Water the plants with kids

Encouraging your children to get involved with household chores such as watering the plants is a great way to help them feel important and learn responsibility – plus they get to learn the basics of how plants live and grow. Try the following tips to make this task both playful and educational.

Watering the plants with kids

• To keep mess to a minimum, gather the plants that need watering and place them on a tray at a level that is low enough for your child to easily reach. Make sure the tray can hold some water if it leaks from the bottom of the pots. If you don't have a tray, you could put them in the bath or shower tray.
• Rather than using a watering can, which can be tricky to hold, fill up small bottles or spray bottles with water. Old runny honey pots are great for this!
• Help them carefully pour or squeeze enough water into each pot – remember to water the soil rather than the leaves.
• Talk to your children about why plants need water, how much they need and how often.
• Mark when you watered the plants on a calendar to make sure they get the right amount.
• If your plant needs it, you can also add in giving plant food or dusting big leaves with an old sock.
• Talk about why your plants need sunlight – and why they need to be placed in certain places around the house. Ask your child to help you choose the best locations.

Encouraging your child to water plants will help them learn how to care for living things, which will build their confidence and encourage compassion. Understanding how plants live and grow is also a great introduction to the basics of science that they will learn in school.