Looking for Earth day ideas for kids?
Wondering how to celebrate Earth day?
What can you do to make this Earth day count?
The answer to all these questions are there in today's post.
April 22 nd is a big day for our planet. It's Earth Day! An important day but one that is usually forgotten. But considering the situation mankind is in now, it is a day that is very important.
Pollution is in air, water and all around us and we have drifted far away from the nature. But there is still hope, as now, we are more aware of how we can reverse the unintended damage.
As a parent, my hopes are high for the future of this planet-and of our children, who are going to thrive here, after you and I have perished. They have young and impressionable minds. So today is a great opportunity to teach them about our planet- and the ways they can thrive along with it. So let's wait no longer.
53 Easy Earth day ideas for kids:
I am so excited to share with you 53 Earth friendly activities that you can enjoy with your kids on this occasion. Go ahead, read them and choose how you are going to make this Earth day count.
I promise it's going to be a great learning experience for you and your kids- and some things in your house are going to change for the better.
Growing plants and treesWhen we talk about nature, plants and trees are the first things that come to our mind. No doubt, these green heroes are an indispensable part of nature, without which our lives are simply impossible.
Having your own small vegetable garden in the terrace or involving your child in planting a tree can be a rewarding experience. If you haven't started already, do not miss the chance on this Earth Day. Here are a few activities you can do with your kids to introduce them to the wonders of greenery.
#1. Start a terrace gardenLet them sow seeds in your balcony and wait for them to sprout. You can start with very simple seeds like fenugreek or leafy greens. If possible, take your child to plant a tree sapling.
Let them water your terrace garden if you already have one.
Gather the neighborhood kids and let them water the trees in nearby park. It is summer time and the trees are surely thirsty.
#3. Identify plants by their leaves
Ask your kid to identify plants and trees by their leaves. Not only is it learning experience, even your three year old will love the challenge.
If you already have a garden, let your little one do the harvesting today- be it flowers, vegetables or leafy greens.
#5. Get some indoor plants
No space for a balcony garden? Then it's time to improve your home décor with indoor plants.
Purify your indoor air with a spider plant or get yourself a lucky bamboo. Or maybe you want to grow an aloe vera on your sunny window sill?
Whatever it is, time to head to the nearest plant nursery.
Have some fun with wordsBooks, stories and puzzles are received very well by kids. Here are a few ways to connect them with Earth day.
#6. Buy them a Go Green book
The first green book I got for my three year old was "Scruffy teddy grows flowers". You can get an age appropriate book to read with your little one.
Kids love to imitate story book characters. What better way to teach them about the little ways to make Earth a better place?
#7. Puzzles, puzzles and puzzles
Make a word search grid puzzle with words hidden horizontally, vertically and diagonally. The words have to be related to Earth, of course- pollution, green, eco-friendly, organic, composting, recycling and so on. Let them have fun finding the words.
Don't miss the chance to discuss the meaning with them.
#8. Tell storiesThis is something that they will love. Tell them stories about eco friendly living, trees, nature or going out in the rain.
Which kid doesn't love new and interesting stories?
Pack your bags, go outThere is so much fun out there in nature, and we seem to have almost forgotten that.
Today, it's not going to be shopping at the mall or a long drive in your car. You are going to give your child a very unique experience and he is going to ask for it again and again.
Presenting to you some wonderful outdoor activities to make this Earth day extra special.
#9. Plan a picnicGo to a picnic spot that is still untouched by pollution. Switch off your electronic gadgets and have the time of your life.
#10. Take them trekking/ hikingGo for a small hike or trek nearby. A kid who falls in love with trekking will fall in love with nature.
Bath in a river or a water fall.
Having grown up near the river Cauvery, my dad would take me for a river bath at least once in a week. But times have changed and we've moved to the city. Now the only thing my son gets to see is the swimming pool.
Let your child experience bathing in the natural awesomeness of a river or a waterfall. And remember, this is bathing without wasting a single drop of water!!!
How about a cycle ride today?
Let your child ride his own cycle or fix a baby seat on your bicycle. Burn some calories as your child is getting excited about this eco-friendly ride.
Go bird watching.
Do birds visit your garden or balcony? Then you are lucky.
If not, take your child to a place where birds come flocking. Don't forget to take your binoculars, if you own one.
Teach them about car-pooling and conserving fuel. Share your ride today with a neighbor's family. Also consider using public transport such as train or buses.
Changes in your homeCharity begins at home.
Little changes that you make at home can go a long way in making your family eco-friendly. We are the biggest inspiration for our kids. That's why it makes sense to set them the right example.
The future Earth belongs to these children. So make them capable of taking care of it from today.
