Kids & the Environment: How and Why to Teach Them

There is an old Native American saying that goes:

“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”

That brings up a question: what kind of planet will we leave our kids? And more importantly, what kind of kids will we leave our planet?

Why environmental awareness matters

Raising kids in a fast-paced world like this one can be a challenge. There are so many areas to focus on: social development, education, emotional skills, social responsibility, and more. Somewhere along the way, we often forget about our beautiful planet and all its voiceless inhabitants.

Every generation needs to do better than the one before it. Kids need to learn how to protect their surroundings, treat others with kindness, and make choices that benefit the wider world. Environmental education and conservation have been public virtues since the 19th century, yet in recent decades the topic has often been pulled into political debate and financial interests instead of pure science. That is exactly why it is even more important to teach children about the environment and sustainability at home. Without action, the environment suffers, and every generation suffers with it.

No one has to be perfect to teach kids about the environment. Every small sustainable change makes an impact. It is one less piece of plastic in a landfill, one less marine animal at risk, or one less dollar spent on oil. Teaching children that they can make a difference helps raise a generation of more conscious, environmentally aware adults than the one that came before.

It is important to teach your kids about the environment from an early age because these lessons become part of their everyday life. The eco-friendly habits they learn, the conscious consumer choices they watch you make, and the time they spend learning to love and appreciate the outdoors will shape them into the future of environmental sustainability.

Ideas for teaching your kids about the environment

When I bring this up with people, they often ask how we can instill compassion for our planet in our children and raise environmental awareness. Here are some practical tips to help your little ones become more responsible toward the environment:

1- Teach them to save water: Turn the faucet on only when rinsing, not while brushing. Many of us leave the tap running. The same goes for washing hands and face. While you soap up, turn the water off. Turn it back on to rinse. Or use a jug of water instead.

2- Teach them about electricity use: When your kids leave a room, tell them to switch off the lights before they go. Ask your child to be more careful, and when lights or other devices at home or school are not in use, teach them to take responsibility and turn them off.

3- Swap plastic for cloth: Switch to lunches wrapped in paper, or pack them in washable, reusable lunch boxes. Use a cloth bag every time you go shopping instead of the plastic bags offered at the checkout.

4- Sort your waste: Teach your kids which scraps can be composted (food and vegetable waste), which can be recycled (old newspapers, aluminum cans), and which can be reused (glass bottles, old jewelry). This is an excellent way to teach them about sustainable living.

5- Give “experience” gifts: Instead of toys that will soon be discarded or clothes they will quickly outgrow, give your child an experience they will never forget. Take them camping, rock climbing, or birdwatching. Talk about the importance of caring for our furry and feathered friends.

6- Keep a compost pot: The best way to help your child learn is by practicing the values you teach. Keep a small clay pot where you can compost daily kitchen scraps. This way you can scale up the numbers and show them the magnitude of solid waste a city produces every day.

7- Say no to litter: Your child is used to seeing waste on the streets around them. Teach them to take a conscious step against it.

8- Educate your child about local flora and fauna: Keep a small scrapbook of the trees in your neighborhood, resident animals (a fallen feather or a photo), and teach them about habitat loss and how wildlife is surviving in an increasingly hostile, non-ecological environment.