You’re doing what you can to be a sustainable world citizen, to leave this planet a better place for future generations. All this effort, however, falls short if we’re not teaching said future generations conservation, environmental protection and how they, too, can make an impact. It might be difficult for small children to grasp concepts such as climate change and the Paris Agreement, but they can certainly understand adopting green habits and practices.
What is sustainability for kids?
Finding a sustainability definition for kids is important. Simply put, sustainability is about small changes we can make to help look after the planet. Making these changes helps protect animals, plants and our natural resources so that future generations will be able to enjoy them.
Easy lessons in sustainability for children
There are lots of ways to teach kids about sustainability.
1. Include them in chores
This not only helps children learn about sustainability, but it also increases their knowledge of life skills they will need in the future. Three great chores they can help you with are:
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Washing clothes.
Showing them how to load and unload the washing machine is one thing, but as they grow up and start to learn numbers and words, why not try getting them to turn the washing machine on 30°C? Use it as a chance to explain about sustainable fuels and saving energy.
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Pack groceries…
… into reusable bags. This is an easy change to make, and you can get some really pretty cotton carrier bags to replace the plastic ones! Get your children to help with the shopping, explaining how plastic bags ending up in landfills and oceans is causing harm to the planet and animals.
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Ask them to help with the recycling.
From taking empty cereal cardboard to the recycling bin to donating old clothes to charity, there are plenty of ways they can help. You can also teach them to put banana skins, egg shells, apple cores and more in a food waste bin instead of the rubbish bin.
2. Make it fun
A key tip for anyone wondering how to teach kids about sustainability is to make it fun. Here are two easy ways you can do this:
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Make it a game.
Teaching children through play is not a new concept, but it can be used for so many different things. One good way you can do this is to use coloured boxes to separate your recycling and ask them to choose the right box.
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Take a trip to the recycling centre.
This may not seem fun to you, but an outing to your local recycling centre is a great way to teach children about waste management and recycling and children tend to love a good excursion.
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Turn it into art.
Get creative and use empty packaging material and scraps to create something new. A boat? An animal? A windmill?
3. Go green yourself
The best and easiest way to teach your children about sustainability is to lead by example. Why not try switching off the TV and reducing screen time in favour of a woodland walk? You can also change up your disposable products and single-use plastic in favour of reusable and recyclable options. Some easy swaps include:
- using cloth nappies, reusable sanitary products, washable make-up remover wipes and more
- investing in metal straws which can be used over and over again
- replacing single-use plastic bags with reusable, washable cotton shoppers
- switching to products from brands who are working to reduce waste – there are many who are now using recyclable packaging or replacing it with reusable or refillable options
At Little Green House, we are already trying quite a lot to become more sustainable ourselves and to involve the children in this process. They love it, and so do we. But of course, one can always do more. We keep at it and hope to get a little better every year.