It’s never too early to teach your children to recycle and about the value of conserving natural resources and waste management, which also imparts responsibility.
Without proper guidance on how to conserve the environment and finite resources, kids may never make an effort to live an eco-friendly lifestyle for the better of mother earth.
How to Teach Your Children to Recycle
In today’s post, we’ll discuss how to go about helping kids to understand the importance of recycling for a greener planet.
Set a Good example
Toddlers learn primarily from what they see around them – in a monkey see monkey do style. And since they spend most of their tender age at home, parents, relatives, and siblings have the most significant influence on their kids.
The best way to influence their choices here is by leading by example.
It would be best if you did exactly as you tell them because it’s easier for them to adapt and get used to better environment-saving habits and altruism, plus conserving the environment for the sake of others.
Start early and remember that by ages 7 or 8, nurturing a child’s habits and perceptions is harder to accomplish.
Be Intentional and Practical
Teach and remind your children often why you put plastic in the recycling bin rather than the rubbish.
Demonstrate how to identify the recycling number on plastic packaging and allow them to place recyclables in the bin unaided.
Also, create a recycling point in your home and explain what it means. Choose a few bins or containers, decorate and name them with your kid for various materials – it sparks their memory.
You may also take the kids to a dumpsite to show them where all the non-biodegradable rubbish goes to help them understand why they need to recycle.
It’s the simple lessons that count and contribute to a greener planet. For example, reminding your kids not to leave the tap running while brushing their teeth will trigger their ecological sense.
Use Animation
Interactive learning sources for kids, such as anime or cartoons, enhance their learning curve and ability to grasp new skills, concepts, and knowledge.
If you want to speak to the kids in a language, they’ll understand and find it interesting. Watching animation is a great start. Kids connect with anime characters and imitate their behaviors. You can even watch it with them and emphasize specific points you’ve already told them in real life.
In many ways, kids watching animation are similar to adults watching a romantic movie – they react to good or bad choices, predict what may happen, and want to (whether consciously or subconsciously) relate to their favorite characters.
Make it Fun
Playing recycling and zero waste games can make the learning process more enjoyable.
Engage your kids in recycling or reusing wastes to DIY new toys, vases, arts, a pet feeder, etc. You may use paint, markers, crayons, or anything else that piques their interest while at it.
When other kids have come over during the weekend, try engaging them in recycling games where they separate wastes that they can recycle from those that should be disposed of. Reward those who get it right and encourage the rest by appreciating their effort.
Additionally, you can offer them rewards for reusing or recycling waste, which motivates them, especially for slightly older kids.
Recycling shouldn’t make the kids feel like it’s a drag – there are limitless possibilities for recycling household wastes that you can explore and teach them.
Ready to Start Recycling with Your Children?
Recycling is vital for many reasons that impact all children‘s futures and our beautiful planet.
About 34.7% of Americans recycle today, but we can increase that number by training future generations. It’s a simple and affordable method to protect the environment while stimulating the economy.