Gentle Hands Garden Helpers

A toddler will grab a caterpillar with the same grip they use on a wooden block. This sheet is how we change that.

We use the phrase gentle hands, we demonstrate on a leaf first, and we only then introduce something living. The order matters. Practising gentleness on something that cannot be hurt lets the child rehearse without stakes.

The page also covers the second half, which is what not to touch. In a tropical garden that list is real and includes caterpillars with hairs, anything red and black, and any nest. The sheet lists them by appearance rather than name, since nobody is identifying species at two.

Expect this to take a whole term. It is the single most repeated instruction in our early years garden and it does eventually land.