Great Green Idea: Green Parenting: Teaching Green Life Skills to Children

Teaching Green Life Skills to Children

Teaching life skills to children can be a wonderful and rewarding experience. Coaching children about green living is just as important as learning math and English skills. There are many ways that we as parents and teachers can make a huge impact in directing the next generation.

Daily Opportunities to Inspire

Daily opportunities are available to inspire children and impart green living "thinking." Nearly every moment of the day is a "teachable" moment. Look for moments when the child is actively listening and inquiring as well as curious. Talk with your child about things that can be done to make a difference in the world. Of course, take into account the age of the child to incorporate age appropriate concepts. For younger children, your time will be more "show and tell" modeling green living skills and principles. For older children, asking open ended questions will spark creative responses within the child's thinking processes. Older children can also display actions to help the environment.

What are Green Life Skills?

Green life skills include learning about how to save the environment as well as make the world a better place. This area can include recycling, money skills, energy savings, eco-friendly products and services as well as learning about natural or organic products. Green living principles also include the use and promotion of earth friendly items. There are a wide range of topics or themes that can be focused upon with children on a daily basis.

Enjoyable Moments

Many children love to plant and water flowers. This is a wonderful time to explore with the child and explain a number of green living life skills. Teach them about plants and how they help the environment, the content of soil as well as how to improve it by adding compost. Coaching children in how to make planters with recycled materials is also a wonderful experience to share as a family. Taking a field trip to the botany shop or a flower farm will also add excitement in the learning process.

Money Skills

Another area that kids enjoy is learning about money. Money concepts are needed in everyday life. A wonderful experience visiting a local bank brings excitement to young children sparking interest in green living. Allow the child to create a wish list. Help the child to create a budget and think of ways to save money. Suggest ways that he can make a difference in an eco-friendly way.

Saving Energy

Saving energy is a daily concern in the world we live in. Children can learn on a regular basis how to help the family to save energy. Teach them how turning off lights and save water is just one simple way to learn green living. You are bringing your child one step closer to a better world!