Natural Living: Easy Ways to Make Sustainability Fun for Toddlers

 

 

Sustainability is a reasonable goal for anyone, even moms with littles– but it’s also totally reasonable to want to make sustainability fun for toddlers!

 

Sustainability has been a way of life for countless nations throughout history, and families were bigger than ever (and not without littles!) Indigenous people have been navigating toddlerhood and sustainability in tandem since the beginning of humans. And people on social media (not always a valid source) are doing it every day! 

 

More importantly, we can achieve anything we put our minds to.  And that goes with our children too.

 

If we dream of sustainable toddlers… well,…I admit, it sounds a bit like an oxymoron…

 

But it turns out that kids are smarter than adults (sometimes), more adaptable than adults (often), and have better memories than adults (always).

 

It is totally possible to not only live green but to get your toddler on board too! If you want to try making sustainability fun for toddlers, let us count the (easy) ways!

 

(Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which means that, at no additional cost to you, I may receive a compensation if you click through my links and make a purchase).

 

 

Easy Ways to Make Sustainability Fun for Toddlers

 

 

 

 

1. Read Aloud About Sustainability

 

Reading is a tangible, digestible introduction to sustainability and green living. And it engages 3 senses at once (sight, hearing, touch). Bonus points if the book contains a story element to add to the entertainment factor! The best part about books is that, long after you’ve read it, your child can flip through the pages and reabsorb the message by recalling the story.

 

Not only is reading and listening a beautiful learning tool, but its a bonding activity as well. Bonding with your child over a shared topic or cause is special in itself. This can be done at such a young age that it’s really a must!

 

Read every sustainable book that fancies them (and you). My last post was a round-up of 7 Great Children’s Books About Green Living. Check it out!

 

 

2. Answer Questions…All of Them

 

 

Sometimes the littlest people have the biggest questions!

 

It’s important to keep our children informed about the decisions we are making, and why we are making them. As with all things toddler-related, simple and truthful is the best avenue. You don’t have to explain global warming to your child, but you can still explain to them why you are choosing to walk to the library instead of taking the car.

 

Answering their questions allows insight into any changes that they perceive around the house. And, it creates a basis of knowledge which you can build upon as they grow older and more aware!

 

But be careful.

 

Don’t oversimplify.

 

Making blanket statements like “plastic is bad” might be a quick fix to resolving an onslaught of questions, but it’s not exactly truthful. Using moderate terms like “we are using less plastic today” or “when it comes to receipts, we prefer to read them on Mommy’s phone instead of carrying them out of the store” is a more flexible and honest approach to sustainability. 

 

Children tend to think in very black and white terms (initially). It’s important to help them realize that sustainability is not a one-size-fits-all bandage but rather a flexible lifestyle with open-ended goals. This will help limit eco-anxiety as well as construct a well-rounded approach to sustainability in your home. After all, if its not sustainable, it’s not sustainability!

 

 

3. Keep it Positive

 

 

We don’t just want to be sustainable, we want to make sustainability fun for toddlers!

 

Chances are, it was your idea, not your toddler’s to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle. So, you have to make it a bit appealing. Or at least, you can’t make it be a negative drain on your family/relationship.

 

That means if they want candy from the store, and you say “no” because it has plastic wrappers and is made of unhealthy ingredients, turn it into a positive. “Let’s go home and bake cookies instead! No plastic and no yucky ingredients.”

 

Despite initial hesitation, most toddlers would trade the opportunity to get messy hands AND cookies over instant gratification at the store.

 

I would. 🙂

 

 

4. Encourage Recycling

 

 

Okay.

 

It’s true. The recycling system in the US is flawed.

 

However, the concept of recycling is not.

 

Recycling is one of the most accessible “areas of interest” for a child. Everything from books to videos to toys, recycling is a world that many children have access to.

 

Keep recycling bins on the ground (and letting your toddlers design the sorting signs). This allows them to be involved in the household recycling as well as reinforces the idea that they can make a difference.

 

While the US recycling system may not be perfectly sustainable in itself, the concept behind it is a gift to your child that will keep giving. When you reuse and repurpose things around your home, you can explain you are recycling. When you make packaging choices at the store, you can explain the end-of-life cycle better. 

 

Recycling makes sense, and it is physical way your child can make an immediate impact in their home environment.

 

 

 

5. Compost Together

 

 

You might already have a compost pile. (that’s great!)

 

Does your child add their own food to the compost bin?

 

Teach them what is compostable and it will be second-nature to them. Have them draw a “Compost Me” chart and put it somewhere near the compost bucket. If they are too little to sort their leftovers, consider allowing them to dump the compost bucket or rinse it with your help.

