It’s difficult to create a balance between a space you love and an area safe for your children and grandchildren to play in. Often certain designs aren’t safe for children and don’t leave much room for them to enjoy the outdoors. This can be easily solved by utilising the space you have to create somewhere for both you and your children to enjoy.

Use grass or wood chippings as a safe area for playing and buy toys you can put away or that blend in with the surroundings to create a sense of space. Gardening is an activity that brings children, parents and grandparents together. There are plenty of simple activities for children of all ages to get involved in and they’ll be fascinated by a number of creatures in their back garden.

Children lose focus easily, especially if they are toddlers. Try to get your children involved with the things you love about gardening by planting fast-growing fruit and veg, they’ll love being part of the process. Buy them their own mini-sized tools and give them a small amount of responsibility to start off with.

Eventually give them their own growing space, a container or a small section of a bed, this will encourage them to stay interested and involved. When deciding what to plant, go for anything that they will find stimulating. Bright coloured, scented flowers and fruit or veg are the ideal things for children to grow.

Growing bright, nectar-rich flowers will encourage wildlife into your garden for them to look at and learn about. Plants like sunflowers will grow quickly and it’s always fun to see whose can grow the tallest! Vegetables such as broad beans, salad leaves and tomatoes will grow quickly and produce an abundance of edible crops. Anything that stays buried beneath the ground and takes a while to grow will usually make children lose interest.

Fruit and veg like berries and tomatoes that can be picked and eaten straight from the garden is a brilliant idea for children, encouraging them to eat healthily and teaching them the origins of food. Seasonal activities like pumpkin growing and wreath-making are great activities during the school holidays.

Even during the colder, rainy days trying to keep them interested in moving fun gardening activities inside. Create plant and veg labels using lolly sticks. Children can draw the plant or simply write the plant name to help them identify what they have planted. Terracotta pots and containers can be relatively cheap and provide the perfect canvas for your children’s paintings and they’ll love seeing their colourful pots full of flowers, fruit and veg when it gets a little bit warmer.