Introducing your child to sustainability through play
Our children are constantly watching us, and what they see and learn at home with you will shape many of their values for the rest of their lives.
Sustainability is difficult to explain to adults, but it is even more difficult to explain to children. Yet it is possible to teach children, regardless of age, how to care for and safeguard the planet.
1) Spend time in nature
There is no better place to learn about the environment than being in it. Fostering a love of nature at an early age is a surefire way of sowing the seed of love for the planet. If you don’t have access to your garden, visit a local park.
Ideas: Investigate what is in the garden or park, appreciate trees, plants, and wildlife, look under large stones, experience changing weather and seasons, engage in sensory exploration (scent, colour and texture), look at living and non-living things, and wonder “Why does that live there?”
2) Loose parts – exploring discarded and reclaimed materials. Making new things from old objects
Loose parts play means bringing everyday objects into play with no specific goal or aim in mind. Children of any age can explore and investigate a variety of different items during play. We send a powerful message to our children about reducing, reusing and recycling when we recognise that what is one person's rubbish is another person's gold.
Suggestions for loose parts: leaves, mud, tape, pots and pans, old technology (such as phones), sticks, recycling, shells, tools, pipes, tins, and broken machines (such as vacuum cleaners). The list will never end.
3) Make your own craft materials – upcycling, recycling, reducing, reusing
Avoid buying art and craft materials made from single-use plastic. Most glitters, sequins, googly eyes, and such are made from plastic. When they end up in the sea, they can harm our seas and sea life.
Make your own art supplies at home:
- Make collage materials from old fabrics, cut up leaflets, and paper.
- Make paintbrushes from sticks, leaves, feathers, and twigs.
- Make nature’s glitter by crushing dried leaves or cutting up fallen petals.
4) Set up a recycling centre - reducing the amount of new products being manufactured
Dig out some boxes from recycling or use containers you already have. Discuss the various materials (glass, metal, paper, plastic, and fabric) and why they are sorted in our bins. Label your play recycling boxes and invite your little one to sort the things into the appropriate bins.
Take a trip to the local recycling centre or watch the bins being emptied in the lorries at home. Find out where our rubbish goes.
Take a trip to the library for books about rubbish, recycling, and our world.
5) Re-purposing water – thinking about water usage
Water is a precious commodity; we are fortunate in the UK that we literally have it on tap. Teaching children about water wastage is crucial for our planet. The less water we use, the less carbon is produced from transporting water and treating it.
Try these things: turn off the tap while cleaning teeth, wash the car with a bucket of water, cover up the paddling pool when not in use, and water gardens with a watering can.
A note to finish with
Discuss why you're doing these activities with your children. Having a better awareness of the world allows children to establish their own opinions and provides them a reason to care about it. When children understand why environmental care is essential to them, they are more likely to embrace ecologically responsible actions as they develop.