Written by: Giulia Simolo
Green living is something that should be passed down to the new generations. That’s why it’s important to get your kids to start early with this important lifestyle. What works in your favour is that children often mirror what their parents do. So by embracing a greener lifestyle, you are showing them a good example of what they can do to save the environment. But there are other ways in which you can help your children make greener choices from an early age. Here are some tips.
Talk green
With green living becoming newsworthy, there are many examples of eco-friendly living in the media. Use these as conversation openers so you can start communicating with your children about what it means to live in a more eco-friendly way, why this is important and how we can make the earth a happier, healthier place. Give them snippets of green living information as often as you can, and show them examples of how this knowledge translates into practical living. For instance, show them what you recycle and tell them why it’s important (an example would be that it prevents waste). Or, teach them what happens in the long-term when we take advantage of electricity and don’t care to switch appliances or lights off when we’re not in need of them.
Remember to make it fun!
Children mostly respond to activities that are fun. So, with green living in mind, take them to see animals at the zoo or make it a regular occurrence to talk walks or ride bicycles together instead of always using the car. Not only do these outdoor activities have their eye on ensuring you lower your carbon footprint, but they can be great opportunities for having more quality time with your kids and teaching them about how they should care for the planet’s resources.
Be creative
Yes, it’s important to involve your kids in the eco-friendly habits you do daily, such as recycling and not wasting water, but there are other ways you can make a greener lifestyle seem appealing to them. That’s by making it a creative activity. Go through your items and see what you can recycle so that they’re transformed into new things. For instance, old clothing that your children don’t like can be turned into something new that they will love to wear. Best of all, they will love it even more because they’ve created the new item themselves with arts and crafts. This is a great skill that will be beneficial to them in the future because it will show them that there are many things that don’t have to go to waste.
Reach them on their level
You might be tempted to show your children documentaries and films about the earth’s crisis, but if they’re really young they might not grasp the concepts. Rather choose animated movies that are great resources for helping children see that eco-friendly living is important. For example, the movie Wall-E was very useful in showing kids the dangers and harmful effects that occur when people over consume. Likewise, Ice Age 2 shows what happens to animals when global warming hits and the icebergs start to melt. These movies provide children with information they understand in a language and form that brings the message home.
Motivate them
Sometimes as a parent you have to offer rewards for good behaviour in order to ensure your children follow healthy habits. The same could apply to greener living. For instance, you might always emphasise the importance of your children not leaving lights or appliances on when they’re not in use, but they still might be guilty of doing it. A way to ensure that they change is to motivate them to try doing things differently. For instance, tell them that if they cut down their electricity usage they will lower the electricity bills and maybe that extra money could be used for them to buy something they want. In this way they can see that the rewards of saving the planet can start at home in small ways.
Take it slowly
It’s too much to ask that your children become eco-friendly stars overnight, but try to teach them things regularly so that they get the hang of it as they go along and you nurture within them eco-friendly habits that will last them a lifetime.
The liveeco team
