In many Indian homes, childhood now unfolds largely indoors, with playtime being replaced by screen use. Gardening offers a grounding alternative, gently slowing children down while nurturing responsibility and curiosity. It also helps regulate the nervous system, providing a calming outdoor experience that is especially beneficial for children with ADHD or autism.

To understand how parents can meaningfully introduce gardening, The Better India spoke to Dr Kaveri Subbiah, developmental paediatrician at Vistara Child Development Centre, Chennai, and Asmita Purohit, a sustainability expert and gardening enthusiast from Dombivli, Maharashtra. 

Despite coming from different disciplines, both agree that gardening works best when it is child-led and pressure-free.

According to developmental paediatrician Dr Kaveri Subbiah, gardening offers a form of learning and engagement that screens simply cannot replace. Where screens encourage passive engagement, gardening invites active participation.

Children touch soil, pour water, watch insects, and feel the warmth of the sun, which stimulates the senses. It also improves language skills as kids communicate with their caregiver about what is happening.

Asmita Purohit sees this engagement first-hand. Drawing from her own small-space gardening journey that she shares with her young daughter, Purohit notes that children are instinctively curious.

“Kids are often fascinated by finding worms, bugs, snails, bees, butterflies,........

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