"Kids who get involved in gardening gain confidence,” says urban farmer Natasha Nicholes, who has been gardening with kids for years in the city of Chicago, USA. “They gain an appreciation for slowing down and enjoying life as it comes, instead of rushing the process.” Nicholes started the We Sow We Grow Project in 2016 with her husband, to teach gardening skills to neighbourhood families. The kids she works with are focused on fun – so much so that they don’t realise they’re taking on life skills, too.

Studies have shown that early exposure to nature can lead to better mental health as adults. And ‘nature’ can include a garden. Whether it’s on the windowsill, at home, around your building or at school, the garden is an opportunity to nurture good mental health in our kids,” says Cam Collyer, senior advisor at Evergreen, an organisation facilitating sustainable change across Canada. But besides improving mental health, gardening can teach kids social and executive function skills – everything from patience to perseverance to understanding different perspectives. The key is to make kids active gardeners. “Kids are really drawn to a garden if it’s set up properly and they’re given the right invitation – not to watch, but really to participate,” Collyer says. They need to see gardening as something they can do, rather than a parental activity to observe.

Inspire your young gardeners to get and out about outside, with a subscription to National Graphic Kids Magazine. Every issue features top tips for looking after our planet, alongside exciting articles, family-friendly crafts, educational games and more.

While some of the lessons from gardening are obvious – watering a plant every day teaches responsibility, for example – others might be less so. You can even couple the activity with some fun garden science experiments to tie in what they’re learning at school.

“When it comes to urban vegetable gardening ideas, choosing the right vegetables is crucial for success. Since urban gardens are often limited in space, it’s important to select plants that are suitable for container or small-space gardening. Some popular choices for urban vegetable gardening include tomatoes 🍅, peppers🫑, lettuce🥬, herbs 🌿, and compact varieties of cucumbers 🥒 and squash 🍠..."