Wilder gardens allow for imaginative play and better health & well-being
Imaginative play - an important part of a child’s development
Water has a special attraction for children - having water in the garden allows them to learn to be around water safely
Wild fringes of parks attract children
Ever noticed that children are attracted to the edges of parks - playing in the long grass or where there are shrubs and trees with undergrowth? Most gardens are not big enough for a game of football, so why is it that parents (and grandparents) are adamant that a lawn is a must for their children followed by space for unsightly trampolines and/or swings and slides?
Wild our gardens
We can take the observations from where children naturally migrate to how we design our gardens. Gardens that are slightly wild offer a place where children can tap into their imagination whilst getting up close to nature and are far more enriching than those with plain old open lawns and trampolines. It allows them to explore boundaries and learn to be around water, albeit safely. A good ‘dose’ of nature (at least 2 hours per week) as well as getting ‘dirty’ will actually help their immune system and mental health as they come into direct contact with microbes in the soil (see further reading).
Six ways to make a child-friendly garden:
Plants loads of plants in lots of different layers and don’t forget trees and yummy edibles
Add water - a pond is ideal, but a water butt and a bucket would suffice
Create nooks and crannies where they can escape into a jungle, fight dinosaurs or fly with fairies
Leave sticks and other natural garden materials around for them to play with.
Let them play with plant material and soil - allow them to get dirty
Grab a cuppa or glass of wine and leave them be!
Funny the same (or most of the same!) words could be said for how to make a wildlife-friendly garden! But then we are nature too…..
Coming into direct contact with the soil improves health and well-being