Gardening could be the best hobby for your teenager right now. If you’re a parent who’s concerned about the amount of time your kids are spending on screens, giving them something ‘concrete’ to do in the outside world will be a key part of reducing their overall screentime.
And let’s face it, gardening is fun! It’s the kind of hobby that could keep a teen engaged and interested for hours on end, week after week. There couldn’t be a more perfect hobby for someone who seems to have little interest or energy for anything other than playing games, watching videos, and scrolling through social media.
But to gauge their initial interest for gardening, as well as help them discover a love for it, you’re going to need to pace yourself and use the tips down below. Gardening is a wholesome hobby that allows for both creativity and practicality – it really can be suitable for anyone!
Set Up the Garden as a Safe Space
The garden needs to feel like a safe space to your teenager. It needs to feel like the kind of place they belong and can be themself. They also need to know it’s the kind of space where their feelings and thoughts matter, and where they can blow off steam if they need to.
Treating the garden as a safe space for these emotions can help them to stop boiling over in other areas of life. Teenagers are getting used to a lot of new things to think about, and a lot of new life situations that can make them upset and angry. Letting them know that the garden is there for them to process what’s going on, and will always be a space for them, can help them to see the garden as somewhere nice to be.
Let Them Focus on the Plants They Like
Teenagers usually have a plant or two that they like already. They may have asked if they can buy some houseplants for their own room, and that’s the kind of thing to take interest in yourself. Note down what they’ve bought and seem to be OK caring for, and then take that outside.
If your teenager seems to quite like taking care of a cactus, for example, they may like the idea of planting succulents in a rock garden outside. You can encourage them to try out a project like this by introducing them to a more expansive world where the plants they already love come in more wild and various forms.
Offer Some Responsibility in the Tasks Set
Responsibility is a pretty big thing for teenagers. It’s common to fall into the misbelief that teenagers are bad with the responsibility and will always let you down, but that simply isn’t the case. You just need to set some tasks they’re interested in, encourage them to pursue them, and remember to offer constructive criticism if something goes wrong and/or is mismanaged.
Indeed, in the garden, there’s a lot of ‘adult’ tasks that a teen could handle with a bit of supervision. Using a robot mower, for example, is a hands-on chore that’s actually quite fun when you get involved with it. Set your teen up for success here by showing them what to do, and let them know that you’re relying on them to keep the lawn mowed and well trimmed from here on out.
Offer a Monetary Reward
Sometimes the best way to encourage a teenager to stick at something is to offer a real incentive. If they like the idea of gardening, but they need a bit more motivation to truly give it a go, offering them an extra dollar or two to complete chores out there could be helpful.
This will be entirely at your own discretion, of course, but it’s something to think about.
Your Teen Could Love Gardening
They really could! Providing them with the tools, space, and time to discover this love for gardening will be key to getting them properly engaged with the outside world. If they discover there’s a whole world of fun out there, they won’t spend so much time indoors.
And remember, listen to your teen as you work in the garden. Get a grip on their thoughts, their likes and dislikes, and encourage them to enjoy the outside world in a way that suits them. And yes, sometimes that will mean bringing a screen outside with them, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Also read:
How Good Friends Can Help Teen Mental Health
How to Know If Your Teen is Depressed?
Image credit: Freepik, prostooleh
