How to make recycling fun for kids

Kids learn by watching, and so the most important way to teach recycling is to set great recycling examples.  If we teach children great recycling habits, even small ones, while they are young, conservation and recycling will seem natural.  Fortunately, there are exciting and fun ways to show kids how interesting and rewarding recycling can be:

 

1. Recycled crafts are a great teaching opportunity, and kids love spending time with their favorite adults.  Creating fun gifts using recycled materials is a hands-on way to teach children that many items that they might have considered to be trash can actually be used to create neat gifts and toys. 

2. Games and contests can also be a fun way to involve kids in recycling efforts.  For example, keep track of your children’s recycling efforts by using a chart with stickers to show how many items they have recycled for the week.  The child with the most stickers could get a prize or an extra privilege. 

3. Compost can be a fantastic way for kids to learn about nature and get excited about recycling.  If you have the space, a backyard compost pile is easy to manage.  Your child will be able to help you in all aspects of composting, and will get to see the results firsthand.

4. Surf the web for online games that teach kids about recycling.  There are many educational resources that are presented in a fashion that will show children how “cool” it really is to care about the environment. 

5. Donate your unwanted items to charity, and involve your children.  This is a perfect way to help your kids understand how important it is to share, and that finding new owners for things you no longer need is a way to reduce waste.

These are only some of the ways that kids can begin to learn and enjoy recycling.  After trying some of these activities, kids will begin to love recycling and it will become a lifelong custom.