12 Sustainability Activities for Children

Sustainability for kids educates them to grow into responsible global citizens capable of making informed decisions with long-term impacts in mind. By instilling these values early on, we nurture a generation mindful of environmental stewardship.

To further this goal, we present a collection of 12 engaging sustainability activities for kids. These activities are tailored to cultivate an understanding and appreciation of sustainable practices and promote a commitment to preserving our planet for future generations.

What is Sustainability for Kids?

Sustainability for kids refers to caring for the environment to ensure sufficient resources for future generations. With over 8 billion people on Earth, it involves being mindful of our actions, living carefully, and contributing to environmental preservation.

Teaching children about sustainability facilitates their understanding of the importance of these practices in maintaining a balanced and healthy planet.

Why Should Children Learn About Sustainability?

Children should learn about sustainability to enable them to understand their role in creating a more ecologically and socially just world.

This education focuses on the following key aspects:

Futures-oriented education: Sustainability education focuses on creating a more ecologically and socially just world through informed action.
Holistic understanding: It requires consideration of environmental, social, cultural, and economic systems and their interdependence.
Responsibility and diversity: Children learn to take responsibility for their actions, respect diversity, and see themselves as contributors to a peaceful, sustainable world.
Global citizenship: It promotes a commitment to addressing global issues such as the environment, development, health, peace, and human rights, shaping children into engaged global citizens.

12 Activities to Teach Your Child about Sustainability

How to teach kids about sustainability? Exploring various activities can significantly enhance children’s understanding of sustainability. One effective method to support learning is through hands-on and engaging practices.

1. Plant a Garden

Gardening provides children with an excellent opportunity to learn about sustainability for kids. It fosters an appreciation for the environment and an understanding of where their food comes from. Moreover, this activity teaches children about responsibility, patience, and problem-solving skills.

Tips for teaching kids how to garden:

Select appealing plants: Let children help decide which plants to grow. Examples include cherry tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, radishes, peas, carrots, and quick-blooming annual flowers like snapdragons, marigolds, or petunias.
Equip with appropriate tools: To make the experience enjoyable and manageable, provide children with child-size gardening tools and gloves.

Develop consistent habits: Teach children to store tools properly, dedicate 15-20 minutes once or twice a week for garden maintenance, and demonstrate tasks like weeding and watering.
Enjoy the harvest: Involve children in preparing and cooking meals using their grown produce, such as making Margherita pizza with homegrown tomatoes and basil.
Visit farms or markets: Enhance their understanding of food origins by visiting farms or farmers’ markets, deepening their appreciation for the earth and those who work to produce our food.

2. Read Books about Sustainability

Reading books helps kids learn about sustainability for kids by fostering empathy, understanding the environment, and promoting responsible actions. Here are some recommended books:

All the Water in the World by George Ella Lyon: Explores the interconnectedness of water sources and the importance of preserving them.
Count Them While You Can – A Book of Endangered Animals by Anne Bowman: This book educates about endangered species through counting verses and factual information.

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown: Tells the story of a boy who transforms a grey cityscape into a vibrant garden, promoting urban greening and community engagement.
Dear Children of the Earth by Schim Schimmel: A heartfelt letter from Mother Earth urging children to care for the planet and appreciate its beauty.

3. Recycle

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), only a fraction of municipal waste is recycled among its member countries, highlighting the need for improved recycling efforts worldwide. Therefore, young people should learn about waste management and recycling education from an early age.

Here are engaging recycling games for children:

Draw recycling containers: Help children distinguish between bins (paper, glass, plastic) by drawing and labelling them on paper.
Create toys from waste: Encourage reuse by crafting toys from materials like socks or shoe boxes, fostering creativity and understanding of material properties.
Prizes for recycling: To motivate older children, set goals for collecting recyclables like batteries or bottle caps and reward achievements.

Cartoons promoting recycling: Explore animated series on platforms like YouTube, such as Pispas or Everything’s Rosie, which educate children about the importance of recycling.
Stories about recycling: Read books such as “Michael Recycle” by Ellie Bethel and Alexandra Colombo or “Why Should I Recycle?” by Jen Green, which entertain and educate children about recycling principles.

4. Clean Up

Teaching children the importance of tidiness through engaging in games can instil lifelong habits of cleanliness and responsibility. Here is a list of games to teach kids about cleaning up:

Musical clean-up challenge: Play upbeat music and have children race to tidy up as much as possible before the music stops. When it does, they freeze until the music starts again.
Race against the clock: Set a timer for a manageable amount of time and challenge children to finish their cleaning task before the timer goes off. Adjust the time based on age and difficulty of the task.

