Caring for the earth is an important value to share with our children. Help your family live in a greener world now and into the future with these natural eco-friendly green living ideas and parenting tips. Below is a list of 12 ways to help kids live a sustainable life.
Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.
-American Indian Proverb
Related: Kids Books That Teach Important Life Lessons
12 Ways to Help Kids Live a Sustainable Life
1. Be a Model Citizen
The most important way to help a child care for the Earth is by modeling it yourself. Children will do what they see the adults around them doing. They are little sponges that soak up how we relate to our world and mirror it back to us.
Wasteful parents are more likely to raise wasteful children. If you want your children to care about the Earth, they need to see you caring for the Earth. Your children will learn to make sustainable choices if you make sustainable choices.
2. Tread Lightly & Speak Positively
Tread Lightly
Tread lightly on the earth; take only pictures, leave only footprints. Reduce your personal impact on the environment in any and all possible ways. Please don’t litter.
Speak Positively
What you say in front of children matters. A lot! What you say about the Earth will be what your children say about the Earth. It will also be what you manifest in your life. Choose your words wisely.
3. Make Your Own Cleaning Products
Cleaning products contain chemicals and toxins that are harmful to the environment. These toxins are even more dangerous for children because they touch and taste everything. To avoid these toxins make your own cleaning products. When kids grow up knowing how to make them they will more than likely use them as adults.
4. Grow Your Own Organic Food
If it is not possible to have a garden where you live consider container gardening. You may also be able to rent a plot in your city’s community garden. If you garden your kids will garden, and likely grow up to have their own gardens.
Growing your own organic food is an easy way to cut down on toxins and fossil fuels in the environment. It also helps to reduce waste and toxic byproducts. Conventionally grown crops deposit many chemicals and toxins into our environment. Produce and other foods traveling from other regions have a negative impact on the health of our planet. And then there’s the packaging that many of these foods come in. Think about it.
- How to Plant Organic Cucumbers
- Start Organic Cumbers and Melons
- How to Plant Organic Tomatoes
- Composting
5. Shop Local & Organic
If you can’t grow your own food do your best to buy organic local seasonal produce. There are farmer’s markets and natural foods stores in most areas that carry foods grown near your city or town. Stay away from processed foods as much as possible. The food is bad for your body, while the packaging and distance it traveled to get to you is bad for our environment.
When you have to buy things first shop thrift stores, garage sales, and Craigslist. If you have to buy new, purchase items made by local artisans and companies. Make the choice to support local mom and pop shops over major corporations that could care less about your family and town.
6. Vote with Your Dollars & Sense
Vote with your dollars and common sense when you need to buy things. Support shops and companies that are doing their best to do the right thing for the environment. Do your best to buy things made in the city, state, or country you live in.
Discussing these ideas with your children when they are ready to handle such concepts is an eco-conscious parent’s basic duty. You can do your own research on the internet, or purchase this fantastic book that gives you all the necessary details to make a more informed choice. The Better World Shopping Guide: Every Dollar Makes a Difference
7. Get Outside & Connect
If we want our children to care for the Earth, they must get out and experience nature every day. It’s difficult to care about something that you have little experience with. Get outside with your children every day.
I have an ongoing series called Get Outside & Connect on my blog where I encourage everyone to get outside every day for at least 20 minutes no matter the weather. I also post a weekly outdoor activity that you can do with your children. Click on the link to learn more.
8. Go Green
Green your ride
Make your commute [whether it’s to work, school, or the grocery store] green. There are many people out there that make this choice daily. When you ride your bike more often than not, your children will more than likely do the same. See Go Green for more information.
BYOBag
Bring your own bag to any and all stores, not just the grocery store. My favorite bags are made right in the town I live in. I carry several of these Chico Bags in my car and keep one in my purse at all times!
Green to go
Use reusable water bottles, coffee cups, insulated lunch sacks, and reusable lunch containers. Stay away from plastics if you can.
