One of my biggest goals as a parent is to raise an eco-friendly child. Before I had a child of my own, one of my closest friends and her son would volunteer with me to do cleanup and garden projects. During one highway clean up her son says “I wish there was no more litter! Why do people litter? Then other people have to clean it up so it won’t hurt the animals”. He went on to creatively imagine ways to teach the world not to litter.
Introducing children into environmental activism at an early age creates a connection to the Earth that can last a lifetime.
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I’ve written 11 simple and practical strategies to teach your child how to be more eco-friendly!
1. Garden together
No matter the age, children should be exposed to gardening. Now, I’m not talking about large acres of land featuring plants of different species and old-growth trees. The act of gardening, whether with indoor plants or outside in an open area, is therapeutic for children and filled with education opportunities.
As often as possible, I water my plants with my son teaching him the necessities plants need to survive. I break down what each plant needs and point out how different plants like different things. I make that same connection to us.
Our conversation goes like this:
“Look! We have to water this plant. This hydrangea needs extra water. This plant doesn’t like to be thirsty. It also doesn’t like to be hot! Since it is hot outside, we will give it extra water to keep it cool.” I then tell him, “just like you don’t like it when it is too hot outside and you need water, so does this plant”. He repeats “water” and we water the plant.
My son is only 14 months old.
It is never too early to teach about the importance of gardening and draw connections to us and our natural environment. If children identify us as similar to nature and a part of nature, they are more likely to want to protect it.
PBS Kids explores the way gardening affects the brain, the body, and the soul.
Brain
- Incorporate science and math into your conversions.
- Here are some topics you can talk about: soil composition, photosynthesis, the anatomy of a flower, pollinators, count the number of flowers on the plant, measure how tall the plant has grown, etc.
- Planting seeds triggers wonder and imagination. Children start to wonder “what will happen next”
- Allows children to create a hypothesis “If I ____, then _____”
Body
- When kids produce fruits and vegetables, they are more likely to want to eat them
- Kids LOVE getting their hands dirty
- More sunshine and natural vitamin D is healthy
- Being outdoors encourages physical activity
Soul
- Facilitates meaningful connection (without a screen)
- Promotes team building and communication
- Encourages respect and responsibility for the Earth
2. Watch eco-friendly movies
Here is a list of awesome movies to teach your kids about the environment:
WALL-E
The Story of Stuff
The Lorax
Bee Movie
Happy Feet
Wasteland
3. Teach your kids to recycle right
Recycling has become more mainstream in the last few years. As with most mainstream topics, people sometimes focus on the action and forget the “why” behind it.
Teaching your kids to recycle right is the perfect opportunity to make your student aware of why it is important to recycle and how to do it correctly.
Recycling contamination occurs when the wrong item is placed in the recycling bin. This is a problem because when recycling is too contaminated, it is often rejected by those accepting the recycling.
Think about it like this…you’re a company that needs to buy recycled plastic bottles to make 100% recyclable pencils. You receive your shipment of plastic bottles from the recycling plant and it’s filled with dirty plastic bottles, broken pieces of glass, plastic bags, and tangled fishing line.
Would you buy those items from the recycling hauler? NO! That recycling hauler then has to pay for those items to be shipped back to their recycling plant and have it disposed of in the landfill.
See the problem here? Not only were the items not recycled, but they were ultimately still thrown in the trash and the recycling hauler had to pay more to have it thrown in the landfill, without making a sale. Over time, this cost could have an impact on the cost you pay for recycling.
Being a good recycler requires research. Teaching your kids as early as possible that everything doesn’t belong in the recycling bin is essential to helping solve our current recycling crisis.
4. Have your kids help with compost
Compost and kids go together like dirt and worms!
Children make the perfect compost helpers. Allowing your children to be involved in the composting process teaches them to understand decomposition and the role we play in creating waste in the environment.
Composting breaks down (decomposes) organic material into a material that can be used for fertilizer. Your compost needs a combination of
- Air
- Water
- green material (vegetable scraps or plants)
- and brown material (dead plants or leaves)
Awesome resources to teach your children about composting
Compost activity at home
Materials Needed
- Make your own compost from a 2 litter bottle
- Empty 2 litter bottle
- Dirt from outside
- Food Scraps
- Plant scraps
- Pieces of paper
- Scissors
- Spray bottle
How to Make Compost in a Bottle
- Cut the top off the bottle and poke some small holes in the bottom
- Add dirt to the bottom of the bottle
- Next, add pieces of paper
- Then, add plant scraps and food scraps
- Spritz with water
- Continue this process until the bottle is filled
- Place the bottle in the sun
- Place a kitchen towel or cover over the bottle when not in use
- Stir the bottle every few days
- Have your student observe what happens over time
5. Buy Sustainable and Organic
When you are conscious about the items you purchase, you are able to make a positive impact on the environment. In addition, this choice shows our children the kinds of choices they should be making. It gives you an opportunity to teach your child how to be eco-friendly through consumerism.
