What children learn when young, stays with them throughout their whole lives. That means that we should teach children sustainability and eco-friendly living as early as we can. The earlier and better children understand the concept of sustainability and eco-friendly living, the better they will be able to battle climate change in the future.
And if you are wondering how to best make children grasp sustainability and eco-friendly living, we have some inspiring ideas for you.
The best way to teach children anything is through leading by example. When children see their parents and educators consciously making decisions to live sustainably without damaging the environment, they are likely to do the same.
Similarly, a good way to teach kids about sustainability is through games. When playing, children are not only having fun, they are also actively learning things about life.
Let’s see various inspiring ideas for teaching kids about eco-friendly living.
Spend more time in nature
This first idea is one of the best and easiest ideas. Bring your kids closer to nature and teach them to respect it. Whenever you can, take your children and spend time outdoors. Go to parks, and forests, hike mountain trails, enjoy nature walks, and talk about how nature is important to us, humans.
Being surrounded by nature is a perfect place to discuss how our actions impact nature and what we can do to minimize that impact.
Teach them about sustainability through storytelling
Children love stories, that’s why storytelling is the best way to teach children about sustainability and eco-friendly living. Stories are the best way for us to introduce the concept of sustainability and climate change to our children.
Many childcare centers, such as Insight Early Learning, are already using storytelling to teach kids about environmental awareness.
That means that parents can do the same. They can make the most of this bonding parent-child activity and teach their kids the importance of living sustainably.
Visit sustainable farms
A very cool way to teach your child about where food comes from is by taking them to a local sustainable farm. While you’re there, you can also bring up the importance of growing and buying local organic food.
The best part is that some farms allow you to pick fruits and vegetables, so a trip such as this in addition to being educational, can also be pretty fun. On top of that, if there are animals on the farm, you’ll also be able to tell them more about the animal products we consume.
Start your vegetable garden
Once children learn the importance of growing organic food, starting a vegetable garden at home will be fun. Start a small vegetable garden and let your kids help you take care of it.
The best way for them to learn where the food comes from is by letting them get their hands dirty. Let them plant the seeds, water the plants, and play in the dirt.
If you don’t have enough space for a veggie garden, growing herbs in pots can also be a fun way to teach them the importance of growing food.
Conserve water and energy
As previously noted, the most effective way to educate children is through demonstrating by example. So, parents should always turn off the lights and other electronic gadgets whenever they are leaving the room, or no longer using the gadgets.
Similarly, they should shorten their shower time and turn off the tap when washing their hands or brushing their teeth. When children see their parents doing this, they will emulate them.
In addition to leading by example, you can also help children understand why you’re doing those things. Tell them that water is a limited resource, and we don’t have the luxury of wasting it. Also, teach them that electricity is expensive and generated from non-renewable natural resources.
Do recycling at home
Yet another thing you can teach your children is the importance of recycling. The best way to teach them the importance of recycling is by telling them how paper is made. Then tell them how recycling paper can protect forests.
Similarly, teach them how plastic is dangerous for our environment and wildlife. How plastic takes a lot of time to break down, and how it contributes to ever-growing landfills.
Once they understand what recycling is and how important it is, you can start a recycling station in your home. Create separate bins where different sorts of rubbish will be thrown away.
Do sustainable arts and crafts
Children love doing arts and crafts. Plus, arts and crafts can be a great way to teach them sustainability. How you wonder?
Well, first of all, to be able to do sustainable arts and crafts, you need to go outdoors and look for materials such as pebbles, rocks, shells, leaves, pinecones, and so on. This allows you to spend time in nature with your children.
Then, instead of buying craft materials, you can use these natural materials to make art with your children. You can also repurpose paper, cardboard, and other things you have around the house.
All this will show them they can have fun while preserving our planet.
Conclusion
Teaching kids sustainability and the importance of eco-friendly living is not difficult. All you have to do is find fun and interesting ways to teach them about different things.
Hopefully, these several inspiring ideas will help you start teaching your children about eco-friendly living early on.
