Planting Instructions for Children

Picking the Seeds

• Let her pick the seeds for the garden. This reinsures her that the garden and planting is indeed her work and something of which she should be proud. Popular garden seeds for children include vegetables, such as radishes, potatoes, zucchini, pumpkins, broccoli and carrots. By planting and growing vegetables in her garden, she may be more likely to eat the vegetables more often.

Preparing the Garden

• Pick some plastic or child-friendly gardening tools that belong to them during the planting process. These tools can include hoes, spades, hand rakes and gardening gloves. If possible, get gardening gloves with the child's favorite color or cartoon character. Pick out a couple of spots in the garden where he can select his gardening area.

Planting

• Tell her to dig a hole to plant the seeds. Explain that the seeds require a bed and the hole they are digging is the bed. Guide her in terms of the depth and size of the hole, as it depends on the amount and type of seeds being planted. Tell her to gently place the seeds in the garden beds. Tuck them in by placing the soil on top of the seeds and smoothing out the soil to create nice-looking bed. If she is planting more than one type of vegetable or plant, put the empty seed packages next to the area where the seeds have been planted to locate the beds.

Maintain the Garden

• Explain to him that water for the plant is like food for humans. Water is required in specific intervals for the plant or vegetable to live. If it is easier, compare the plant to the family pet that also gets food served at specific daily intervals. Tell him that the more water and care he shows the garden, the more the vegetable or plant grows. Create a watering schedule made specifically for him.