Sustainability: How to get children involved?

Sustainability is, at its most basic, the capacity for Earth’s biosphere and humankind to co-exist. Or, the way that I explain it to our children: sustainability is the idea that our choices should take into account future generations. This is a broad subject that encompasses many areas (see the previous post about this in more detail here) so how do we break this down to teach it to our children?

I personally think that teaching children is vital because by teaching our future generations the importance of sustainability now, we are working together for a better and brighter future for everyone.

Below I have listed my top ways to get children (from age two and up) involved in being sustainable. A few points worth remembering before you start any of these:

• Keep it positive. The message of why we need to be sustainable can get quite scary, so try and keep it positive, especially for younger children.
• Keep it fun. Children always love to learn and get involved when it’s fun.
• Prepare for questions. In my experience there will be lots of them. I don’t always know the answers but we research them together if needed.
• Lead by example. I never ask the children to do anything that I’m not willing to do myself.

1. Recycle

Let your children see you doing it and let them help you do it. They are more likely to be interested in something they are allowed to participate in. So while you are cleaning out tins and jars you can explain to them why we recycle as well as what can and cannot be recycled.

2. Get out into nature

Whatever their age and wherever you are, try and be outside as much as possible. While this can be more challenging for those living in flats in cities, trips to parks or weekend visits to nature spots further afield will help to foster a love of our natural world from a young age. Only with a love for our planet will they be able to understand why changes need to be made in order to help preserve our planet for future generations.

3. Litter picking

This is a super easy one to incorporate into your family walks. Every time you head out of the door take a bag with you to collect the rubbish you find along the way. We are careful about what we let the children pick up and mostly ask that they just point out the litter and an adult will collect it just to be safe. We use this time to talk about the problems litter can create, why we feel it’s important to pick it up and explain how we’ll deal with it when we get home.

4. Read

There are so many great children’s books out there with beautiful artwork, explaining why we need to have a connection with nature and what changes are needed to ensure that we all do our bit to help preserve our planet for the future. Never underestimate the power of a beautiful story. A few of our favourites are Besty Buglove Saves the Bees by Catherine Jacob, Clem and Crab by Fiona Lumbers, The Trouble with Dragons by Debi Gliori and Spin a Scarf of Sunshine by Dawn Casey.

5. Let them shop with you

I always take my little ones to the market or supermarket with me and if we get a veg box I put it on the floor and let them rummage through and pull out all of the veggies and ask about them. Getting children interested in fruits and veggies leads to healthier individuals, more willingness to eat the veggies (not always sadly), and also allows me to talk about veggies wrapped in plastic and why we try to avoid them. A love and understanding of food and where it comes from is key in making future choices that are sustainable.

6. Eat less animal products

All the research shows that eating animal products is one of the biggest producers of CO2 emissions. If you aren’t ready to switch to a vegan diet yet, start thinking about how you can eat less meat overall; maybe have two or three meat-free days a week and commit to learning to cook a new vegan recipe once a week. Everything you do will make a difference and show your children how you are trying to take steps in the right direction.

7. Declutter and give unwanted items to charity shops

Decluttering will teach children the important lesson of having enough. Having what they need and not piles more is an important skill to learn and one our current society isn’t set up to teach. Giving away unwanted items teaches them the importance of responsibly getting rid of anything we have purchased. Yes, it might be quicker and easier to throw it in the bin but that is not the right thing to do. It also gives you an excellent time to talk about charity shops, buying second-hand to save resources, and reducing our waste in general.

8. Buy secondhand

And encourage your children you buy secondhand. Explain to them why you and your family make this choice – even very young children (from age 2) can understand this concept. We simply tell our children “No you can’t have that one, it’s new and can you see how it’s in plastic packaging? But maybe we can look for a secondhand one that a girl or boy no longer wants if you would still like it for your birthday?”.

We explain that by buying secondhand we are saving materials from being used to make something twice which is unnecessary when there is one already available. We explain that it is cheaper and so it helps to save us money, and we remind them how they give their old toys away to other girls and boys when they are finished with them.

9. Turn off lights and taps

Honestly, I feel like such a Mama saying this but it does all add up. Explain to your children why they are doing this (to save water and electricity) and although they will probably get fed up with hearing it, it will sink in and one day they will thank you.

I hope these ideas have sparked inspiration in you and you can apply them to your own family. Please do comment down below if there is anything you would have added, we are always looking to improve ourselves and what better way than by learning from others.

Livvy and Summer