Gardening For Kids: A Montessori Approach

Summer is in full swing. With summer coming closer to an end and slowly leaving us our gardens are growing strong and have been producing fruits and veggies! Now I know it’s July and some of you are saying “Wait! Summer is not coming to an end yet!” It feels like it is going by so fast for us. If you are interested in the Montessori approach this will be just right for you! Here we will discuss the benefits of teaching our children gardening and the best way to approach this with Montessori practices.

Benefits of Montessori Approach with Gardening

The Montessori approach fosters independence and teaches children from a young age to share a deep connection to nature and share a sense of responsibility for themselves. It allows children to experience for themselves the full life cycle of plants and hands on exploration of the plants, soil and insects. Some very important developmental key traits that come with gardening include patience and dedication throughout the gardening process and they learn practical life skills and can experience sensory engagement.

As for any adults, when children spend time outside gardening it supports their emotional well being and gives them a sense of calm and peace and has been shown to improve their mood . Gardening solo also gives them a sense of independence and it becomes a way for them to develop problem solving skills. If they see a plant that isn’t thriving it encourages them to identify why the plant isn’t growing properly. Gardening can also help encourage healthy eating and they become willing to try the fruits and vegetables that they plant themselves.

Gardening is also considered a practical life activity in Montessori education and in homeschooling. It naturally integrates lessons in math, science, language, responsibility, and environmental stewardship while nurturing the child’s curiosity and independence.

Important Tips

It is important to give your child their own gardening bed to give them ownership and responsibility of their own space. Make sure it is a manageable plot, container, or raised bed for the child to manage all on their own without help from an adult.

Instead of buying the plants in a pot it is more important for the children to start with seeds and understand the full life cycle of a plant. When using gardening tools make sure to use child-sized tools that are functional and not plastic toys. A friendly reminder that it doesn’t need to be a perfect garden. It’s more important for the child to have an interaction with nature and remember that this is a learning process for them and this also teaches a child patience.