There are many ways to get your children interested in gardening, but one of the best ways is to make it fun. And the easiest way to make the outdoors fun for your children is to add lots of fun garden toys.

One of the quickest ways to grab your little one’s attention outdoors is to install a playground in your garden. That’s right. If your garden is large enough to accommodate it, try clearing out a section in the center of the space and installing a play center complete with a swing, slide and a seesaw. With the play set surrounded by your vegetables or flowers, your children can pretend they are lost in the jungle or are in their secret place, giving you the chance to keep them close while you garden.

If you don’t have quite that much space, try adding a covered sandbox. Sandboxes can provide children with hours of creative fun while keeping them close while you garden. Making sure that you use a covered box is paramount, especially if your area is prone to having wandering cats or other creatures of the night that might mistake your children’s play area for a restroom.

Lastly, when it comes to entertaining your children outdoors, make sure that you add age appropriate gardening tools to their repertoire of outdoor toys. Having gardening tools available gets your children involved and develops an interest in a hobby that can bring you closer together now and in the future. There are many gardening tool kits available for purchase from many manufacturers and which one you choose will depend on your child and the type of garden that you have. In most cases, it’s a good idea to have the basics on hand: a trowel, rake, spade, shovel and hoe available for your children to use.

No matter if you want to create a garden space play oasis or simply get your children involved in exploring the great outdoors with you, adding a few fun garden toys to the mix will surely help.