Teaching Kids to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
On April 22nd we celebrate Earth Day and what a great time to teach your kids about the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Keep reading for ideas on how to reduce, reuse, and recycle with your family. Plus, at the end we give three fun activities for you to try!
Reduce
Reduce means to minimize the amount of waste we create
An easy way to reduce is by using a reusable water bottle and/or lunch box. This is such an easy way to minimize plastic bottle and bag waste; plus you can make it fun by letting each kid pick out their own fun water bottle/lunch box to use!
Some kids LOVE coloring/drawing and can go through 20 pieces of paper (or more) in one sitting. Teaching them about reducing by coloring/writing on both sides of the paper or using a Water Activity Pad is such a simple way kiddos can cut down on waste.
Our kids (and us) sometimes have eyes bigger than our bellies; when serving up food, talk about only putting on our plates what we know we can eat, thereby reducing food waste.
Turning off the lights reduces your electricity use (and the bill!). Just like reminding the kiddos not to waste water while they are brushing their teeth or washing their hands.
2. Reuse
Reuse refers to using items more than once
We all have clothes and toys sitting around in our houses unused. How about getting those items reused by donating them to a charity or local thrift store? This can be a great activity to get the kiddos involved in by encouraging them to get rid of things they no longer use/need. Not only does it teach them about reusing but it also teaches them about spreading kindness by sharing with kids in need!
Another great way to reuse items is by bringing and using reusable grocery bags to the store. If you are one of those parents/caregivers that takes your children shopping they can help with the reusable bags and maybe even carry one of their own!
3. Recycle
Recycle means putting a product to a new use instead of throwing it away.
Often when we think of recycling it’s just remembering to put recyclables in the correct can and that’s as far as it goes. But what about recycling things before we put them in the trash can? Presumed household trash like paper towel rolls, newspaper, water bottles, shoe boxes, etc. are great items for craft projects. Give your kiddos some of these items and see what they can create! Bird feeders from milk cartons, sock puppets from (you guessed it) old socks, broken crayons made into candles, and so much more. If you need some more imaginative ideas check out our Pinterest!
Bonus Activities
Grocery Store Learning
The grocery store is a great place to learn about the three R’s. For older kids you can have them complete a Waste Reduction Scavenger Hunt. Have them find 3-5 items that yield too much waste and then find 3-5 items that minimize waste! For examples of this activity check out this link.
For younger children take some time at the grocery store to search for and find products with packaging that can be recycled versus products with packaging that can’t.
Zero Waste Challenge
How about trying a one week zero waste challenge with your family? Here are some ideas to make this happen!
Let your kids come up with ways that they can minimize waste.
Consider biking or walking to school (or work) in nice weather.
Make sure lights and water are turned off when not in use.
Pack waste-free lunches.
When shopping try to buy foods and products with less packaging.
Recycle and reuse as much as possible.
Compost
Challenge everyone to follow the waste-free rules for a week. You can decide on a reward for the entire family if the week is a success, like a fun hike or excursion.
When the week is up, reflect on how easy or difficult the changes were, and encourage one another to maintain your new habits.
Recycling Field Trip
This activity takes more effort from parents/caregivers but it’s definitely worth it. Spend a day or two setting aside trash for the children to sort. Have them sort recyclable vs non recyclable waste and then take the recyclable waste on a trip to the recycling center (oh and don’t forget to bring the kids too 😅). Some recycling centers will even pay you for your used cans and bottles! Make sure to look up centers in your area to see what they accept.
These are some ideas and activities we found for teaching kids about Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Do you have any other ideas? Dm us on Instagram, we’d love to hear about them!
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