There are many things about gardening that can be beneficial to children who have special needs. Parents don’t necessarily need to have a “green thumb” in order to set up a small garden for their child. Working in a garden can help kids become calm, and to develop useful skills.
Gardening is a peaceful activity, which is why so many people enjoy doing it. There can be a tremendous amount of work involved with gardening, especially if the garden is a large one. The work may be hard, but it has a purpose, which tends to make people happier about doing it. There is something about working with your hands, and digging in the dirt, that is a nice escape from the stress of daily life. Adults and children can enjoy the time they spend gardening.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has released a 2010 report finds that teaching children and young people how to garden is very conducive to their development. A large part of the reason why is because gardening is an activity that includes a specific process. This works very well with kids who learn by doing, and well as kids who are visual learners.
The group followed the progress of 95 students who had a variety of developmental disorders. Some had autism, and others had different types of special needs. All the kids participated in a year long study where they were taught gardening at school. The results were wonderful.
Those who worked in the garden a lot gained confidence in themselves, and became more and more engaged in gardening activities as time went on. The kids took on responsibilities for their own learning and progress. Working in a garden encouraged students who preferred to work alone to get involved in working as part of a group. Perhaps the best result was that these students said that gardening helped to calm them down, and that it made them happy.
I am a former teacher, and I have spent some time working with children who have special needs. A few of the schools that I worked at had small gardens that were specifically for the purpose of being someplace where children who had special needs could go to.
Some used it as a place to “take a time out” when they were feeling anxious, angry, or upset. I’ve watched kids who were agitated self calm as they walked through the garden, watered the plants with a hose, and pulled weeds. I’ve seen children who had special needs, and hated school, be excited about attending because they knew that they would be working in the garden that day.
Parents who have children that have a special need may want to consider setting up a garden at home. If you have a backyard, you could set up a one, and get your child involved in choosing what to plant into it. Apartment dwellers may need to choose a smaller, potted, garden, instead. You might find that gardening becomes an activity that helps make your child feel secure and happy.
Image by ilovebutter on Flickr