We’ve all heard of climate change. The world is heating up, and according to the United Nations, the last decade has been the hottest as the temperatures on our planet are rising. In fact, since 1980, each decade has been getting hotter than the previous one. The Arctic is getting warmer faster than the rest of the world. Wildfires are destroying forests and wildlife, and we can safely say we are in a state of emergency.
Human activity has a great impact on the looming crisis, and if we want to save our planet, we have to adapt more eco-conscious ways of living.
Children usually study about the environment in school, but is that truly enough? Didn’t we study the same in school? All those lessons about the greenhouse gases, the depleting ozone layer and global warming and here we are, decades later, still deteriorating our planet.
Many people start snoozing off, the moment they are spoken to about climate change, often because they believe by the time things really start to go downhill, they will be long gone. But what are we leaving behind for future generations to inherit? Drought? Storms and hurricanes? Heatwaves? Depleted soil? Also, it’s not like the effects have not already begun.
While we start living more consciously ourselves, it’s important we teach our children to do the same. But with kids being easily distracted, how do we ensure we teach them well about the climate crisis? We also have to ensure we don’t give them excessive eco-anxiety.
Here are a few tips for parents on how to teach their kids about climate change and crisis.
Educate yourself first
The best way to teach your child anything at all is through the modelling method. Educate yourself first on the reasons and impact of climate change. Read about what the scientists and environmentalists are doing, as well as what the responsible citizens are doing to save our planet. Before teaching your children, get completely equipped with knowledge about it. However, you can also explore certain subjects with them.
Tell them how the climate change can impact us
There are several ways climate change can impact the earth, including water crisis, more frequent natural disasters, hotter temperatures, loss of certain species, rising ocean levels, etc. Teach them about these critical effects and how human activities are often responsible for these.
Use graphic, audio-video resources
When teaching your children about climate change and crisis, it is important to use interesting visuals because that’s how they learn better. You will find several resources online, for instance, you can opt for reliable information content on the websites of the UN and NASA.
Organise activities
Arrange activities for your little one, that help them love our planet even more. Take them on nature trails, and organise a cleaning drive (if your child is old enough for it). You can even keep one theme of the month in which your child will learn all about a certain topic in sustainability.
Let them know how they can help
They should feel like they can help, in ways big or small. Help them start small, buy fewer toys, try to avoid plastic toys and opt for sustainable options. You can involve them in waste segregation, recycling projects, zero waste practices, etc. Slowly, you can make them the energy master of the house, wherein they must ensure the fans and lights are switched off if nobody is in the room.