Start them young! Eight fun ways to get your kids gardening

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Green-fingers: 'Mummy blogger' and gardening enthusiast Fritha Quinn has plenty of tips to get children gardening

Summer's here and with it comes the promise of dreamy evenings spent lounging in the garden with family.

And while it can be tricky to find ways to occupy small children, nothing beats outdoor activities and a spot of good old-fashioned fresh air. 

B&Q has plenty of ideas to inject some fun into your outdoor areas, with the help of mother-of-two, 'mummy blogger' and gardening enthusiast Fritha Quinn, aka @Tigerlillyquinn, who has all the tips you need to get your little green-fingered friends involved, too!

1. Painting flower pots 

Give your beloved plants a place to shine by adding your own colourful designs to plain pots. Kiddies will love getting creative with paint. They'll also get a kick out of creating a unique look in your garden, and you'll get a memento to treasure forever. Avoid any mess by painting outside on the patio, and make sure you use plenty of newspaper or plastic sheeting to protect against any major spills.

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Perfect planting: This round terracotta pot is perfect for painting and decorating - choose from small (£1.40), medium (£3.50) and large (£5.80), available at B&Q

Splash of colour: Ronseal Garden Paint comes in a variety of colours, (pictured) Pink Jasmine £3.97 for 0.25L, available from B&Q

Splash of colour: Ronseal Garden Paint comes in a variety of colours, (left) Summer Sky and (right) Lemon Tree, both 0.25L, £3.97, available from B&Q

2. Plant a herb garden. 

It's a good idea to have two separate planters in your garden, a large one for vegetables and a smaller one which children can be solely in charge of. Alternatively herb wheels have dividing sections so every family member can pick one to look after. Everyone will take great pride in watching their herbs grow and taking responsibility for them - and they'll be delighted when they can pick them for use in salads or refreshing drinks.

Wooden wheel: Try this Blooma timber herb wheel planter and give each family member a section (H)140MM (W)1.07M was £45, now £30, available from B&Q

3. Get weeding! 

It might not sound like the most exciting task but challenge your children to see who can collect the most weeds by filling up a colourful bucket with them. Not only will the garden look sensational (as long as you keep them away from your prized roses), but you can add some serious fun with some pretty funky gardening gloves - which also keep little hands safe.

Handy: Keep those precious mitts protected with Verve cotton children's gloves, (available in blue and pink), £1.04, available from B&Q

4. Make a bee friendly area. 

Our striped friends are important for the eco-system, so making a bee friendly area is a good way to educate children about all the ways that bees help us. One idea is to buy a small wooden beehive to encourage those cuties to visit your garden - or you could simply plant lots of bee friendly plants. Lots of herbs attract bees and they also love honeysuckle, wild roses, clematis and hydrangeas. You can also use bricks, plant pots and wood to quickly and easily make a bug hotel - have fun dreaming up a name for it. 

Bed bugs: Build a home for insects with bricks from B&Q

5. Make a splash - get watering

Kids love playing with water, so getting them to hydrate plants is always a fun task - and they get to see how they grow, too! They will love the whole process from filling up at the tap to making sure each plant has got enough. Treat your little ones to colourful or novelty watering cans or simply decorate the standard style with ribbons and glittery stickers.

Water performance: Hydrate those plants with this quackers yellow plastic children's watering can, £4.76, available from B&Q

6. Flower pressing    

This is something my five year old is fascinated by and I remember being so taken by the idea as a child myself. When your flowers are in full bloom you can press them inside a heavy book. 

They are lovely to look back on or to use for crafting later on. Another idea is to frame your colourful haul and hang on the wall to make them last forever. 

Hydrangeas, available at B&Q, are a perfect option for flower pressing 

7. Grow your own!  

You don't have to be the world's best gardener but it's definitely the taking part that counts when it comes to experimenting with your green spaces. Vegetables such as mini cucumbers are really easy to grow and you can encourage your children to take part by treating them to their own mini gardening kits including small forks and trowels.

Get involved: This Verve two-piece trowel and fork set is £5.13, available from B&Q

8. Bring the outside in 

There are lots of things to do outside, such as treasure hunts and burying time capsules, but sometimes after gardening, it's fun to bring a flower or a leaf indoors and use it to draw around or paint. 

It always starts some interesting discussions and helps on the days when the weather isn't playing ball. You can make it exciting with B&Q's brightly coloured, gold, silver and even Rainbow Glitter spray paint. Why not paint a pot and then use it to create your own little herb garden?