plants
need sun? How does the plant
“drink” water? Why are worms
good for the plants? Soon you
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will be talking about soil compo-
sition, photosynthesis and more!
Add a little math while gardening
by measuring how much plants
are growing from week to week
or counting the flowers on each
plant. Supplement the experience
of gardening with books about
plants, trips to a botanical garden,
or a photo journal of the plants
that you are growing.
Once you harvest your produce,
think of all the brain-building
vitamins, minerals and phytonu-
trients your kids will be eating
and how that will continue to
boost brain development. Foods
like spinach, garlic and beets
(which are all easy to grow) have
been show to help with cognitive
function and can give your kids