Gardening is a fun activity that can supply you with food. According to Thrive Magazine, 30% garden to grow their own fresh food while 15% garden to save money. With both of these major benefits in mind for your family, here are a few reasons why you should garden with your infant in tow.
1. Cognitive Development
People garden for a wide range of reasons, but everyone who gardens reports they feel more relaxed and they do a lot of reflection while gardening. Gardening connects us with nature and gets us thinking. It can do the same for your child. It teaches your child where their food comes from.
The natural world is amazing. As you garden with your infant, they learn about the natural world and become more aware of sharing the planet with other life forms. It can be a great learning tool. Early learning about engineering and science can foster enjoyment in exploring the world, and gardening offers such subjects on a natural level.
2. Motor Skills
Gardening with your infant can improve their fine motor skills. Gardening activities such as digging, planting, watering, and harvesting require fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, which are important for your infant’s development. Practicing these skills in the garden is a great way for them to improve their skills in a fun way.
Infants can practice grasping, pinching, and more. These are critical skills that can be taught in an engaging environment. They are learning and developing while they are spending time having fun with you and growing things.
3. Engaging Environment
Working in the garden with parents is a highly engaging environment for infants. Digging around in the dirt is a great form of sensory stimulation. Of course, being outdoors in the fresh air has advantages for both children and adults. The garden is an engaging environment.
In the garden, children connect with nature. There is so much to do and see in the garden. You even get to see nature through your baby!
4. Emotional Regulation
Gardening helps millions of adults to de-stress. It can do the same thing for your child. Being in the garden close to nature is peaceful. It can help to regulate your child emotionally. It teaches them that the garden is a safe space and a great place to unwind. Gardening can teach infants to be patient.
It is a wonderful place to learn more about feelings and emotions. Emotional regulation techniques will serve your child well throughout their lifetime. Gardening can have a soothing and comforting effect on infants. It is a great place to spend some time with the whole family.
5. Family Bonding
Bonding with your infant in the garden will build strong family connections. Whether sowing seeds, watering plants, or harvesting fruits and vegetables, gardening allows families to work together towards a common goal. Watching all the hard work come together is an incredible way to build a strong family bond.
Connecting with your child on a deeper level is easy when you have a common interest. When you both benefit from working in the garden, it creates a tight bond between parent and child. The skills your infant will develop through observation and doing will help them reach developmental milestones. It will also create fond memories and teach them skills they can utilize for the rest of their lives.
Whether you’ve recently adopted a child, waited nearly 13 months for the surrogacy process to complete, or had a baby naturally, you’ve waited a long time for your infant to arrive and become part of your family. Enjoy every moment of your infant’s precious years by making gardening a family-wide activity this summer!
