Everybody in the world has a responsibility to their environment. Everyone needs to work together to help protect the environment, the plants, and the animals. It’s more than clear that climate change is happening. In order to keep pushing for better environmental choices, it’s all going to come down to creating sustainable and eco-friendly habits. When it comes to children, they’re going to be the easiest to instill these habits into, as these can last a lifetime when starting out young. So, here is everything you need to know to motivate your child to pick up eco-friendly habits.
Take them to places with animals
When you think of nature, what comes to mind? Is it plants? Is it landscapes? Is it animals? You can’t have one without the other. One of the best ways to help your kids pick up eco-friendly habits is to take them to places where they can interact with animals. This could be in the form of a trip to the zoo, a petting zoo, or even owning a pet.
Children have an innate interest in animals. It is a natural part of their development and can help them build empathy, connection, and stewardship. If you own a pet, such as a farm animal, then the no waste chicken feeder could be ideal as your child gets to feed the animal, and it focuses on not wasting food either. So this is a win-win!
Encourage recycling and upcycling in the home
While it’s very basic, even the basics of recycling and upcycling can have a massive impact on your child’s life and how they produce and dispose of waste. Americans throw out 4.9 pounds of trash per person every day, so by encouraging sustainable habits in your home, your home family (children included) can work towards disposing of less waste. Teaching your children about recycling can be a great way to get them started with eco-friendly habits that will last a lifetime. Introducing them to recycling at an early age can be a great way to instill a strong sense of environmental awareness and inspire them to become green superheroes for the future!
You can also help them learn about recycling by encouraging them to repurpose waste items before throwing them away. For example, you can help them build robots from cardboard boxes or yogurt containers rather than tossing them in the bin. You can even take your kids to a charity shop or donation center, where they can see the process of creating new items from old ones. This is a great opportunity to teach them that making new things from recycled materials takes less energy and fewer resources than producing a new product from raw materials.
Participate in Group Activities
Having a sense of community and being around like-minded individuals has a way of swaying opinions and creating positive encouragement. So, one of the best ways to motivate your children to pick up eco-friendly habits is through participation in group activities. These can include games, crafts, and other fun activities that involve teamwork.
Sometimes, schools offer this in clubs or on days such as Earth Day, but the planet should be taken care of even outside of Earth Day. Involving your kids in group activities is a great way to help them get to know each other better while building their social skills. These activities also help to keep your kids focused and engaged. Check to see if there are local events (that are child friendly), so you’re little one can get involved.
Encourage them to plant a garden
In order for your child to have a love and understanding of nature, they first need to grow a connection to it. It’s beneficial for building a connection and will pave the way for your child to understand the ecosystem better. Just think about it, they get to have the opportunity to contribute to nature and grow something thanks to their hard work. Watching a seed grow into something edible is an amazing experience. This is why many children love gardening. Explain to them that plants need sunlight, water, soil packed with nutrients, and strong roots.
Let them watch you water a plant and show them how to fertilize it with compost or nutrient-rich soil. You can even purchase child-friendly toys for them too for gardening. Plus, getting your child to eat the food they made can have a lasting impact too. It’s going to help them get an understanding that food shouldn’t go to waste. On top of that, they will also better understand how food is grown and sold at local farmer’s markets and grocery stores.
Participate in campaigns
Nowadays, campaigns are everywhere, which makes it very beneficial for you, your child, and the environment. Participating in campaigns is a great way to motivate your children to pick up eco-friendly habits. Whether recycling or using energy-efficient light bulbs, you can show your kids how to make green choices daily. Campaigns can vary, whether it be those online social media challenges or getting active in your community, such as a green initiative. These interactions can help grow both an understanding and a passion for saving the world.
Teach them to save water
Children, especially younger children, need more understanding when it comes to conserving energy and water. By instilling in their mind early the importance of conserving, you will help them create eco-friendly habits that will last them for the rest of their lives. There are plenty of ways to motivate your children to pick up eco-friendly habits, one of which is to show them the importance of water conservation.
Teaching them to use less water will help reduce your household’s usage of this resource and your bills in the long run. It’s quite simple, really, just teach them to turn off the tap when they brush their teeth, wash their hands with less water or fill up a bowl instead of a sink in the kitchen. These small actions can be done easily and will have a positive impact on our environment.
Make it fun
If you’re wanting your child to learn, especially if they’re young, then you need to make it fun. This even goes for eco-friendly habits too. Fortunately, it isn’t such a challenge for children to see the fun side of things. You can do this by incorporating them in various games that are geared toward environmental awareness and conservation. Besides, there are plenty of YouTube videos, children’s books, and other forms of media to get your kids interested too.
You can count on these helping out, as they bring more awareness of how waste affects the environment and how it can be avoided. But it doesn’t have to be entirely on your shoulders as the parent. There’s a high chance that your child’s school has a green-oriented club, or there may be green-oriented clubs for children within your local community.
