When we see adults who are conscious of their consumption and avoid everything that harms the environment, we aspire our children to follow in their footsteps as well. You will want to teach kids to go green and preserve our environment. But sometimes children are too young to understand the benefits and need to go green, and other times they will resist as it’s a sudden change. If you wish for your kids to go green, then you have to persuade them by doing fun activities with them.
Finding activities to do with children that is fun as well as teaches them to go green is quite a thinker. Don’t worry, I have got you! I have listed 8 fun ways by which you can teach toddler to go green by playing games, roleplays, research, etc. Going green is also beneficial for your child’s health as it will protect them from consuming anything that isn’t healthy. Read on, and you will find the different and fun ways to get your child to go green as these habits should be instilled from a young age.
Fun ways to go green for kids:
1. Manure
When we eat a fruit, we tend to throw the stem, seeds, and other sections of the fruit in the dustbin. After making an omelet, we chuck away the eggshell. But, these make for effective and natural manure for your plants. One of the fun ways to go green is to collect such food compost. Have a jar for each member of the family and collect the food compost. At the end of each month, plant a new plant. Initially, you will also have to teach your child what can be constituted as food compost and what cannot be constituted.
2. Worksheets
School issue many worksheets to children to solve their maths problems, or to practice and rewrite their answers. These worksheets are meaningless after each semester. The fun ways to go green kids can be initiated via these waste paper. Encourage your child to keep a separate bin in their room for papers. At the end of each term, you can take this bin and submit all the papers for recycling.
3. Water
Children are never conscious of their water use. They will let the water run extra while brushing, showering, as well as play with it by filling water balloons or switching on the hose or sprinkler in the garden. Teach your child the value of water. To cement this idea, limit their shower time, and teach them to close the tap while brushing. If you are looking for fun ways to go green toddler, then ask your child and they will come up with many ingenious ideas as to how to save water. You can also have a jar, wherein every time someone wastes water, they have to drop some money in it.
4. Saving electricity
To go green for kids, the first step is to consume less electricity. You can make this task a game. Every time your child switches off the light, or saves electricity, give them a star. They can exchange these stars for something that they want. Or, if they have 7 stars for each day, then they will be exempted from their chores for a day. This will make them aware of how much electricity they are using, and how to save it as well. You can also have movie nights wherein you are cuddled up with your kid and only the TV is on with the lights off.
5. Swap cloth for paper
Instead of using paper bags, paper towels, and paper napkins, replace them with the cloth. When you wish to go green for toddlers, you also have to make some changes around the house. If from a young age your child sees you using a napkin, then when they will start making their grocery lists, they will automatically pick up a cotton napkin instead of a paper napkin. The items made for cloth can also be reused by washing them regularly.
6. Chores
One of the ways to go green for kids fun is to replace their chore items with fun activities that help the neighborhood. For example, their chore of walking the dog can be replaced by walking in the neighborhood and picking up the trash. They can do this with you or organize an event for all their friends. The one who collects the most trash can be given an incentive. If your child wants to buy a toy, and then pay them for the service they do for the community and ask them to buy it with their hard-earned money.
7. DIY pre-loved items
To go green for toddlers fun, the first destination is to consume less. You can go to a local thrift store and thrift some toys, shoes, clothes, bags, etc. for your child. When you come home, you can give your child different items and make some DIY outfits together. This will encourage them to buy more items from the local thrift shop.
8. Shopping game
The best way to go green kids by playing games. When you go grocery shopping, the packaging of the single layer is better than the packaging of 3 layers. Take your child and their friends to the grocery store with you. Give them different items from your list. Ask them to find the object that has the least amount of packaging. You can then checkout. Remove the packaging, and ask them together to recycle the same. They can either give it to a shop for recycling or the can make DIY games from the packaging materials.
There are many best ways to go green toddler listed here. Which one will you try first? Remember, try these often and regularly to make this into a habit for your child as they have to inhabit the place that they will build today.