Do Family Gardens Really Need a Trampoline?

Recently, I asked my Instagram followers a simple question: Do family gardens need a trampoline?

The answer was clear — 83% of you said no.

So what actually makes a family garden? What turns it into a space that gets used, enjoyed, loved? Is it there to keep the kids entertained and out of your hair?

Or is its purpose whatever makes family life richer, calmer, more meaningful, more beautiful?

Because I think that’s exactly what a garden can do — make family life better by first being a balm for the mother of the family.

Why start with mum? Because when a garden gives you rest, beauty, and breathing space, it ripples out. A calmer, happier mum changes the whole atmosphere of family life. That’s how a garden makes family life richer — by starting with you.

And that’s why trampolines aren’t really the point.

The Trampoline Myth (vs. the Kitchen Principle)

Fine, fine, you might say — but surely the garden is for my kids?

Is it?

There’s no evidence that plonking a trampoline in the middle of your garden is the magic fix that gets children outside. Ask any friend who has one: “Oh, the kids used it loads when we first put it up… but now they only bounce when friends are over.”

So the giant frame isn’t even doing its supposed job of giving you peaceful afternoons while your kids play independently.

Here’s the truth: children don’t actually follow the trampoline. They follow you.

I call this the Kitchen Principle. Kids always end up in the kitchen, not because it’s the most fun room in the house, but because that’s where you are. Gardens are the same. If there’s somewhere for you to sit, sip coffee, and breathe — they’ll come too.

I will bet my next cup of coffee that your kids follow you everywhere you go. Like your very own entourage — but with snack demands.

And that’s the magic. When you give yourself a place to be in the garden, you change the way your children use it too.

What Your Kids Are Really Learning

And here’s where it gets real: children don’t just follow where you are — they absorb how you are.

If you’re on your phone while they’re bouncing, they learn distraction.

If you’re rushing endlessly — laundry, emails, cleaning, lists — they learn that busyness matters more than presence. That a clean house is more important than a calm mum.

But if you sit down in your garden, cup of tea in hand, and give yourself ten minutes to notice the flowers or watch a bee on the lavender, they learn something else: that rest is valuable, that beauty matters, and that it’s okay to slow down.

Children don’t just need entertainment. They need you — content, grounded, at ease.

Applying the Kitchen Principle

I remember the first time I dragged a chair out into our own garden. Part of me felt selfish — like I should be buying something for the kids instead. But do you know what happened? They followed me. Not because there was anything to play with, but because I was there.

Picture this: you head outside with your tea and your entourage. You sit down at a little table, surrounded by flowers. A bee buzzes past and lands on the Nepeta you planted. You pause and watch.

The kids call for your attention, of course. But you stay put, sip your tea, and breathe. Soon enough, they wander off — climbing a tree, pulling up bits of grass, following a butterfly, or inventing a whole new world with stones, sticks, and petals.

Because you are in the garden, they want to be there too. And before long, they discover a kind of magic trampolines can’t deliver: imagination, creativity, freedom, and yes — a little bit of naughtiness and danger.

And one day, they’ll slip outside without you — because they’ve learned the garden is theirs to explore too.

A Garden Is an Invitation

A trampoline is an escape.

A garden is an invitation.

And the thing your children want most is not a giant piece of play equipment. It’s you — settled, happy, and rooted in a space you love. Because when you’re at rest, they learn how to rest too.

And that will matter to them far more than any trampoline ever could.

Closing Thought

That poll — 83% of you saying no to trampolines — tells me so many mums already sense this.

So maybe the real question isn’t “Do family gardens need a trampoline?” but “What do families really need from a garden?” Because family gardens don’t begin with toys. Family gardens start with mum. And when you give yourself permission to create a sanctuary for you, you create a garden that nourishes everyone.

So tell me — when was the last time you had coffee in your garden?