Let them loose!

Gardens and allotments are great places to stimulate a child’s imagination while at the same time giving them space to develop mentally and physically. Annabelle Padwick explains

- Annabelle Padwick

I’m often asked by teachers and parents for advice on how to encourage children and teenagers to get outside, up to the allotment, playing and perhaps learning to grow their own food – all with the aim to help their overall well-being, getting them out in the fresh air and learning new things.

As keen gardeners, we know ourselves that creating a direct connection to the soil, seeds, vegetables and wildlife can be very grounding and empowering. Going barefoot as long as it’s safe and putting our hands in the soil, so we can feel the earth’s energy. Spotting other life – birds, hedgehogs, frogs, wiggly worms, caterpillars, and ladybirds. Feeling the different textures and smells of the plants. It’s brilliant! But encouraging children to try all these things and maintain the love for it is sometimes a little trickier.

So, I thought I would share my thoughts and suggestions with you in case it gives you some new ideas too.

GIVE CHILDREN THEIR OWN SPACE

Giving your children or grandchildren their own area of the garden or allotment allows them to have a great sense of control and ownership, both things we all really need but are hard to have as a child. Let them do anything they wish in this space, whether that’s filling it with vegetables, flowers, a bean den, bug hotel, or mud pie kitchen. It may not go with the rest of your garden design or scheme and you may have to divert your eyes from the mess, but it could be hugely rewarding for them.