Wellbeing benefits of gardening for children
Discover the positive impacts that gardening can have on children and young people’s mental and physical health
It’s widely accepted that getting outdoors even for a small amount of time can enrich our daily lives, and the lives of our children. Just being in nature creates a calming environment for them, which enhances their learning experiences, sparks joy and arouses curiosity.
In 2023, it was reported that most children and young people are able to easily walk from their home to green and natural spaces. 74% of children and young people said that they could easily walk (by themselves or with someone else) to a park, playing field or playground, 73% a garden and 56% grassy areas in the streets nearby.
Source: The 2023 Children’s People and Nature Survey for England
Place2Be Trainer Karen Stocks, Primary School Gardening Lead Alison Pryce and Support for Learning teacher Samantha Howie, share their tips on how to get children connecting with nature and benefitting from its restorative powers.
1) Teaches self-regulation
A child running in the Wellbeing Garden in autumn at RHS Garden Wisley
Karen Stocks is a Place2Be trainer and delivers professional qualifications to teachers. Place2Be is a children and young peoples’ mental health charity that works with pupils, families and staff in UK schools. The charity provides a range of mental health and counselling support. Karen also offers consultation services to communities, teaching staff and head teachers. Before this, she had clinical and managerial roles in schools.
2) Allows space for big feelings
Children from Sandhill View Academy on a walk
“They might need a friend or some support from an adult. It’s important to learn about mental health and wellbeing because we are social beings. We need other people in order to thrive. Wellbeing walks not only teach them that being in nature is calming and will make them feel better, but also how being in nature allows for those big feelings and is a space where they can be heard and thought about.”
3) Encourages individuality
A child holding a worm
“With young children, it’s fun to pretend to be the tree. See if you can make your arms into branches, copy the movements and ask them to listen carefully to hear the tree. Meeting a tree is an activity that seems to engage all ages,” says Karen.
A little girl with muddy hands enjoys gardening activities in the garden
“I wanted to give the children some gardening experience without it becoming onerous for the teachers. Two teachers help with gardening club and one of the lunchtime supervisors came on board recently. The children are keen to plant flowers to attract wildlife such as birds, bees and butterflies,” says Alison.
Plants for bees
Plants for birds
Plants for butterflies
4) Develops patience
Seed planting activity at RHS Garden Wisley
How to sow seeds indoors
Growing pumpkins with children
How to sow seeds outdoors
5) Gives them skills for the future
Girls hand weeding in school garden
“Many parents and schoolteachers don’t know where to start with gardening and a lot of schools just don’t have the budget or resources. We wanted to give teachers the confidence to have a go and make gardening in schools as low cost and accessible as possible.
Roots to Wellbeing
Five ways to wellbeing framework
“We focus on growing plants rather than gardening so schools that don’t have any green space can still get involved. No gardening experience is needed, and we focus on how school pupils benefit from engaging with nature,” says Karen.
Samantha Howie is a Support for Learning teacher at Buckie Community High School in Moray, Scotland. One of her main remits is doing alternative curriculum activities and looking at how the school can match them to the children’s needs.
“Outdoor learning is part of our general curriculum. We work to an alternative curriculum and we have specific slots for gardening activities. For many of our children, learning numeracy and literacy in a traditional way can be challenging, whereas going outside and counting seeds or measuring out soil or water is easier for them.
Natural art lesson
Create a sensory nature box
6) Promotes a healthy lifestyle
Boys harvesting potatoes on an allotment plot
Children running in the Farmhouse Garden at RHS Garden Hyde Hall
“We’re working towards a holistic approach where the children can grow their own food, cook with it, and share any extra food with the community,” says Samantha.
“There’s nothing like popping fresh peas from a pod in the garden. It’s so rewarding to eat something you’ve seen grow from seed,” says Alison.
Grow your own
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Grow your own peas
7) Improves social skills
Children from Burnham on Crouch Primary School adding material to a bee hotel
“We get the children working outside in groups. They decide what to grow and figure out how to work together and split tasks between them. At one point, there was an issue with overwatering and the children solved this problem themselves. Some of our children are artistic and enjoy the design side of things, some enjoy planning and writing lists whereas others are more hands on. It gets them interacting together,” says Samantha.
“Welford Sibbertoft and Sulby Endowed Primary School is small, with only four classes so it does have a good sense of community. The older ones tend to help the younger ones. Everybody knows everybody and the majority are keen on the natural world. It gives them something to work together on,” says Alison.
Ten plants to include in a child-friendly garden
Creating a child-friendly garden
8) Supports cognitive development
A child from St Paul’s Academy removing weeds
“They’ll do it for much longer than they might have done with another activity because it’s so engaging. We learn best when we’re relaxed so de-stressing activities make us more receptive to learning. Spending time outdoors and in the garden means that our bodies are healthier and more able to function. It improves executive functioning skills like spatial awareness and self-confidence, giving them the confidence to have a go,” says Karen.
9) Offers a sense of responsibility
Year 3 pupil from Roebuck Academy watering the school allotment
“Children like being responsible for the space they are in, it just gives them ownership in a school. Seeing things grow gives them a sense of pride as well. They are taking pride in their community and other people can see it,” says Samantha.
It’s important for children to understand how to care for the world, and that if they’ve planted something they have a responsibility to it. “It’s not just your pets you need to look after, it’s plants as well. You’ve got a duty to find out what the plants you’re growing need and provide for it for them,” says Alison.
10) Educates them on life
Grow pea shoots from dried peas
Don’t try and take on a big project, or come up with big ideas or schemes. Start small and then as that develops you will naturally build on it. “Before you know it, you might find you’ve got a few pots and try to grow different things. It doesn’t have to be successful, just take it on like an experiment,” says Karen.
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