Thankfully there is more of a focus on saving the planet these days. This might be because we need to focus on it quite drastically. All the more reasons for us, as parents and caregivers, to show our children how they can get involved.

Here are five activities to help your kids give back to the planet:

Recycle & reuse

There are quite a few rules with recycling and how to clean the items, which is important. Sometimes, we can’t recycle items, but we can always teach our children to reuse some of these things to create art or practical items. For example, some black bags are not recyclable, but we can always use these bags to create a pinata or perhaps a paper mache project. 

Plant a tree or three

One of the most special getaways I had with my mom was to a “plant a tree” festival in South Africa. We camped over a weekend and planted as many trees as we could. We were able to name our trees, and we were told how long it would take to reforest certain areas and what this would mean for the environment. It was a wonderfully educational yet super fun weekend. I recommend teaching your child what planting a tree can mean for them, and other organisms benefit from this fun, functional, and highly needed activity.

Get one, give another

I travel often. I used to travel more pre-Covid, but I still get away quite frequently. When I started traveling a couple of decades ago, I decided not to buy too many worldly things. I created a rule – whenever I buy a pair of shorts, I have to gift one of my current pairs to someone less fortunate. I have followed this rule for many years and will implement it with the children I work with. If they receive a box of Lego designs, they should think of gifting an older design to a less fortunate child or perhaps someone in hospital undergoing medical treatment. The art of giving teaches us more than just being grateful for what we have. It helps us connect in such a celebratory manner.

Pick up three and post them

I live in a beach town, and “beach clean-ups” are often organized. There was also a Facebook group that was quite popular that encouraged people to pick three rubbish items up from the beaches and then post them on the Facebook group. Imagine if we all just picked up three pieces of rubbish every time we walked around? What a difference that could make for our beautiful planet. Perhaps your child can start a research project to show what a difference this could make and, in the process, inspire others to do similar projects?

Waste not

I am pretty lucky to have a partner that is a chef. He helps me think of ideas for leftover food and waste as little as possible. It might be wise to start a little younger than my age to teach our children how to make soups from leftover veggies or freeze berries to ensure they don’t go off. This can even lead to your child making snacks for you – a win-win situation!

To be mindful of the environment, we have to help our children be mindful. Moshi has some excellent meditation tracks that you can do with your child to ensure they are present in the moment, ready to think of the environment that they are mindfully living in. Click here to listen to Peekaboo’s Relaxing Roots. 

Karla Pretorius

A registered counselor with a MA in Psychology. Co-founder: AIMS Global & Leadership at: Augmental