My favorite reusable water bottles are also made in the town I live in. Kleen Kanteen has a vast array of sizes, lids, colors, and types of to go bottles. They even have insulated ones that keep drinks and food hot or cold for hours!
9. Reduce
Power Down Turn it Off & Unplug
Power down, turn off, and unplug electrical items in your home when you leave the house or go to sleep at night. Kids watch and imitate everything we do as adults. They look up to our example.
Use energy efficient appliances. Turn off lights when you leave rooms. Turn off the water when you are washing your hands, dishes, showering, or brushing your teeth. Only run a full dishwasher.
Reduce waste
There are many ways to reduce waste. The best way to look at it is to use less of everything as much as possible. Use BYOBags and green to go items whenever possible. Reducing waste is another reason to buy local items without packaging.
Pay attention to the waste that most people tend not to notice. For example, if you don’t need 30 paper napkins and 20 packets of ketchup, don’t take them. Give them back and say “I don’t need this many thanks.” Maybe they’ll hand out less next time.
Just say no to plastic bags and bottles. They are ruining our oceans. There are plastic gyres the size of small countries floating around out there. It matters!
Buy Less
Buy less, use less. Think in terms of priorities using needs and wants. Needs always get met, while wants need to go through a deliberation process. When you need something look for used options first whenever possible.
10. Reuse
Use green to go wear and re-usable bottles and coffee cups. Shop garage sales, thrift stores, and Craigslist. Give and accept hand me downs.
Save recyclables and DIY scraps for crafts and projects if you have an organized space to do so. If you don’t do crafts or DIY projects this is not the tip for you.
Related: How to Plant a Tree for Arbor or Earth Day
11. Recycle or Upcycle
How to Recycle
Do your best to recycle everything you can. If it’s not already a habit, make it one. Make green living fun and your children will retain it for life.
Have your children collect, take out, and sort the recyclables in your home to redeem for cash. You can allow them to buy a special treat with the money they earn or put it towards their college savings — up to you.
How to Upcycle
Keep an upcycle bin in your house filled with items that would work for upcycled crafts, games, etc.
12. Use the Power of Habit
If any of these tips seem daunting just try one thing at a time. Use the amazing power of habit to make positive lasting change second nature. Your kids will follow your example.
Boy Hugging Planet Earth Photo credit: woodleywonderworks / Foter / CC BY
Caring for the earth and making environmentally sustainable choices is an important skill to share with our children. I hope you’ve enjoyed these Earth Day green living ideas and parenting tips for Kids.
Let us always remind our children that the future of the Earth depends on the choices we make today. Start by helping them make a pledge to the Earth.
Learn more about Rhythms of Play Here!
You may also like:
- How to Plant a Tree for Arbor Day or Earth Day
- Kids Books That Teach Important Life Lessons
- DIY Calm Down Sensory Bottles 101
- Celebrate Earth Day Every Day
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I love your tips — so many that the kids can help with at any age! We try to do many of these but there’s always room for improvement 🙂 This year, we’re working on making our own cleaners.
We are nowhere near perfect when it comes to green living either Jacquie… we do our best with every moment and choice that passes. Some days are good, and some are not so good. All that matters is we are striving to be more green every day. Glad your making your own cleaning products — that has a lasting positive impact 🙂
Becoming a mother has made me very conscious about setting the right example for my kids, especially when it comes to caring for the environment. It’s easy to get lazy, but I try to remind myself that they are soaking up every move I make and will emulate it someday! Great article 🙂
Thanks, Skye 🙂
It’s amazing how much they soak up! I cringe when I see my daughter doing something I wish I never did in front of her. Thank goodness we don’t have to be perfect to be a good mother.
Fantastic post. Your tips are really very helpful in contributing towards the safety of the environment. Even small children should be taught from now to reuse the old things in their crafts and various other small things that can help them to go green so that they can continue their this habit in future. Keep sharing such awesome post that is very useful to all readers.
Thank you Ajay! I too think it is important to raise our children in this way. To make eco-conscious choices as a habit as opposed to just on Earth Day.