Earth Month: How to Talk About Sustainability with Kids

Earth Month is here, and what a better time to help your little explorers learn to take care of, protect, and love their planet? Kids are naturally curious about the world around them, and teaching them about sustainability can be playful (the best way to learn!), hands-on, and filled with meaningful experiences. From the clothes they wear to their adventures, we’ll show you how you can help little ones understand sustainability in a fun, meaningful way and develop eco-friendly habits because little hands can truly make a big impact!

The word sustainability might sound like a big word for a little one to understand, but explaining it in a fun, playful way makes it click. Try saying, “Taking care of the planet is like taking care of a pet - it needs our love, our care, and sometimes a little cleanup to stay happy and healthy.” Here are some playful ways to start the conversation: 

• Let’s be Planet Protectors: Ask them, “How can we be superheroes for the Earth?”. This could be a way to talk about the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, and recycle) like turning off the lights when leaving a room, turning off the tap when you’re not using it while you’re brushing your teeth, baths vs. showers, using a reusable water bottle, or choosing clothes made from eco-friendly materials. 

• Turn it into a Game: “Play is the work of the child” and a wonderful way to teach little explorers about sustainability. Try creating a challenge and get them to count they can turn off the lights or reuse something in a day.
• Make the Earth a Friend/Pet: Like how they would take care of a pet or friend, how would they love or care for it? Some ways may be planting a tree, picking up litter, planting a garden, sorting recyclables, and composting. 

It’s not a surprise that little explorers LOVE adventures, and what a better way to turn this into a hands-on activity for learning about sustainability. Here are some fun eco-adventures to do during Earth Month: 

• Treasure Hunt:  Does your little adventurer already love collecting treasures? Take them on a walk in the forest and let them collect leaves, rocks, and flowers. Then, sit down and listen to the trees rustling, the birds chirping, and squirrels moving around. You can observe the treasures and point out how different they all are. Then, talk about how nature gives us so many cool and amazing things and how we can protect it. Take some of the treasures home and use them as loose parts or for an art project. 

• Upcycle Art Project: Turn something you might have thrown away into an art project! Here are some ideas:
• Turn fruit pouch caps into a garden by using them to create flowers and garden bugs.
• Take an old cereal box and turn it into a spaceship or car. 
• Use an outgrown t-shirt and turn it into a tote bag, superhero cape, or new clothes for dolls. 
• Sorting Game: Little explorers love to help! Teach them to recycle by sorting recyclables into bins. Make this a game by seeing who can sort the recyclable faster. Whoever wins gets a “Planet Protector” badge! For younger kids, you can make a recycle bin sensory activity where you print pictures of different items and create bins like trash, plastics, and cardboard. 

Little ones are always listening and watching their grown-ups, so making sustainable choices part of your everyday life is the best way for them to develop Earth-first habits. Here are some ways you can make greener choices everyday:

• Choose eco-friendly clothes: Chat to your little adventurers about how their clothes can be kind to the planet. Empower them by letting them know fabrics like bamboo and organic cotton aren’t just comfy and soft but are better choices for the environment. 
• Make clothes last: Show little dreamers how they can make their clothes last longer by using cold water (it uses less energy too!) and air drying. By taking care of their clothes, they can pass this down to siblings and friends. 
• Go on a zero waste mission: Brainstorm with your little dreamer about ways you can make small changes using reusable snack bags, turning old t-shirts into cleaning rags, donating old toys, repurposing boxes for crafts, using toilet paper rolls for crafts, using a reusable water bottle, and buying secondhand toys instead of new. 

Reading together is a great way to bring sustainability to life. Some books we recommend are: 

1. The Earth Book by Todd Parr
2. We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom
3. Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers
4. The Curious Garden by Peter Brown 
5. The Crayons Love Our Planet by Drew Daywalt
6. What If Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javernick
7. Don't Throw That Away by Lara Bergen
8. Nature Is An Artist by Jennifer Lavallee
9. I Hear You, Forest by Kallie George
10. We All Play by Julie Flett

This Earth Month, make it your family's mission to protect the planet and start a new green tradition. Challenge your family to make a small change every week, like a sustainable swap - like planting a garden, saying goodbye to juice boxes, or finding clothes made from eco-friendly fabrics. The best part of this? Your little dreamer will love knowing they're making a bit impact on the planet.