child gardening

Whitney Houston once sang, “I believe the children are our future / Teach them well and let them lead the way.” When it comes to climate change, it is abundantly clear that if we teach them well, they will lead the way. Just look at young people like Greta Thunberg leading the climate strikes or the studies that show children change their parents’ minds about climate change, and we see Whitney was right.

While our kids may not all be like Greta, all the little eco-friendly, sustainable decisions they make can add up in a big way. If you are wondering how you can get your kids to play their part in the climate change movement, we’ve rounded up some realistic and effective ways to teach kids about climate change. Plus, we’ve compiled some of our favorite tips from mom bloggers.

Make Them Aware of the Problem

First, you have to make your kids aware of the problem. Depending on your kids’ ages, you may or may not have to explain climate change. For instance, if your kids are already following science standards in school, then they have likely already started covering climate change. However, if your kids are younger, it is up to you to teach them about climate change using age-appropriate vocabulary and real-life examples. NASA Climate Kids is a great way to introduce the topic to even the littlest learners.

Get Outdoors

Possibly the most effective way to get your kids to embrace the climate change movement is to instill a love of nature. How do you do this? To put it simply, you get outdoors! Kids who spend time playing outside and exploring in nature have a greater appreciation for it.

Watch Reputable Films

There are several educational films about climate change that are designed to teach children of all ages. Young kids can be introduced to climate change issues from animated films like Happy Feet, whereas older kids may be ready for documentaries such as An Inconvenient Truth. Check out Common Sense Media’s Movies That Teach Kids About Climate Change and PBS’s 17 Films about Sustainability and Climate Change.

Embrace Positive Habits

As a household, try your best to embrace habits that are good for the environment. For instance, teach kids not to leave the water running or the lights on and explain why these things matter. If your family recycles regularly, your kids will grow up recycling as well. Start by calculating your household’s carbon footprint. Likewise, as a family, do all you can to reduce your carbon footprint, such as carpooling. GoKid is proud of the way we are helping families in this way – GoKid families have already saved 5M pounds of CO2!

Volunteer as a Family

Look for opportunities to volunteer on eco-friendly projects together. Spend an afternoon cleaning up litter from a park or stream. Work together to plant trees or build a community garden. Dedicate some of your time to helping at a local farm.

Encourage them to be Young Activists

Finally, encourage some positive peer pressure. Green clubs and student organizations are popping up at schools all across America. Encourage your kid to join their school’s club or to create one of their own! Climate Generation offers several youth action ideas to help young people become climate change activists in their communities.

girl holding sign about climate change

How These Mom Bloggers are Encouraging Their Kids to Play a Part in the Climate Change Movement

Here are some of the responses of tried-and-true ways to get kids involved that we received from other earth-friendly mom bloggers:

Firstly, they need to understand what it is all about. I’ve found watching Blue Planet together has been fantastic for this; providing a great springboard for discussion.

Then it’s important for parents and schools to work in tandem on this. My daughters’ schools take part in the Golden Boot Challenge, where they are encouraged to go to school in a ‘green’ way such as walk, scoot, ride, park & stride, etc. Again, this prompts plenty of discussions.

Also, get them involved in recycling. My children are always keen to sort items and also upcycle. Always get them to understand the aims of a project and make sure that they’re actively involved. This helps get them on board and actually enjoy doing their bit for the planet.

image of blogger @theparentsocial

@TheParentSocial

I do have a post about hands-on ways to help kids care about the environment. My biggest tip is just to talk to kids and make them aware of what is happening to our planet and small ways we can help each day. It can also be very fun and a bonding experience as a family to pick up trash, donate unused items, visit a recycling center, or find creative ways to reuse objects.

image of blogger @EXPDOMESTICITY

@ExpDomesticity

My kids already tell their school mates to eat less meat and walk more instead of taking the car for short distances (even in the rain).

image of blogger Noelle Sharp

@sharpe_noelle

I would say kids should be encouraged to recycle and to walk as much as possible. Car-pooling is a great idea too!

image of blogger Zoe Chamberlain

@1ZoeChamberlain

Jul, 04, 2019

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  Environment / Smart Mobility

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