Garden Time with Your Little One!
As the weather warms up and summer approaches, it’s the perfect time to start thinking about gardening and what better way to enjoy it than by getting your kiddo involved?
Gardening offers a rich, hands-on way to explore the world through touch, smell, sound, and even taste. Here are some simple, fun ways to make gardening an inclusive and engaging experience:
Getting Started Together
Let your child feel and compare different seeds: notice sizes, shapes, and textures
Use hand-under-hand or hand-over-hand guidance to support participation
Bring materials within reach: on a tray, table or wheelchair.
Follow your child’s cues, movements, sounds, or expressions to guide the experience
Tip: Choose easy-to-grow plants like herbs (basil, mint)
If You’re Buying Plants to Repot
Bring your child along to the garden store or nursery
Explore together by talking about different smells, colors, textures, and sizes
Encourage your child to gently touch leaves or smell herbs and flowers (when safe to do so)
Describe what you’re noticing and invite them to share what they feel or smell
Make It Sensory-Friendly
Include fragrant plants like lavender or rosemary for scent-based exploration
Add a variety of textures: soft leaves, rough soil, smooth pots
Use plant labels that are easy to access:
Write names in large, bold black marker for higher contrast and easier visibility
Use tactile paint or bumpy stickers to help make labels easier to identify by touch
If you’d like to try braille labels, you can ask your consultant to bring a braille maker next time.
Daily Garden Routines
Watering plants with a small container supports independence
Listen together for sounds: pouring water, rustling leaves, buzzing insects
Talk about warm sun and cool shade to build environmental awareness
Talk through what’s happening to support understanding and connection
Every family’s space looks a little different
if you don’t have a yard, you might enjoy visiting or joining a community garden
Try a few pots on a windowsill, balcony, or doorstep
Use recycled containers (like yogurt cups or egg cartons) for simple planting projects
Follow your child’s lead, some days they may want to dig, other days just explore in their own way. Every interaction is an opportunity to connect and learn together.
As summer gets closer, your garden will grow and so will your child’s confidence, skills, and curiosity. Whether you’re planting seeds or repotting flowers, these shared experiences can become meaningful family routines.