 

If you don’t have a compost pile already, would you like to try one?

 

It’s not a stinky mess (or at least, it doesn’t have to be!)  My favorite composter is the tumbler style. It keeps out pests (except bears) and is much cleaner than a large loose pile (toddlers, remember) or a worm bin (TODDLERS amiright).

 

This is the compost bin I have.

 

But I’m excited to be trying the Lomi soon and will update you on how it works with our toddlers! (The Lomi is a countertop compost system that turns waste into compost dirt in only a few hours. WHOO!)

 

 

6. Shop Secondhand

 

 

I’m talking about clothes here. 

 

Preloved kid clothing just makes sense, whether you are concerned about the planet and excess consumption or not. The amount of money it can take to furnish a wardrobe for an extremely messy person who will outgrow said item in a year… yikes! Don’t get me started on shoes….

 

But for all those who do care about the planet: purchasing all your toddler’s clothes second-hand is an impactful and simple way to make toddlerhood more sustainable.

 

Consider saying it out loud too! Chances are your toddler won’t understand that their clothes are second-hand, but they will understand sharing. Celebrate sharing and recycling clothes with your child! Sometimes the most treasured clothes in your family are the ones that you remember each child wearing at a certain age! 

 

 

7. Ditto for Books

 

 

I understand not all toys can come second-hand.

 

When your toddler is really passionate about a certain movie character in the latest Disney movie, you can’t find those things secondhand sometimes. Similarly, if you like letting your toddler choose toys themselves, chances are they spot them at random locations, not just in a yard sale.

 

But books…

 

It is incredibly easy and inexpensive to buy books used. It’s even cheaper to get them from the library. Try to purchase books for your toddler that are used or library-borrowed and you’ve tackled a big part of sustainable toddlerhood.

 

PS. Tell your toddler this. Explain the reason you borrow books from the library is so that you can share them with others without having to cut more trees to make paper for more books. Explain that preloved books are like library books that you get to keep!

 

 

8. Teach Sustainable Habits

 

 

It sounds harder than it is. Because, toddlers.

 

But teach your toddler to turn off the water in between brushing and hand-washing. The key is to narrate why this needs to happen. Books serve as a great reminder, but telling them in the moment can be even more impactful.

 

The same conversations can be had at the dinner table. Remind them to only take one napkin, not fifty. (Tell me this happens at other tables?!). Ask them to pour the rest of their dinner water in the dog’s bowl, rather than out in the sink. Allow them to point out on their plate what should be composted if they don’t finish it.

 

Model.

 

Model.

 

Model.

 

Children absorb our actions like sponges. Instead of just telling them how the family is going to be sustainable, show them. 

 

If this doesn’t sound like making sustainability fun for toddlers, try this: let them teach you sustainable habits. The next time you are doing an activity: shopping, cleaning, washing laundry– ask them if there is something you could do to save water, save trees, help the ocean etc. See what they come up with! Then supply your own answer. Chances are, they will use your answer next time!

 

For adults, a lot of sustainability comes down to choices and habits. It’s no different for children, or toddlers for that matter! They can build sustainable habits and then you won’t be reminding them to do it. That’s the real fun!

 

 

9. Watch a Nature Show

 

 

We protect what we love.

 

If your child is going to be protecting the planet or animals, they need to experience or invest in it pretty frequently. While limiting screen-time is important to a lot of families (including ours), why not make the media they do consume educational? 

 

There will be things that go over their heads, but so much of it won’t.

 

You don’t even have to show them something like Magic School Bus that is geared for kids. Show them David Attenborough. Turn on a National Geographic movie. Stream old Crocodile Hunter episodes. It doesn’t need to be a regular occurrence but if they’ve never spent their “screen time” on a nature show, try it.

 

 

10. Play Outside

 

 

We love what we know.

 

Your child will fall in love with the outdoors without you even trying!

 

Toddlers THRIVE on hands-on experience. If your toddler gets the chance to play outside, romp, collect leaves, etc, they will have a better grasp of nature and environmental terms you use. Nature will not just be interesting to them, it will be a part of them!

 

Foster their outdoor creativity with an open-ended toy, like a bucket, binoculars, or a staff. Have them play outside with a pot instead of figurines. Take them outside but not just to play on the playground with others. (Not every time but you know what I mean)

 

I don’t think it’s by accident that so many humans first memories are about something that happened outside to them. Children soak things in, and there is no experience more immersive than simply being outside. Go outdoors. Maybe instead of you taking your child outside, let them take you out!

 

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Sustainable mamas of littles…what did I miss? Leave a comment below and share how you make sustainability fun toddlers! I would love to know.