Earth Day is celebrated every year in April. This yearly celebration provides an excellent opportunity to teach our younger children sustainable living practices and how to care for the environment. It is a chance to instill earth-friendly habits and actions that can grow with children.
It is never too early to start caring for the environment and our world. Sustainable living can be simplified to reach young children, building healthy habits for years to come.
Here are a few fun and educational activities that your family can incorporate into your Earth Day Celebrations:
- Plant a tree or some flowers. This is a great way to teach children about the importance of trees and plants in our environment.
- Clean up a park or waterway. Gather friends and family and plan a clean-up event for a local park, nature area, or waterway. It can be as simple as picking up litter, and it’s a great way to teach children about the importance of keeping our environment and shared areas clean.
- Make a birdhouse. Use recycled materials to create a birdhouse for your backyard. This creative and fun family activity can teach children about the importance of wildlife and their place in our shared environment.
- Create a home recycling center. If your family doesn’t already recycle, Earth Day is the perfect opportunity to begin! Learn about items that can be recycled, and spend time sorting them into a homemade recycling center. This activity can teach children the importance of recycling and reducing waste. Even very young children can get involved in the sorting process!
- Take a nature walk. Gather the family for a walk in a local park or nature trail. Encourage children to observe and appreciate the beauty of nature.
- Create an art project from recycled materials. Use recycled materials like paper, cardboard, and plastic to create art projects that inspire creativity at the same time as teaching children about the importance of reducing waste.
- Watch educational videos or movies about the environment. There are many educational videos available online that can teach children about the environment and the importance of taking care of our planet. Disney Nature offers a large library of beautifully shot movies that teach about our human connection to the other species that share our planet. Some of their films are accompanied by educational guides that will help you encourage conversation and learning beyond the movie’s run time.
Earth Day is not just a one-day event, but a reminder to take care of our planet every single day. Incorporate some of these celebratory ideas into your family traditions throughout the year.
The Family Center-La Familia has an entire Pinterest Board dedicated to Earth Friendly Arts & Crafts. You can find inspiration for a wide variety of family and earth-friendly activities there!