Environmental Issues for Kids

Although global environmental issues are considered to be one of the important subjects in the world today, it doesn’t mean that only adults get to speak about them. Part of encouraging children to learn about the world is also making them aware of what’s going on in the condition of our environment, such as for example, global climate change. Here are some tips on how you can teach environmental problems for kids:

Teach the children first about the ecosystem and the normal processes happening in the environment such as the water cycle. It would be nice if they already know about these natural processes at school. If they have adequate knowledge about these, it would be easier for you to talk about environmental ramification for kids.

Engage them in conversations that are relatable to them such as asking a child if he wonders why it rains or how come flooding happens in some areas. Flooding is one of the major environmental issues considered to be effects of climate change.

You may read environmental issues articles and ask children about what you learned. Be sure to only include those that they already know about and use terms that they can understand.

You may also let them read those environmental issues articles if you think these are easy for their eyes and for their understanding. Although some kids may still prefer to read books, many others choose to participate in activities that are highly stimulating such as watching movies. There are animated movies and other kid-friendly movies that you can watch with the kids to increase their knowledge about the environment.

Good topics on environmental implications for kids are usually the ones that they are able to observe in their everyday lives. Take for example, the air pollution. Teach them about air pollution and how it affects the environment after a day out in a busy city where traffic and pollution is apparent.

Have the kids participate in small, creative, and fun activities related to global environmental issues such as planting trees, preparing trash cans with the right labels for segregation, and recycling materials.

More topics on environmental issues for kids also include caring for animals. Bring them to a zoo or a pet shop or introduce the kids to wild animals through watching documentary films together.

When there’s breaking news on the TV or radio about natural disasters happening in certain places and the kids are starting to ask questions, answer them with an adequate explanation on how these effects of climate change take place.

Use of dioramas, pictures and cards also help in giving them visualizations of the nature climate change and other environmental issues for kids.

Aside from making them aware of the climate change effects, teach them also the causes of climate change such as deforestation. A child’s mind is a good soil for cultivating social and environmental awareness and helping them become aware of the effects of climate change or current environmental issues is a good step in developing their sense of responsibility.