Ways to Teach Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle to Kids

Preserving our environment is no more a choice, it is a necessity. Our environment is facing a serious threat due to the increasing population, pollution, and misuse of technology. Therefore, it is imperative to educate our future generation about the various ways to maintain and save the environment. One way of protecting our environment can be by observing the three ‘R’s’ namely Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

Your kid may not realise that the everyday household trash doesn’t just magically disappear but often gets dumped on a landfill polluting our environment. You can help your kid understand the impact his actions are likely to have on the environment and motivate him to cut down his contribution to the household trash. Parents following eco-friendly practices at home can not only make their kids understand the concept of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle but may also encourage their kids to adopt and apply it to their everyday life.

What does the Terms ‘Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle’ Mean?

Making our kids aware of the importance and advantages of reducing, reuse, and recycle may be a positive step towards saving our environment. But how do you formulate the concept of reduce, reuse, and recycle for kids by simpler means so that kids can grasp the sense of these terms properly? To put it plainly: reduce the quantity of waste you generate, reuse things by employing creative ways, & recycle the used thing to convert them into other products.

Kids may be taught to understand the value of things and not indulge in wastage of any kinds. Kids need to know the difference between need and want. They should be taught to switch off the lights during the daytime when simply drawing away the curtains can flood the room with ample light. You should teach them to close the running tap while brushing their teeth. All these things which may seem of trivial importance should be explained to them right from the start. Similarly, kids may be encouraged to reuse empty containers, old clothes, toys, or paper in innovative ways instead of discarding them. Kids may also be coaxed to recycle paper, plastic, tins, carboards to create new products from them.

Why Do You need to Teach Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle to Kids?

Our environment is degrading at a rapid pace. By educating our kids about the simple yet essential notion of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle in a manner that it may become a way of life for them we can significantly improve the health of our planet. If kids learn to reduce the consumption of the valuable natural resources, if they start reusing things and restrict wastage, or take to recycling trash, they can make a substantial contribution in revamping the state of fast depleting natural resources and controlling the amount of pollution produced.

Teaching Children to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

Teaching your kid to reduce, reuse and recycle by setting an example is probably the best way to help him understand and inculcate these principles. You should first begin at home extending later to involve the community, country, and the world. Involving your kid in household efforts may inspire him to make the right choices when he grows up. There can be many fun ways to teach kids reduce, reuse, and recycle. Here is a list of some interesting reduce reuse recycle activities for kids:

Tips for How to Reduce

Some helpful tips to reduce can be:

• Ask your kid to serve himself only the needed portion of food to avoid throwing away any leftovers.

• Guide your kid to utilise the whole paper for writing and drawing purpose instead of wasting the paper by writing just a few lines.

• Persuade him to buy products in bulk like breakfast cereal and detergent to reduce the amount of packaging.

• Convince him to opt for reusable shopping bags in place of paper or plastic ones.

• Teach him to refrain from using bottled water and products that come wrapped in styrofoam.

• Inculcate the habit of growing vegetables and fruits at home in your child to reduce grocery shopping from the store.

• Choose durable products that may not require frequent replacements.

Tips for How to Reuse

Few useful tips on how to reuse can be:

• Challenge your kid to think of inventive ways to reuse discarded packing and empty containers.

• Propose fun DIY craft projects to transform cardboard boxes, kitchen roll tubes, egg trays into useful items like planters, pen holders by using some imagination.

• Select containers that can be refilled.

• Prompt your kid to use broken bits of crayons to make pretty candles to gift someone.

• Try and repair appliances, fix products whenever possible, mend clothes to use available resources again instead of buying new things.

• Make efficient use of paper by printing on both sides.
  
  
  

Tips for How to Recycle

Certain tips on how to recycle can be:

• Influence your kid to separate household trash into recyclable and non-recyclable bins.

• In case your city has a recycling centre you can visit it along with your kid to make him aware of different recyclable items.

• Encourage your kid to take part in recycling drives organised by schools or local authorities.

• If possible enrol your kid in recycling programs which may motivate him to practise recycling in the day to day functioning.

• Find out about retailers who accept castoff products like cans, batteries, empty bottles and involve your kid in the whole exercise.

• You can also create a composite pit in your backyard to dispose of the household trash.

• Ask your kid to find out ways to recycle cardboard boxes, old newspapers, tins, and renovate them into something useful.

• Coax your kid to plant trees. You can also embrace grasscycling by leaving the grass cuttings after clipping the lawn to mix with the soil and enrich it.

Teaching Children to Rebuy

Children may be taught to buy recycled things in the following ways:

• Teach your child to buy products that are manufactured from recycled supplies instead of hazardous materials.

• Ask him to shop for clothes and other items from thrift and consignment stores.

Parents need to know that it is never too late to begin training their kids to reduce, reuse, and recycle. By adopting conservation practices at home your kids can help secure a cleaner and brighter future tomorrow. So, teach him to practice reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Also Read: Waste Material Craft Ideas for Kids