Global warming is real, and it’s ruining the Earth. If we don’t do anything to save it, we might not have a planet to live on in a few years. It desperately needs our help, and we must do everything to help save it. Regardless of how big or small a gesture it may be, any effort we make is a welcome contribution. That’s because small gestures, together, create a huge impact that can potentially slow down or stop global warming. Large gestures can inspire more people to follow and do the same. What’s important is that we are doing something to save the planet and that we’re doing it now.
That is the same message we should teach our children. We must mold the future generations who will inherit this Earth into self-sufficient and nature-loving people at the very early stage of their life. The lessons and examples we teach can seamlessly weave into their lifestyles as they grow older. While teaching kids about sustainability and leading an eco-friendly lifestyle can be a bit tricky, it’s all worth the trouble. However, we must understand that they’re all still children, and our approach should cater to that fact.
So how do we do it? Here are some of the ways how you can teach your kids about sustainable living.
Life and Nature
The best way to make kids or anyone else care about taking care of the Earth is by showing them that it’s alive. While it’s a given fact that our planet is a living and breathing thing, emphasizing it will help drive the point across better. You can do exactly that by letting them see and feel the life there is in nature.
Engage your children in activities that showcase how beautiful life and nature are. Those can range from as simple as taking a stroll around the local park to get their hands dirty taking care of pets and gardening plants. Take it a step further and fully immerse them in what nature can offer. For instance, activities in a greenhouse made for cold climates can show them the evolution of living things, from plants to insects or even small animals.
Whatever the case may be, what’s important is that you allow them to experience what it’s like to care for a living being first-hand. Through activities like that, they can develop an appreciation for life and nature, which will help give them more reasons to protect it. Once they grasp that idea, they’ll become more willing to live a sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle.
Taking Action
Once you feel that your children fully understand why sustainability is crucial in protecting the Earth, it’s time to get them engaged and committed to the cause. Find or create fun ways your kids can learn about it through engaging activities, whether it’s individually, in a group, or with you and the rest of the family. There are many ways to do this, outside and at home.
Volunteering is an excellent way for your kids to learn about sustainability while participating in sustainable causes. They can learn about recycling through community clean-up efforts in the local park or beach. They can help nurture nature by joining tree-planting drives that can teach them about the role of plants and trees in preserving the Earth.
At home, you can teach your kids to recycle old clothes or toys and give them a new purpose as well as new life. Help them see the beauty in repurposing old things, rather than wanting new stuff all the time. Instill in them that they shouldn’t waste a single drop of any resource, whether that’s water, electricity, or food. Make sure that they understand that they should keep waste to a minimum or nothing at all.
Set an Example
Kids are sponges that absorb everything they hear, feel, and see. They’ll be more responsive to your teachings if they can observe you practicing what you preach. Teaching them about sustainability alone won’t do much if they can’t see you doing it too. Because you’re their parents, they look up to you, listen to you, and will copy just about anything you do. So if you’re all talk and no walk, the sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle that you’re trying to instill in them will be but for naught.
Make sure that you keep yourself accountable and live a sustainable lifestyle too. After all, the whole reason you’re doing it is to leave a better world for your kids to live in, explore, and experience. And if you set an example and teach them well, they too can leave the world in a better state for generations to come.
Take these methods we’ve discussed and teach your children about sustainability today. Turn them into individuals who care for the Earth, for their sake and everyone else’s.
