Gardening can be a fun way to grow your relationship with your toddler! Whether planting in the ground or in pots, giving your child a way to learn a ton of vocabulary and to follow directions while getting messy can be so much fun. They won’t even know they are learning! Whatever you choose to plant, tell your child what it is you are planting and what you are doing. For example, “ Let’s plant the beans!” “Here are the seeds.” “We need to use a shovel to dig a small hole.” “Dig, dig, dig!” “Put the seeds in the hole.” “Then cover up the seeds with the dirt.” “Now we need to water them.” “Pour!” “The sun will help them grow too!”. Take turns with the tasks and use phrases “My turn” and “Your turn” as you do. Ask them what they need so they can request the materials(Seed please, More dirt, I want shovel, I need water, etc.). As they watch them grow, they will know they helped and maybe(if you plant vegetables or fruit)eat what they planted and nourished!
Word/sounds to include: names of fruits, vegetables, or flowers, dig, hole, scoop, dump, pour, seed, water, sun, dirt, sprout, bloom, pick, dirty, clean, wet
Had not realized how a fun activity could become such a learning occasion at the same time. Especially beneficial is the “my turn, your turn” suggestion.