Chip & Joanna Gaines' Kids Live Way More Lavishly In Real Life Than Seen On HGTV

Chip and Joanna Gaines are probably best known for their ability to turn even the most disastrous homes into aesthetically pleasing, like-new abodes. Enter Magnolia, a lifestyle mega empire that is so successful that some have even accused Meghan Markle of copying Chip and Joanna's brand. But at the end of the day, the Gaines' most cherished roles are being parents to their five children: Drake, Ella, Duke, Emmie Kay and Crew. "For us, the kids, family, that's what grounds us the most, and that's been [it]. Even before the cameras, we always just moved together, if that makes sense," Joanna told "Today Show" anchors Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie in May 2024. Chip added, "As 'Fixer' started, you saw the kids were always with us. [We're] always trying to bring them down the journey, no matter what it looks like." 

While the Gaines children often help their parents out on various job sites — even partaking in demo days as evidenced by one of Chip's Instagram posts in April 2018 — they also get to enjoy the fruits of said labor. Yep. As it turns out, Chip and Joanna's kids live way more lavishly in real life than what is seen on HGTV. Perhaps this is why some are claiming that Joanna Gaines' reputation with HGTV fans has soured?

Not everyone is lucky enough to grow up in a historical farmhouse set on 40 acres of roving land — but for the Gaines kids that's just a normal part of their childhood. While Chip and Joanna do have strict rules that their kids have to follow, they basically give them free rein of their personal property. Even a conventional game like hide and seek becomes super-charged when you have cornfields to hide in. "Nothing like a good game of hide-and-go-seek in the corn fields, #texasforever," Joanna penned in a nostalgic Instagram post in May 2017.

Fortunately, Gaines family fun doesn't end with corn fields. In 2016, Chip also engineered a playground for the children made out of — you guessed it — hay bales. "Chip created a farm style jungle gym for the kids #hayninjawarrior," Joanna posted on Instagram along with a photo of the kids testing out their father's handiwork and quite literally rolling in happiness! Hay, let the good times roll!

Aside from plenty of land to play on, the Gaines children also have their fill of fresh produce and flowers as Joanna Gaines has become somewhat of a gardener extraordinaire. "I would say what inspired me the most is just watching the way my kids love to be in the garden," Joanna told Southern Living about their family garden in 2019. "I thought this garden was really for me, and then without even asking them, each kid had their own thing to pick and I just saw how much the kids naturally gravitated towards the garden. From that it became a tradition where we started canning, pickling things together," she explained.

In April 2020, Joanna captured a moment of herself and two of the Gaines kids picking fresh strawberries from their garden. "Strawberries" she penned in the caption along with the strawberry emoji. Just think of all the delicious desserts they could make with those strawberries! Berry exciting!

As the old saying goes, a dog is a man's best friend. Fortunately, for the Gaines' kiddos, they have plenty of best friends. "We now have more dogs than children," Joanna Gaines penned in 2019 as she introduced the family's SIXTH dog. But that's not all. Aside from their six canines, the Gaines' gang also have goats, pigs, horses, cows, chickens, turkeys, bunnies, AND a guinea pig. OH MY!

Still, Chip and Joanna are adamant that caring for all of these pets has helped to instill their children with a sense of responsibility and work ethic. "Living the farm life — never a dull moment. Something needs to be fed, something's having a baby, there's been a fence break and some animal snuck through that fence," Chip explained in May during a video for the Bobcat Company about all of the hard work that comes with having that many animals on their property. It appears that even the Gaines' youngest child, Crew, would agree. In March 2024, Joanna captured him working hard as the family's "goat sitter." So sweet!

While the Gaines kiddos lead a very charmed home life complete with hay bale jungle gyms, farm to table eating, and more family pets than one can imagine, they like to get away from time to time. When they do, they do it BIG. In 2019, the family opted to spend their spring break in Tulum. As evidenced by an Instagram post by Joanna, the family enjoyed some much needed rest and relaxation.

Then, in April 2023, the family jetted all the way to South Korea. "For years, my mother has talked about taking her three daughters to Seoul, Korea when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. And for years, that's all it was — a dream we'd talk about in that 'maybe, someday' way we all do when something feels just a little out of reach," Joanna began in a sentimental Instagram post. "But this year, we decided to finally book it, and we convinced 24 members of our family to come with us to visit the place where my mom grew up." The trip of a lifetime indeed! 

Finally, in July of that same year, the Gaines family opted to take Mexico by storm yet again. As evidenced by a video Joanna posted to Instagram (via HELLO! magazine) the family enjoyed swimming (and snorkeling) in a seemingly private pool overlooking the ocean. Magical!

And last but not least, Chip and Joanna Gaines kids know how to party! Case in point: Crew's larger than life dinosaur and kite party. To commemorate their youngest child's sixth birthday in June 2024, Joanna threw a "Dino fossil dig and kite" party. And lucky for us, she documented it all on Instagram! In true fashion, Joanna handled every single detail from the homemade cake and hand-wrapped gifts to the dig kits complete with safari hats and magnifying glasses. No stone fossil was left unturned.

Fortunately, birthday fun isn't just reserved for the baby of the family. In May 2024, Joanna gave fans an inside peek into how they celebrated their middle son, Duke, turning 16. "Third time doing this and it still makes mama cry. #16," she confessed in a candid Instagram reel along with a video that included shots of her decorating their home with gigantic balloons and Chip taking the birthday boy to get his driver's license. Aww. We're not crying, you're crying.