*This post contains affiliate links
Many parents out there raise their children to respect the world around them, and if they aren’t doing that, they need to start. Children are like clay to be molded; they watch every single move that we make, and they emulate our behavior. If you value the environment, they will value the environment in the same way. The beauty about children is that they can be taught any lesson from a young age and they absorb it; children are impressionable in that way, and they will watch the way that you treat people and the world around you. So, it makes sense to strive to be environmentally conscious so that you can teach the children how to respect their environment, too.
Some parents get a little stumped at this point. After all, you may only just be starting to take notice of your own impact on the environment, so you’re not able to show little children how to care for the world, because you’ve never been taught yourself. Here’s the place to not panic! Just because you weren’t raised in a home that cared for the world with recycling and natural products, doesn't mean that you can’t change your ways right now and teach your own children to do something well. It can be difficult to help your children to understand the importance of recycling and how their actions have an impact on the world in which they live. These are big, deep lessons to teach your children, and you may want your children to have a deeper understanding of how other humans affect each other based on the way that they treat the world, too.
It’s not just recycling that you need to start setting an example with; you have the impact of littering, plastics, products in the home that have toxic ingredients, where food comes from - it’s all equally important. If you want to teach children to treat the world with respect, you’re going to need to do your own research so that you can start your own changes for them to copy. Here are some of the best ways that you can teach your children all about the importance of living a more eco-friendly life.
Explain Your Choices
If you have started to make movements in the way that you live, it’s time to start imparting those lessons to your children. They’ll see you in the supermarket checking the detergent details in the store, and when you see them looking, it’s the time to explain why you’re checking the ingredients before purchase. Your choices are going to pique their curiosity, so use those moments to impart a little wisdom. To help them to understand what you’re doing, tell them about your eco-friendly choices.
Recycle It
The easiest choice you could make is how to recycle. When you do it, show your children where you put the trash and explain how the products will be used. Plenty of videos online can show how recycling plants do it all and explain the three r’s - reduce, reuse, recycle. You can also get them in the swing of rinsing used product packaging and putting them into the right spaces, and then when they’ve done it long enough it becomes a new habit.
The Art Of Reuse.
One of the best lessons that you can teach your children is how to reuse their things. When you get to the end of a product - including things like toilet roll - teach them how they can use the towel roll with their crafts and art projects. There are so many things in the recyclable area that you can use for them to play with and create new things from. There are other things, too, like old t-shirts they can cut up for fabric scraps and learn to sew with to make something new. Any time you have anything old or broken, work out if you can do even more with it and discuss it with the children - they’ll get their creative hat on and see whether they can do more!
Avoid Single-Use Items
Plastic is a big issue in the world at the moment and single-use disposable products are contributing to the terrible impact on the planet. Paper plates, plastic water bottles and plastic cutlery can cause a lot of waste that is unnecessary. Invest in reusable plastics that you can continue to use, and swap the water bottles to the stainless steel ones that keep your drinks at the ideal temperature. Explain to the children why their bottles in their school lunches need to be brought home each day, and explain how you’re basically saving the world from a plastic crisis by not using plastics that are disposable. Use imagery of landfill and explain the importance of avoiding garbage that is unnecessary.
Get Into Nature
Spending time in the world is going to give your children an appreciation of the world in its most raw element. Go to the local park and talk about the preservation of the area by the local community. Hike through the woods and bring a camping bag with you so that you can stay overnight and show them what it looks like when there is no light pollution encroaching on the sky. Bring guide books that talk about the flora and fauna; your children can hunt the flowers! These natural experiences get them to fall in love with the sounds and smells of the natural world, helping them to tune into the world.
Start A Garden
Children love to get messy, right? One way to really help them to understand where their food comes from is to do some research together about starting their own garden and then shopping for everything you need to do so. Planting seeds that will turn into your own favourite fruit and vegetables can make a huge difference to the way your children view their food, as well as your own grocery budget. Have the kids help you tend to your new garden and get them excited with their own gardening equipment!
Volunteer Together
Picking litter isn't the past time that most people want to get involved in. However, this is also one of the best ways to get your children to appreciate the environment. Sign up for shore clean-ups near the ocean and start a new rule on the walk to school - if you see any litter, pick it up and find a trash can. These little changes that you can make to life everyday can make a massive difference to the world. Volunteering in the local community can help your children to interact with other children who want to give back and help, and it’s a great way to teach your children compassion.
Clean Green
There are so many products that we use in the home, from the laundry products to the carpet cleaners, that are not environmentally-friendly. Choosing to buy products that are kinder to the environment is going to change the game for everyone in the house. Not only is it better to choose better products, you can rope the kids in by finding recipes online to make your own scented candles or fresheners. Teach the children how to clean with eco-friendly products and they’ll carry the lessons that you teach them through their whole life. There are so many websites that offer tips for green cleaning, and if you introduce them to videos of how to make their own cleaners, they will get into the habit of understanding the products that you use in the home and how they are better for their health.
Energy Conservation
Reminding the children to keep the lights off when not in use, turning electronics off at the outlets when not in use and power down their computers teaches amazing lessons to the children. It’s not only going to save money on your energy bills, it’ll teach the children deep lessons to carry with them into their own homes as they grow up that they can conserve energy, too. Don’t just tell them not to leave the lights on, though, show them why. Use visuals and books and teach them how to love the world.
Pass It On
When you and your family have no use for something, don’t add it to landfill. Every time you have a clear out, get the children to bring their belongings that they no longer need to the local charity stores and donation boxes. Toys and clothes no longer needed don’t have to be added to the trash, and children need to learn this from a very young age so that they can ensure that this is what they do throughout life. Giving back isn’t just friendly to the environment, but for those in need.
If you want your family to be more eco-friendly, you need to start by making the smaller changes and teaching big lessons with those changes. Spend time with the children and learn to love their enthusiasm and involvement in the world around them.
No comments