As parents, we are doing our best to teach our kids numerous unique skills to help them become better people in the future. However, most of us tend to overlook an essential attribute that can help preserve the world for future generations, and that is teaching them to be environmentally conscious. We might be environmentally conscious and talk about it every day with our kids, but knowing where and when to start teaching them can sound complicated, but it’s relatively easy.
Therefore, it’s advisable to start teaching them the concepts of sustainability at a very tender age. Remember, we need to go beyond talking about it at home to doing numerous activities that can help them adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle in the future. So, here are some of the best ways you can teach your children about sustainability at home:
8 Best Ways to Teach Your Kids About Sustainability at Home
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Let Them Fall in Love With Nature
Instead of spending most of their weekends and holidays indoors playing games and watching movies, you should encourage them to go outside and explore the outdoors. You can encourage them to spend more time exploring the parks, forests, and nature trails in your area. Taking them for nature walks will help them fall in love with nature and see the need for protecting it. And while hiking, you can help them understand how our actions affect nature and what can be done to protect it, says Eco Peanut.
You can even carry some empty sacks and introduce them to a game of collecting all the rubbish they see while hiking.
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Talk More About Energy and Water Conservation
Kids can have a very hard time understanding that electricity is generated from non-renewable sources or that water is a very limited resource. Therefore, instead of reprimanding them every time they leave the lights on or the water running after brushing their teeth, you should develop better ways to help them understand that these resources are scarce.
You can look for some educational infographics and videos that you can use to teach them the importance of conserving natural resources. And most importantly, teach them how to collect rainwater and save it for future use.
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Recycling
According to Your Energy Blog, recycling is one activity that can keep our surroundings clean and reduce the amount of waste we throw away, especially the non-biodegradable ones. So, make recycling a way of life in the house and teach the kids how to do it. Look for different bins for each kind of waste in your home and show them how to separate them.
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Encourage Them to Use Eco-Friendly Means of Transportation
Instead of using your vehicle when moving from one place to the next, you can start cycling or walking. So you can purchase some bicycles and teach them how to ride them on the sidewalks. This is one of the best ways to reduce air pollution, save fuel, and, most importantly, keep fit. Explain to them why cycling and walking to places nearby is an excellent choice for the environment.
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Teach Them to Love Animals
Animals are usually the most affected by pollution and environmental degradation, so make sure your kids understand this to your kids. The best way to raise your children to be eco-friendly adults is by introducing them to animals at a very young age. You can take them to the zoo while young and even introduce family pets in the house like cats, dogs, fish, and hamsters. And make sure you involve your kids in numerous activities with family pets, like feeding and taking them for walks.
Try and explain to them the importance of keeping their environment clean and how waste and pollution affect animals. Instilling this knowledge in them will help them grow up to be responsible citizens who know how to treat their environment.
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Gardening
Another great way to teach your kid about sustainability is to teach them sustainable farming. Playing in soil and growing things can help your kids appreciate nature. While gardening, you can teach them composting and why manure is better than fertilizers. And show them how decomposed recycled waste can help plants produce food. In fact, you should make them take all the biodegradable waste to your compost pit. This will also teach them to love recycling since they can see and enjoy the benefits of composting in the delicious veggies and fruits growing in your garden.
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Start Using Homemade Cleaning Products
Instead of purchasing over-the-counter cleaning products, you can start preparing and using homemade cleaning solutions. Teach your kids how to make these solutions and also help you mix some of the easy ones. Try and instill the love for the natural and safe product in them instead of chemicals.
You can start with a simple thing like bicarbonate soda and vinegar to scrub the bathtubs and bathroom tiles. You can also use a mixture of olive oil and tea tree oil to fight lice instead of purchasing over-the-counter medications. This will show them that nature can provide a considerable percentage of what they require for their day-to-day lives.
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DIY Projects
Try and adopt numerous DIY projects that involve recycling numerous things in the house, such as plastic bottles, toilet rolls, and cardboard boxes, among others. This is an excellent way to show them that trash can be turned into useful art. You can teach them how to make jewelry boxes from cardboard and also Christmas decorations using Popsicle sticks and scrap papers. You can also make costumes for Halloween parties and school plays from old clothes.
Final Thoughts
Our kids are the future, and raising them as environmentally conscious individuals can help preserve our environment for centuries. Therefore, you should take time and teach your kids the concept of sustainability which boils down to our impact on the environment and preserving it for future generations. You can start by turning them into nature and animal lovers while teaching them the importance of sustainability. And then introduce numerous eco-friendly family activities that can help them embrace sustainability as a way of life.
Luciana joined our team as a mum blogger in 2020. A dedicated mum to a lively daughter and a dog, Luna, Luciana brings authenticity and passion to every post. Her expertise in parenting and lifestyle topics offers practical, relatable advice for real-life situations.