Now start looking around your house. Make the changes I've listed below and become that cool parent who thinks beyond the mundane.
This summer, buy a mud pot to quench your thirst with cool drinking water. Drinking water from mud pot is lot healthier for your child's throat than drinking from the fridge.
Did you know that wrapping your stainless steel container with a wet cloth can make the water cool? Try it, and your kids will no longer head to the fridge, this summer.
#16. Switch to traditional Indian cereals, pulses, vegetables and oilsAgriculture is the backbone of Indian economy. Our soil is best suited for traditional cultivation of pulses, cereals and vegetables like rice, wheat, spinach, mustard leaves, coconuts, ground nuts, bajra, ragi, jowar etc.
With time our food habits have made a shift to imported oils, cereals and vegetables like olive oil, oats, quinoa, broccoli, avocado etc.The traditional farming system gets affected and the farmers face the financial burden.
Let's support them, Indian economy and our earth by adopting traditionally grown produces for our children and family.
#17. Conserve electricity
Encourage your child to switch off lights and fans when not in use. Let them switch off the TV when they are not watching. This is summer time and we can possibly have lesser power cuts if more families start following this.
#18. Carry cloth bags while going shopping
Going shopping? Ask your child to bring her own bag to the shop. You take one too. Teach your little one to say no to plastics. I am sure she will inspire more people to follow her path.
#19. Look for alternatives for staying cool
Is the air conditioner the only way to keep your family cool this summer? Think again.
Give your children a nice bath before they sleep. Dress them in light cotton clothes. Let them sleep on a breathable bedding.
In the evening, pour water on the terrace just above your top roof, so that it remains cool during the night. At night, open your windows to nature.
#20. Make cleaning and personal care products yourselfMake simple DIY personal care and cleaning products with your child. Explain to them why these products are better for us and the environment than chemical filled commercial products.
One DIY that you can make along with your child is this all-purpose citrus vinegar cleaner. In fact, you can let him/her mop the house, without worrying about the chemicals in cleaning products.
Ask them to identify incandescent light bulbs in your house. Replace these with CFLs and let them know what difference it makes to earth. They will bring down your electricity bills too!
#22. Switch to rechargeable batteries
Ask your child to identify battery operated toys that they use, and buy them rechargeable ones. Let them see how many harmful batteries they are keeping out of the landfills.
#23. Use reusable strawsDo your kids like to drink from straws? Replace disposable plastic straws with a reusable, stainless steel one.
Reusable straws are not just better for the environment, but are much better for your kid's health than chemical leaching plastics.
#24. Use reusable products
Ask them to think of more one time use products at home. Find out how to replace them with cost saving and healthier, reusable options.
From paper tissues to cloth rags, or disposables to cloth diapers - make one change at a time and show your children how you can make all the difference.
Up cycling? Are you hearing this for the first time? Let me clarify.
Up cycling is making use of old goods or waste materials to produce something totally new and often, beautiful. It will be used for different purpose than the original product. It is different from reusing, which is just reusing a product for similar purpose as it was originally intended.
It is different from recycling, which involves breaking down a used product into raw materials, which will then be used to make other products.
An example of up cycling is converting old water bottles into garden pots. So yes, up cycling is the trend of the decade. Let's catch up with the trend, now.
#26. Up cycle craftsFor you craft loving moms- Make crafts with items lying around unused in your house. eg: Earth day special diy.
Tell them why it's awesome to keep things away from trash. You can even make craft items with coconut shells.
Look for fun ways to use up vegetable scraps and fruit peels? Feed them to cows, make vegetable stock for soups or try out recipes that use orange peels or water melon rinds. When I told my son I made gravy with those water melon rinds, he wanted to taste it right away!
Make vegetable dyes with your child using natural vegetable peels like beetroot or purple cabbage. I use these colors for homemade play dough. But don't we know how much kids love to play with colors?
Let them decide how to play with these colors they made themselves.
Let them dig out old carton boxes, decorate them, paint them and use them to store toys.
Yes, you can up cycle your own unused dresses- and turn them into dress for your kids. Ask your child to pick his old and worn out dresses. Up cycle them into hair bands, dresses for their dolls, a quilt or a quiet book.
Let them find stuffs lying unused around your home. Ask them to suggest new ways to make use of them. There you go - entertainment for days to come.
Ask them to find paper that is one side unused on one side and make a rough notebook for them. Let them draw, doodle or use them in their own innovative ways.
Water conservationWater- anyone who can live without it? Raise your hands, now. I am sure no hands were raised. Water is the elixir of life. But is becoming a scarce resource. In theory, we all know it should be conserved. There are some very determined steps we can take on this very special day. Set some water rules in your house today, and your smart little child is going to point out next time someone wastes water at home.
