How Do You Explain Sustainability To Children?

Jul 12, 2022
1 min read

We're growing more conscious of our impact on the environment every day. It's critical that, as parents, we not only adopt lifestyle adjustments to care for the environment but also that we teach our children about sustainability from an early age.

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But how can you approach a child with a topic like sustainability? Here, we'll discuss how to teach kids about sustainability and how to get them involved in living a greener lifestyle and saving the environment for the future.

Finding a sustainability definition for kids is important. There are many varied approaches and definitions of sustainability. To get the best message across to children, it’s important to simplify things and attach the definition to something they know and care about. A simple explanation could be 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 children can enjoy them.

It’s never too early to start teaching youngsters about environmental issues. Opportunities to connect with nature and enjoy the great outdoors benefit children of all ages. Children can build relationships with the environment while also learning their place in the world and their potential to influence things when they spend time in nature. Children's environmental awareness grows in tandem with their growing relationships with nature.

Here are some tips to answer the question of how do you explain sustainability to children.

1. Read storybooks with environmental themes

Reading stories to your child is a great way to bond with them while also introducing challenging issues like climate change in a child-friendly manner. To start the discourse about the significance of living sustainably, certain well-known classics such as Where the Wild Things Are, and Charlotte's Web are excellent choices.

2. Discuss sustainability at home

Engage your child in conversations about being environmentally conscious at home, such as noting how full the bin is, how many food scraps are left over after dinner, or when the tap isn't turned off properly. Discuss waste reduction options, such as recycling trash or composting food leftovers. You could even start a worm farm or compost bin at home or work with your child to pick through garbage to see what may be recycled or repurposed.

Having a task or job to accomplish can help scaffold pre-schoolers' emerging independence while also forming long-term habits. Assign your child the role of "energy saver" in the house, responsible for spotting lights, fans, and other appliances that are left on when they are not in use.

3. Spend more time in nature

When was the last time you spent time as a family outside? Bushwalking, going to the beach, birdwatching, or simply enjoying the natural beauty of your neighbourhood can provide numerous opportunities to talk about sustainability. Discuss the environment as you walk or enjoy the landscape, examine any creatures you see along the route, or even bring a bag to gather trash on your stroll and discuss how vital it is to keep our environment clean.

4. Start a veggie garden

Children can learn about food and where it comes from by planting seeds, watering plants, and caring for them. They can learn about the farm-to-plate process by producing their own veggies. This also opens the door to a slew of new discussions about food production and climate change: How long do you think it will take for this carrot to grow large enough to eat? What would happen if the garden could not be watered due to a lack of rain?

5. Include them in chores

This not only teaches youngsters about sustainability, but it also improves their knowledge of future life skills. They can assist you with the following three tasks:

Washing clothes: It's one thing to show children how to load and unload the washing machine, but as they get older and begin to understand numbers and words, why not try getting them to set the temperature to 30°C? Use it as an opportunity to educate kids about the need to use sustainable energy and conserve energy.

Pack groceries: Allow children to assist you in packing groceries into reusable bags while you're out shopping. This is a simple alteration to make, and you can replace the plastic carrying bags with some lovely cotton ones! Encourage your children to assist you with your shopping by explaining how plastic bags that wind up in landfills and oceans hurt the environment.

Ask them to help with the recycling: There are many ways youngsters may contribute, from carrying empty cereal boxes to the recycle bin to donating unwanted clothes to charity. You can also teach kids to dispose of banana peels, eggshells, apple cores, and other food waste in a food waste bin rather than the trash can.

6. Make it fun

An essential tip for anyone wondering how to teach kids about sustainability is to make it fun:

Make it a game: Although teaching children through play is not a new notion, you may use it in a wide range of situations. A straightforward approach is to have your children sort your recycling into coloured boxes and ask them to select the appropriate box.

Take A Trip To The Recycling Centre: Although a visit to your local recycling centre may not appear to be enjoyable, it is a terrific method to teach children about waste management and recycling, and children enjoy going on adventures.

7. Go green yourself

Leading by example is the most effective and simple approach to teaching your children about sustainability. Switch off the TV and limit your screen time by taking a stroll in the park instead. You can also replace throwaway items and single-use plastic with reusable and recyclable alternatives. The following are some simple swaps that any family can make:

• Using cloth diapers, reusable sanitary items, washable make-up remover wipes, and other environmentally friendly options.
• Investing in metal straws that you can reuse multiple times.
• Using reusable, washable cotton shoppers instead of single-use plastic bags.
• Choosing items from companies who are committed to reducing waste – many are now utilising recyclable packaging or replacing it with reusable or refillable alternatives.

Teaching your children sustainability doesn’t have to be hard

Now you have some great ideas for teaching kids about sustainability and getting them involved in living a greener lifestyle. Teaching children about sustainability isn’t as complex as it seems, and you already have all you require to begin making the world a better place for them and future generations. A simple explanation, a way or two to get your kids involved and leading by example are all ways you can teach sustainability to children.