Here are some of my favorite eco-friendly purchases.
6. Volunteer together
“Volunteering is at the very core of being a human. No one has made it through life without someone else’s help” – Heather French Henry
I have worked for several environmental organizations. We heavily depend on volunteers to make a lasting impact on the community.
Allowing your children to volunteer teaches them responsibility and helps them understand the needs of their community. Volunteering with you kids also teaches them social skills, inspires giving, and builds an appreciation for the environment.
Environmental volunteer ideas
- Volunteer at a local aquarium
- Volunteer at the zoo
- Adopt a Spot, Adopt a Highway
- Plant trees
- Volunteer at a local nursery
- Do a river cleanup
7. Explain “ why”
If you’ve been around kids for any amount of time you’ve heard the word “why” OFTEN. Kids LOVE receiving information. It’s how they learn!
Scary Mommy does a great job at breaking down the reason kids ask why.
The article refers to a University of Michigan study in which kids who received an appropriate answer to their “why” question were more satisfied than those who did not.
Use those “why” questions as an opportunity to teach your child how to be more eco-friendly and the importance of sustainability.
8. Teach your kids littering is bad
Litter is trash on the ground that belongs in the garbage can.
Litter is not only gross to look at, but it also travels to our waterways and harms animals.
Think about it like this…
Someone throws a plastic straw on the ground. When it rains, the plastic straw travels to the storm drain, and to the nearest river, the river dumps into the ocean and the plastic begins to break down into tiny pieces called microplastics. Fish ingest these microplastics in the water. Who eats the fish? We do. Animals can also choke on litter or get entangled in it.
Litter is dirty. It attracts rodents and carries germs.
Teach your children not to throw litter on the ground. As mentioned above, you can also participate in cleanups with your child. Conduct litter cleanups around your home or neighborhood! Grab a pair of gloves, a litter grabber, and a bucket to place the trash in!
Litter Kit Items
Gloves
Litter grabber
Bucket
9. Lead by example
The phrase “do as I say and not as I do” does NOT apply here.
Our kids are always watching.
They see what we do, deem it as appropriate, and mimic our behavior. If we want our kids to become stewards of the environment, we have to teach our kids about the environment by modeling it ourselves.
No, we don’t have to be perfect. Yes, we can admit that we don’t know or have all the answers.
Be willing to be flexible and learn along with your child.
Most of the kids resources in this post are also great for adults. If the information is broken down so a child can understand, you better believe an adult can understand too!
10. Get your kids outdoors to enjoy nature, not fear it
I’ll admit. I still wiggle when I hear a buzz in my ear or swat frantically when I walk into a spider web. This reaction is normal because we’ve been acclimated to be inside.
The best thing you can do for your child is to teach them early not to fear the outdoors.
I’ve taught so many kids who may comment like “I don’t like outside” or “am I going to get dirty”. I’ve even taught kids who have never seen the ocean before. For context, the area we live in is almost completely surrounded by water.
Fear is taught or it is created because of a lack of knowledge and exposure.
As often as your schedule (and the weather) allows, enjoy nature with your child.
Check out this post for some awesome ideas to enjoy time outdoors with your kids.
11. Teach your kids how to reduce waste (food, water, and energy)
One of the core principles of environmental consciousness is recognizing how your actions impact the Earth.
Here are ways to teach your kids how to reduce waste:
- Carbon footprint quiz. Take one here.
- Talk about where their garbage goes
- Talk about where their water goes
- Visit local water and recycling facilities
- Learn about electricity
- Unplug appliances that are not in use (including light switches and phone chargers!)
- Show you kids your water and energy bill and talk about why it fluctuates
Teaching your child how to be eco-friendly is the key to guiding our young generation to be leaders of the future.
Involving your child in environmental activities and learning more about sustainability along with your child is the key to raising them to be environmentally aware.
Let Me Know With A Comment
Which of these strategies are you using to teach your child to be eco-friendly? I want to know! Let me know with a comment.
Using eco friendly products is a good step everyone should take. Like the ways you train the child to be more eco friendly.
Yes! Showing by doing is such a natural form of teaching.
This is such a great article, it’s so important we instill this in our children. Leading by example is one of the best suggestions!
Janette,
Thank you so much for your comment! Yes! Leading by example is so important.
So I’m gonna order some of these eco-friendly products!! Great suggestions!
Nyesha,
I’m really happy you found these strategies helpful and want to try some of these items. Thank you!