#33. Use the RO waste water
Are you using a reverse osmosis filter to purify your water? Time to start collecting the waste water. They can used to mop the floor, wash the vessels or water the plants.
My child loves to play in water. He knows it's not a good idea to waste water. So he makes use of the RO waste water to play and cook his pretend dishes.
#34. Rain water harvesting
Discuss with them how to collect and use rain water. They'll eagerly wait for the rainy day to execute your little plans.
#35. Change the way you brushAsk them to fill a mug of water while brushing. They'll save a lot of water by not keeping the tap open. Let them find out more ways to save water.
#36. Find and fix those leaky tapsAsk them to find any leaky taps in your house. Take steps to get them fixed. Let them know it can save lot more water than they imagine.
Group activities (Brainstorming)Want to walk the extra mile?
Way to go, you eco-conscious parent. Invite your child's friends- be it neighbors or friends from school. Put forward these topics and let each of them tell you what they know. They are going to love sharing their knowledge and learning new stuff from friends.
You can still discuss these topics with your own child if you are not able to gather a group.
#37. Ask them about birds and animals contributeAsk them how birds and animals help us and the environment. Don't forget the honey bees- Nature's tiny pollinators. They can explain it through a small skit.
#38. Ask how they would conserve water
Ask their own ideas about ways to conserve water
#39. Talk about aquatic life
The magic of lives that thrive underwater. Isn't it a thrilling world indeed? Tell them all about it.
#40. Nature related paintings and drawings
Let their artistic skills unfold.
Ask them to draw anything they feel about nature. Don't miss the chance to discuss their drawing with the bunch of friends. They can have an art show after that.
Isn't sun an amazing thing? Look at the myriad ways it helps us- from providing light and warmth to helping with photosynthesis, our kids need to understand the value of this Vitamin D synthesizer. Let them tell you the many ways we are benefited by this star.
#42. Talk about the extinct species
Tell your children about the animals and birds that have become extinct from the Earth. Talk about the ones on verge of extinction too.
Tell them the role they played in the environment and why it is important to conserve the ones that are still around.
#43. Pancha bhootaDid they know what is Pancha bhoota- the five elements of nature? Talk to them about the famous five- Air, Water, Fire, Earth and Sky and how each are vital for our existence.
#44. Role of trees and plants
In what ways do trees and plants help us? A classic question that deserves discussion. Find out what your child knows and add to his knowledge.
Now let's discuss a few more group activities for older kids.
#45. Talk about environmentalists
Ask your school going children to research about famous environmentalists and their work.
Did you know there are child environmentalists like P. Sahitya, a student encouraging composting and solid waste management? I didn't know until I was researching Google for this blog. My guess is that they will be a great inspiration for our own children.
#46. Raise awareness on sources of energy
Talk about renewable and non renewable sources of energy. Get practical. Discuss with them about each energy source we use at home- be it solar energy, petrol or LPG gas.
#47. Story behind Earth dayDoes anybody know the history of the Earth day? When and how it started? If they don't know, tell them about the origins of this very important day. Be ready with some Earth day trivia and facts.
DIYHere's a fun DIY project that you've probably done yourself in school.
#48. Make a solar ovenMake a solar oven from a pizza box or a shoe box. They can really use it to reheat a piece of pizza or make a simple treat.
It's not going to replace your kitchen oven, but will surely be a fun learning experience for kids. All you need is to ask the Google how!
Eco friendly livingHere are a few final tips for eco-friendly living.
#49. Raise awareness about sustainable materialsAsk them to identify the material each household item is made of- plastic, wood, paper, steel, cotton, glass etc. Talk to them which ones are sustainable and which are not.
Show them how our smart ancestors used banana leaves and banana stem fiber in the place of disposable plates and ropes.
My grandmom always used coconut shells in the place of cups. Indeed, she was a big inspiration to many.
Start composting your kitchen waste into organic manure for your garden. My three year old loves to do composting with me. I am sure your child will love it too.
#52. No wastage ruleEncourage your child to not waste food. Let them only serve how much they will eat.
Keep a bowl of water for the sparrows and birds. Your kid will love to help them out this summer.
There you go. I've consolidated 53 great ways in which you can celebrate Earth day with kids. These earth day activities will surely delight your kids.
You may wonder how you and your child can make a difference. Well, a thousand mile walk starts with a first step. Take the first step today, along with your child. Help them protect their own planet for the years to come.
Let us know how you liked these earth day ideas and activities for kids. Tell us how you celebrated Earth day this year.
Happy Earth day to all you awesome parents and kids. Together, we will protect the planet.
