One of the best ways to combine both gardening and parenting tasks effectively is to develop or improve those time-management skills and by all means, put them to use. Keep everything as organized as possible, from garden and household chores to family activities and events. Designate specific days for certain tasks. For instance, clean the house on Friday, hang out with the kids on Saturday, and weed the garden on Sunday. Regardless of what the kids think, you’re not a superhero. It’s perfectly ok to enlist the help of others, especially your fellow family members. Have the older kids pitch in to help the younger ones. Take turns rotating household and gardening chores. Encourage teamwork. For those of you that dislike a particular chore, such as washing dishes, perhaps someone else in the house doesn’t mind. Swap out these types of chores with those that others in the house don’t like to make productivity faster and easier, and perhaps more fun. Use your creativity to make these things fun. For instance, reward the kids for a job well done. Take them out for ice-cream. Give the little ones flashy stickers.

Make family time fun time by spending time together outdoors. In fact, why not consider gardening together. Grow a vegetable garden. Nothing brings a family together quite like a good, healthy meal, especially one made with freshly grown vegetables from your family’s garden. You can design your garden to suit the needs of your family or adapt an existing garden to your family’s lifestyle and interests. For instance, provide a place for the kids to play, the dog to lounge, and so on. Involve the kids. Consider letting them grow a garden of their own. They love to play in dirt anyway. This also gives you the opportunity to share one of your favorite pastimes with them and teach them all about connecting with nature. Let them choose their own plants and design their own garden space. If you have younger children and don’t have anyone to occupy their time while you’re in the garden, there are a few things you could try. For instance, keep the play area near the garden so the kids stay within easy view. Take advantage of nap time. Work on gardening chores while the kids are sleeping. This also works for household tasks as well, provided they’re quiet. Bring the play pen outdoors. This helped me greatly when my kids were small. Not only do they stay inbounds while you work in the garden, but they can also enjoy the outdoors with you. Just be sure to keep them in the shade.

Finding time to enjoy your favorite pastime while making time for your family doesn’t need to be a frustrating experience. All it takes is a little creativity to combine your responsibilities into fun-filled family activities. The memories you cultivate will last a lifetime!