In today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world, people are becoming more disconnected from nature, making it increasingly important to find ways to promote mental well-being and re-establish that vital connection with the natural world—especially for children.
Gardening, long celebrated for its therapeutic benefits, provides a powerful way to nurture both physical and mental health. When combined with the practice of cultivating native plants, these benefits are enhanced. Not only does gardening with native plants support local ecosystems, but it also offers children valuable opportunities to learn, grow, and practice mindfulness, all while enjoying the numerous benefits of outdoor activity. This article explores how gardening with native plants can transform children’s mental health and foster a deeper connection to the environment.
Gardening as Physical Activity: Enhancing Health and Mood
First, gardening is moderate exercise, and is done outdoors most of the time. Therefore, gardening helps children stay active and healthy while soaking up some of the common benefits of being outside. Additionally, exposure to soil (that contains beneficial microbes like mycobacterium vaccae) via touch has been shown to positively influence mood by stimulating serotonin production.
Opportunities for Hands-On Learning
Gardening with native plants in particular also provides children with an opportunity for hands-on learning. Working with native plants introduces kids to biology, ecology and sustainability concepts in a practical and tangible way. Children also learn to deal with everyday, normal gardening challenges like pests, weather changes and plant growth cycles through working with native plants.
Connecting with Pollinators and Wildlife
Engaging with native plant gardens will also likely increase children’s interest in pollinators and therefore help them to establish a connection and foster empathy for these important creatures, as well as other animals. Working with native plants also helps children to establish a connection to their local ecosystem and community, while fostering curiosity about nature right in their own backyard!
Your Backyard as a Living Laboratory
Speaking of backyards, a backyard that contains a variety of native plants has the ability to transform itself into a wildlife sanctuary and backyard biology lab! This provides a simple and transformative learning experience for kids, who are naturally curious about things and absorb information like sponges. Bees, butterflies, birds and more will start to visit a native plant garden fairly quickly once they realize there is food available, inadvertently creating a vibrant wildlife habitat and a great place for kids to observe nature at work. This is an amazingly simple and valuable learning opportunity for children that every school and family should be taking advantage of.
Overcoming Fears and Building Confidence
Oftentimes, children are afraid of harmless creatures such as bees, moths and dragonflies, simply because they haven’t had any exposure to them. The more opportunities that children have to experience unfamiliar organisms, the more likely they are to enjoy them and work to protect them in the future.
Additionally, success builds confidence, and since native plants are adapted to their local environment, this makes it easier for kids to grow and maintain them successfully. Having success early on will naturally boost their confidence and reduce frustration while encouraging persistence. Some might even be tempted to apply for one of the fabulous “certified habitat” programs offered around the country, such as the one that Wild Ones provides. Doing this also provides children with a great opportunity to educate friends, neighbors and visitors to their yard and garden.
Mindfulness and Mental Focus
Given the chance to garden with native plants, children can also practice mindfulness and presence – something that is becoming increasingly important in today’s fast-paced world. The acts of planting, weeding, watering, nurturing and observing native plants requires focus and care. Some studies have proven it can even restore attention and reduce symptoms of ADHD in children. Lastly, we know all too well the effect that the increase in screen time has had on children in recent years. Any time spent outside in fresh air and away from screens can provide children with a mental health break.
Getting Started: How to Begin Gardening with Native Plants
If you are interested in starting a native garden with children, do some research into what plants thrive in your area. Involve children in planning and designing the layout and help them plan habitat zones such as pollinator gardens, bird friendly plants or wildflower meadows. Make planting, watering and maintaining a native plant garden a shared activity. Encourage observation through journaling or notation about growth, visiting wildlife and reflection on their experience.
Gardening with native plants can be transformative. Start a native plant garden to support youth, nurture mental health and contribute in a meaningful way to the environment. Share your experiences or connect with Wild Ones chapters to share inspiration or tips.
Nurture Natives and the Power of Youth-Led Environmental Change
For some real life inspiration, check out Nurture Natives, a youth-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering youth through initiatives that enhance native biodiversity.
Since 2022, under the leadership of Esther Bonney, the organization has educated over 9.400 young people, planted 2.2 million native seeds and distributed over 56,000 native seedlings across the East Coast.
In her recent TEDx talk, ‘Have We Become Strangers to Our Own Nature?’ Esther highlighted the critical intersection of youth mental health and environmental stewardship. She continues to inspire and empower a new generation of environmental stewards who recognize the vital connection between mental well-being and the health of our planet.
Gardening with native plants offers children more than just the joy of watching a garden grow—it provides a multifaceted experience that supports their mental health, fosters environmental stewardship, and strengthens their connection to the natural world. Through the act of nurturing native plants, children gain confidence, enhance their focus, and develop a deeper understanding of the ecosystems around them. Whether it’s through hands-on learning, cultivating mindfulness, or contributing to local biodiversity, gardening with native plants offers children a unique way to engage with nature while supporting their well-being. By embracing native plant gardening, we not only provide children with valuable life skills but also empower them to become stewards of the environment for generations to come.
Jaclyn Ryan is a member of the Wild Ones Mountain Laurel (Connecticut) Chapter. Passionate about native plants and backyard ecology, she documents the discoveries her family makes in their wildlife-friendly yard on Instagram @backyardscientists.
Looking for more ways to nurture a love of nature?
Check out Wild Ones’ curated reading lists —perfect for sparking curiosity and deepening kids’ connection to the natural world: