If you want to get your kids out in the fresh air and interacting with nature for all the mental and physical benefits that brings, but also want to keep them under your watchful eye while you’re working from home, then now is the time to embrace your garden.

Here are 7 screenless activities that will engage their brains, their imaginations, and their bodies without leaving your property.

1. Sensory Garden

This is the place to grow plants that target the senses of touch, taste, and smell, as opposed to just sight. Good ideas for plants include:

• Elephant’s ears with its leathery texture
• Lemon verbena, which smells of sherbert
• Lamb’s ear with its soft, furry feel
• Chocolate peppermint, which tastes like After Eight mints
• Cosmos with its chocolatey aroma

2. Spot wildlife

The British garden can actually be a hive for nature, including birds, insects, and small mammals (i.e. hedgehogs), especially if you have the right plants, leave a little ‘untidy’ space, and have a small hole in your fence. If you want to attract more wildlife, opt for pollen-heavy plants liked the crocus, make fat balls for birds out of food scraps, and compost green waste.

You can even get books from wildlife charities or the library to help to identify the insects, birds, and animals that you spot and give tips on attracting others.

3. Let them earn

Chores are rarely a beloved childhood memory, but teaching kids how to weed, mow the lawn, or even prune the roses are skills that will serve them in later life. Choose tasks that are age-appropriate and your kids can earn money while out in the fresh air. It’ll also instil a healthy work ethic in them and can be applied to inside chores. Less work for parents and more money for the kids. Win-Win.

4. Invest in some garden toys

Of course, it’s not just physical and mental activity that are important to a child’s development. Imagination and play are vital to a child’s overall health. So, it makes sense to invest in some toys that will stimulate their imagination and keep them active. One option is an inflatable pirate ship from Bebopfun.co.uk, which is suitable for even small gardens because it can be packed away when not in use. It could even be a way to interest them in history by telling the tales of Blackbeard, Long John Silver, or the lesser-known Anne Bonny and Mary Read.

5. Crafts

Kids love creating, so why not have them decorate something functional for your garden that will brighten the space and give them a sense of pride. Think terracotta plant pots with their colourful designs, plant markers from ice lolly sticks, or even flat rocks along the border that they’ve painted.

This could even be a good idea to make presents for relatives. Grandma would love it.

6. Growing food

While most children will enjoy seeing a plant they’ve cared for flower, it’s all the more exciting when they’ve grown something they can eat. Think strawberries, herbs, and potatoes for low maintenance plants that will make them feel proud of the food they eat.

7. A messy area

In bigger gardens, it might be an idea to have somewhere that kids can call their own. A place to get dirty and have fun without worrying about digging up dad’s vegetable patch or covering Mum’s patio in mud.

Get some buckets and spades so they can make mud castles or use old kitchenware to create a mud kitchen. If you don’t have any of these things to hand, use free ad sites near you to request them. (Many people will just be happy that they don’t have to throw away unusable pans or spoons.)

If you have a dog, you can even let them bury treats, toys, or bones for the dog to sniff out. Kids will have fun hiding the items and watching the dog discover them.

These ideas will keep kids engaged all summer long, bolstering their innate love for nature and creating children who are healthier and happier. It could even result in them being more active as adults and having a greater respect for the world around them.