Yes, you can homestead with kids and still make progress! Here’s how our family of nine balances farm chores, food growing, and homemade living with little ones in tow.
If you’ve ever tried to milk a goat with a toddler on your lap and another kid getting into the feed bin, welcome, you’re in the right place. Homesteading with kids is a whole different breed of wild and wonderful. And while it might look like chaos from the outside, I promise: it can be done.
I’m a mom of 7 raising a big family on 10 acres, and homesteading with my kids isn’t just possible, it’s the rhythm of our days. It’s how we live, how we teach, and yes, how we get stuff done.
It’s not always perfect (ask me about the instance when the kids fed the chickens the basket of freshly harvested basil), but it is worth it.
Let me share how we handle the mud, mayhem, and a lot of heart.
1. Lower the Bar (and Then Lower It Again)
Let’s start with real talk: Homesteading with kids will never be Pinterest-perfect. While you tend the garden, you will not wake up to chore charts executed with military precision or fresh sourdough baked.
You will wake up to muddy footprints, spilled feed buckets, and a toddler trying to catch a chicken.
That’s okay.
Lower your expectations and embrace the beautiful mess. The point isn’t perfection; it’s progress, and along the way, raising resilient, grounded, helpful kids.
2. Start Them Young (Even in Cloth Diapers)
We don’t wait until the kids are “old enough” to help in our house. We bring them along from the start. Who can say when they are "old enough" anyway?
Babies ride on their parents ' backs during chicken chores. Toddlers carry (light!) water buckets or gather eggs with sticky little hands. Preschoolers help plant seeds, clean the barn, or fetch kitchen scraps for the compost.
Is it faster without them? Sure. Is it more meaningful with them? Always.
3. Build Habits Into the Day
Kids thrive on rhythm. So do homesteads. We create daily routines that include:
- Morning chores (feed animals, check water, collect eggs)
- Garden walk-throughs (look for weeds, harvest what’s ready)
- Afternoon tidy-up (reset the outdoor space, put away tools)
- Evening animal checks (especially in the summer!)
Instead of making these things optional, they become part of the rhythm, like brushing teeth or setting the table.
The best part? As they get older, they own it. My 16-year-old handles our entire potato crop, and my littles know exactly what goes in the compost bucket.
4. Assign Age-Appropriate Jobs
Kids want to help. (Even when it’s not… that helpful.) The trick is knowing what they can do and giving them ownership of it. Sometimes the girls will beat me out to the barn to do chores because my morning is going slower than usual with the littles.
Here’s a quick guide we use:
- Toddlers (1–3): collect eggs, toss scratch grain, water with a small can, help with planting seeds
- Preschoolers (4–6): feed animals with supervision, pull weeds, harvest veggies, sweep, pack food scraps
- School Age (7–10): solo chicken chores, garden row care, assist with milking, collect firewood
- Tweens and Teens (11+): solo chores, manage garden zones, help process meat, run errands
These small tasks lead to considerable confidence. Download this printable homestead chore chart to use at your homestead.
5. Involve Them in the “Why”
Homesteading isn’t just about doing—it's about learning. We talk with our kids about:
- Why do we raise our food
- How organic gardening supports our health
- Why don’t we waste resources
- What does it mean to live seasonally
- The cost of things.
- Build business plans
Kids are more willing to help when they know it matters. Even my youngest will proudly tell you why we ferment chicken feed or skip store-bought bread.
6. Make Homesteading Fun (Even If It’s Dirty)
Homesteading isn’t school. It’s life learning, and that should feel fun, not forced.
- We turn weeding into scavenger hunts for bugs
- Make “mud kitchen” days in the garden for the littles.
Blast music while we pack meat for the freezer.
When you’re little, there’s a fine line between chores and play, and if you’re smart, you’ll use that to your advantage.
7. Use Tools That Help (and Keep Them Busy)
Some days, you need to get things done solo. How I get most of my blogs written is with the baby napping in a carrier on my back. And that’s okay, too. A few of our favorite “get stuff done while keeping kids happy” helpers:
- Baby carriers (Ergo, Wild Bird, (my favorite) or a sturdy wrap for hands-free chores)
- Sandbox + toy tractors in the garden area
- Spray bottles for littles to “clean” while you clean.
- Mini rakes and shovels so they can help side-by-side
- Picnic blankets and snacks during butchering or planting days
Don’t be afraid to let your kids be nearby while you work. Just keep them close and safe.
8. Know When to Fold It
There are days it just doesn’t work. Someone is teething and having a meltdown, and the chickens flew out of the run again.
Give yourself grace. You don’t have to do it all every day.
We sometimes swap a homeschool day for popcorn and a documentary. Or let the garden get a little weedy while we survive a growth spurt or sickness.
This is a long game. Don’t burn out in the first inning.
9. Celebrate the Wins, Even the Small Ones, on the Homestead
Did your 4-year-old remember to shut the chicken coop? Celebrate it. Did your tween weed half the potato rows without being asked? Please give them a big high five.
Celebrate effort, not just results. This builds pride in the work and helps homesteading feel like a family win, not just Mom and Dad’s project.
Bonus: Kids who feel valued are more likely to stick with it. Our teens (19 and 16) are hard-working, dedicated to working hard, and know the meaning of working hard.
10. Homesteading is Homeschooling (Even If You Don’t Homeschool)
Even if your kids attend school, homesteading teaches everything from biology, economics, and responsibility. Mine learn:
- Plant life cycles from seed to harvest
- Animal anatomy during butchering
- Math from baking and planting grids
- Entrepreneurship through farm stand sales
Whether you're officially homeschooling or just home-on-the-land schooling, every day is full of lessons that matter.
11. Let Go of the “Perfect” Homestead Image
Our barn isn’t spotless, and our garden has weeds. Sometimes, we make homemade mac and cheese after a long butchering day, because it is easy and no one wants to cook, well, I don't want to cook.
Guess what? That’s real life.
Homesteading with kids means building something while raising someone. And that takes more patience, grace, and wisdom than any Instagram feed will show you.
Your version of homesteading might look different than your neighbor’s. That’s okay. You’re building a life, not a brand.
12. You’re Not Behind—You’re Building a Legacy
Feeding the chickens or tending to the garden with a baby on your back might take longer. It might take two weeks to weed the garden row by row with a toddler's help. But you’re not falling behind—you’re investing. The weeds can get a bit heavy, but we all tackle it as a family, and it gets done.
You’re raising the next generation of capable, curious, hands-in-the-dirt kids who know where food comes from and how to care for land and life.
That’s the legacy.
Yes, You Can Homestead with Kids
You can homestead with kids, get stuff done, wear muddy boots, be attachment-parenting with a baby, have a full freezer, and have a life that feels yours.
Start small. Invite your kids in. Find a rhythm. Drop the guilt. Laugh at the messes. Learn from the fails. Celebrate the harvests.
It’s not just about growing food—it’s about growing family.
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