The Challenge of Green Kids

One of the more challenging aspects of raising green kids is talking to them about the environment. It is absolutely amazing the things that they pick up as they move through their day. And since the environment is on everyone’s lips these days, it is inevitable that they hear about our environmental concerns – global warming, animals going extinct, and toxins in our food supply.

These things worry me as an adult, so I know they are particularly scary to children who are old enough to understand but are too young to put things in proper perspective. This is especially worrisome if kids are watching the news or listening to adults who watch the news. As we all know mainstream media tends to emphasize the negative as well as blow things out of proportion because that’s what gets them the ratings.

As parents raising green kids, we want them to learn how to be good conservators of the Earth. At the same time, we want them to be kids and not worry about such serious issues until they are older. To offset the influence of the world around them, here are a few tips for talking to your green kids about the environment.

Talking to Your Green Kids about the Environment

Discuss Values

Possibly the single best thing you can do to teach your green kids about the environment is to talk them about the family’s values regarding it. Values help kids understand what is right and wrong as well as provide them with a tool they can use to make decisions. For example, talking to kids about the value of recycling will help them to choose to recycle whenever they can.

Remember, instilling values is just as much about what you do as what you say. Kids actually learn more by observing your actions than they do by listening to your words. Therefore, you want to make sure you are always living the values you are trying to teach your children.

Focus On What They Can Do

Part of the issue with green kids hearing about environmental problems is that it leaves them with the same questions we have as adults: What can I do about it? And, like adults, if kids are not able to answer this question they may feel helpless and eventually hopeless.

To prevent this, take every opportunity to tie their green activities to helping the bigger issue. If they are concerned about pollution, talk them about how reusing clothes or containers prevents unnecessary waste and cuts down on pollution. This will help them feel like they are making a difference with each positive action they take.

Listen to Their Concerns

Kids have very active imaginations and can come up with some pretty wild scenarios based on tiny tidbits they overheard or observed. Their classmate Billy didn’t put his soda can into the recycle bin. As a result, the ice at the North Pole is going to melt overnight and the polar bears and penguins are going to be homeless. Not to mention the fact that Santa Claus won’t have any place to build his toys so Christmas is going to suck this year. Yeah.

It can be tempting to laugh something like that off as the product of an overactive imagination. However, to your child, their imaginings are very real. Listen to their concerns and then do your best to reassure them that one soda can is not going to be the death of the polar bears, penguins or Christmas forever.

Talking to kids about the environment can be a challenge. What are some things you have done to teach your kids about global warming or other green issues?

Download my free social media checklist (sign up in sidebar) for a daily to do list of all the things you need to do to increase your following. For personalized help, contact me for a free consultation on the best way to market your green business online including using Twitter and other internet business tools.

(photo credit: photos8)

For more tips on raising green kids to be environmentally responsible, read the articles in my archives.