Growing Together: The Benefits of Gardening for Children & Families

There’s something magical about getting your hands in the dirt, watching a seed sprout, and discovering the tiny ecosystems right outside your door. Gardening isn't just about growing plants—it’s about growing connection, creativity, responsibility, and curiosity.

In celebration of National Pollinator Week, we’re spotlighting how gardening can inspire and benefit children and families—and sharing some fun garden types to explore together.

Pollinator Gardens: Learning from Nature’s Helpers

Pollinator gardens are designed to attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinating insects. These vibrant spaces teach kids how ecosystems work and why pollinators are crucial to our food supply.

Benefits:

• Sparks curiosity about nature and science

• Teaches environmental stewardship

• Supports local biodiversity

• Can be created in yards, balconies, or even window boxes

Bonus idea: Turn your pollinator garden into a mini science lab with observation journals or photo logs!

Kitchen & Herb Gardens: Grow It, Eat It, Love It

Nothing builds excitement around healthy eating quite like growing your own food. Kitchen gardens—whether a backyard plot or a few pots on the porch—are great for cultivating fruits, veggies, and herbs.

Benefits:

• Encourages kids to try new foods

• Builds responsibility through regular care

• Teaches patience, measurement, and life cycles

• Offers a fun hands-on way to learn about nutrition

Try this: Let your child pick one herb or veggie and help plan a meal around it!

Flower Gardens: Color, Creativity & Care

Flower gardens are a feast for the senses. From sunflowers to zinnias, kids can explore colors, textures, and the joy of arranging cut flowers for family or neighbors.

Benefits:

• Inspires creativity and expression

• Encourages mindfulness and observation

• Introduces concepts like symmetry and design

• Attracts pollinators, too!

Creative twist: Use flowers for art projects—petal pressing, painting with flowers, or dyeing paper.

Fairy Gardens: Imagination Takes Root

Small in size but big in charm, fairy gardens blend nature and imagination. Whether nestled under a tree or built in a flower pot, these whimsical spaces invite storytelling and pretend play.

Benefits:

• Fosters creativity and open-ended play

• Offers screen-free outdoor time

• Builds spatial awareness and fine motor skills

• Great for bonding through co-creation

Whimsy tip: Use recycled materials like bottle caps, twigs, and old toys to build your fairy world.

Why Gardening Matters

Gardening gives families a reason to slow down, get outside, and learn together. It builds connection—with each other, with the earth, and with the rhythms of life.

Whether it’s growing food, attracting pollinators, or imagining fairy hideaways, the benefits for children are endless:

• Hands-on STEM learning
  
• Healthier habits
•  Stronger family bonds
• Emotional growth and responsibility

Share Your Garden with Us!

Is your school or family planting something special this season? Tag us on social media with your garden photos using #PeachjarGarden and help us spread the joy during National Pollinator Week!

Together, we grow stronger—one garden at a time.