Practice daily acts of conservation.
Plant the idea of environmental stewardship in your children all year – not only on Earth Day – by making little changes in your daily life.
Possible recipients
Your family, home, community, environment, and the earth.
What you’ll need
A willingness to make small changes in your everyday life
Computer with Internet access
Supplies vary based on the activities you choose.
Instructions
Our daily routines take a toll on the planet. It can be fascinating to show children how even their smallest activities add up to a significant impact.
Take the plastic reduction challenge. DGT's quick and easy plastic reduction challenge will send you on a hunt for the single-use plastics you rely on in your home. Once you find them, brainstorm replacement options together.
Measure your carbon footprint. This kid-friendly calculator from the World Wildlife Federation makes it clear how your family’s choices impact the environment.
Adopt a new sustainable habit. This list of 50 ways to help the planet is full of easy-to-tackle changes in your everyday routine.
Consider going zero(ish) waste. If you're feeling ambitious, take this fun (and surprisingly doable!) month-long zero-waste challenge, listing one small change your family can make each day.
Create posters. If desired, use art materials to create fun, colorful reminders — pictures, signs — to help family members keep up their new habits.
Reflections
What good things are we already doing in our day to help the earth?
What simple changes can our family make to take even better care of our planet?
Why is it important to be good about recycling? composting? turning off the lights? taking shorter showers? turning off the water while brushing our teeth?
Why is it sometimes hard to make even small changes like these?
Resources
The Story of Stuff is an ingenious 20-minute film about where things come from, where they end up, and the social and environmental implications.
365 Ways to Live Green for Kids: Saving the Environment at Home, School, or at Play–Every Day! by Sheri Amsel
Simple ideas for how kids can protect the earth.
Take it further
Celebrate Earth Day by attending (or organizing) a community festival, planting trees, picking up litter, organizing a letter-writing or fundraising walk for environmental causes, or doing some activity that helps make a difference for our planet.
Disclaimer: Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.