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Whenever I am in the garden, my kids seem to appear.

This has been happening for years, and I realized early on that harnessing their energy and desire to be near was going to be necessary. I’ve curated this list based on the things we’ve used to entertain our kids and the things they enjoyed the most.

Notably absent from this list is a playground! We have a playground, and it has not been used nearly as much as I had hoped.

Garden gear - hand tools and gloves. They’ve got to look “real”. I don’t make the rules.
Wheelbarrow - don’t underestimate how much bark, dirt or mulch your kid can haul! Having a wheelbarrow is really quite a value add.
Tractor - My in-laws gave our daughter the John Deere Tractor when she was too young to even think about driving it. But it lived for YEARS and enabled an incredible amount of screen-free, outdoor play time. The trailer attachment was great for hauling toys as well as dirt and sticks! No joke, we had the tractor through my daughter and then my son’s early years. Maybe 8 years total. It was only stored undercover (not indoors) although we did replace the battery once.
A proper bucket - so helpful for making garden potions, mud, etc. etc.!
A digger - This is still a favorite for my 8-year old boy. Something about the hoisting. These are lightweight and easy to move, making them a great independent play thing.
The Tiny Seed - shameless plug, one of my all-time favorite kids books! It’s so sweet and gives a great explanation of the plant’s life cycle.