Guess what’s cleaned: If cleaning with multiple children, have one clean while the others hide and clean up specific items. The cleaner returns and guesses what has been cleaned.
The cleaning challenge: To encourage thoughtful cleaning, assign specific ways to complete tasks, like sorting toys by colour or arranging books by size.
Pick-up sticks: Place popsicle sticks in a container, each with a cleaning task or a fun activity. Children pick a stick and complete the task or activity before moving on.

5. Conserve Energy

Conserving energy can reduce our environmental footprint and ensure a sustainable future. Here are practical activities that children can engage in to conserve energy both at home and school:

Limit electronic usage: Reduce the use of electronic devices to conserve electricity, especially during periods when they are not necessary, such as during playtime or using alternative activities like STEM projects.
Turn everything off when you aren’t in the room: Encourage children to turn off lights, TVs, computers, and other devices when leaving a room to avoid unnecessary energy consumption.

Use both sides of a piece of paper: By using both sides of each sheet, you can minimise paper usage and reduce the environmental impact of paper production and waste.
Use a reusable water bottle: Choose reusable water bottles over disposable ones to reduce plastic waste and the energy used in manufacturing single-use plastics.
Ask your teacher about classroom jobs: Assigning roles like ‘The Electrician’ and ‘IT’ in classrooms empowers students to manage energy by turning off lights and computers when not in use.

6. Conduct DIY Activities

Engaging children in do-it-yourself (DIY) projects fosters creativity and teaches them about sustainability for kids and environmental responsibility. Here are some hands-on activities to inspire and educate:

Create eco-friendly toothpaste: Make toothpaste using natural ingredients to promote sustainable oral care habits.
Make seed bombs for guerilla gardening: Teach biodiversity and environmental stewardship by creating seed bombs for guerrilla gardening.

Craft upcycled bird feeders: Repurpose household items to create bird feeders, promoting wildlife conservation awareness.
Sustainable cooking challenge: Challenge kids to cook using locally sourced ingredients to reduce carbon footprint and support local farmers.

7. Participate in Outdoor Activities

Engaging in outdoor activities offers children opportunities for physical exercise and exploration of the natural world. It promotes holistic development and fosters a deeper connection with the environment. The following outdoor ideas will suggest how you can organise this kind of activity for children:

Bamboo shapes: Use bamboo canes to create geometric shapes like triangles, squares, rectangles, and circles outdoors. Encourage children to explore these shapes using natural items found in their environment.
Natural phoneme frames: Children can construct phoneme frames using bamboo sticks filled with sand, practising forming and blending CVC words while engaging in fine motor skills and collaborative play.

Rainy day challenge: Collect rainwater using various containers and measure the amounts collected to introduce concepts of volume and measurement in a practical outdoor setting.
Water bottle bowling: Set up a bowling game using partially filled water bottles numbered 1 to 10, encouraging children to roll a ball and score points while practising counting and coordination skills.

8. Organise Environmental Storytelling Games

Environmental storytelling games offer immersive experiences, transporting participants into intricate narratives and atmospheric settings.

A Hollow Egg Hatches Eyes
- Production design: Craft over 30 puppets and statues representing forest spirits, illuminated by glowsticks and LED lights to evoke a magical ambience.
- Game mechanics: Use disease as a central conflict. Players periodically draw symptoms from a metal water bottle, reflecting the game’s antagonistic force.
- Flow structure: Divide the gameplay into 4-hour segments focused on spatial exploration. Players undertake missions led by spirit doctors, such as guiding the Box Spirit up a hill amidst challenges and distractions.
- Narrative resolution: Conclude with multiple exciting endings across varied locations, enhanced by natural elements like rain to elevate the emotional impact.

8. Organise Environmental Storytelling Games

Out of the Frost
- Premise and setup: This scenario simulates a rescue mission at an abandoned research base during a snowstorm. Participants face escalating danger from Hazard Ghosts, which induces madness and paranoia.
- Production minimalism: Emphasise character-driven horror with minimal props, highlighting the atmospheric impact of over-elaborate set designs.
- Game dynamics: Players contend with escalating supernatural threats, with deaths resulting in ghostly roles aiding survivors covertly.
- Flow management: Simplify gameplay progression with pivotal events marking narrative shifts, such as the deaths of key characters leading to a climactic rescue.
- Atmospheric intensity: Dynamic lighting and environmental cues create an immersive horror experience, heightening tension amid the encroaching blizzard.

9. Shop Locally

Shopping locally contributes positively to the environment by reducing carbon footprints associated with transportation and supporting regional economies. The local shopping trip with your kids will be enjoyable with the following tips:

Start with local specialties: Select one locally produced item that aligns with your region’s specialties. Committing to purchasing local apples throughout the year allows children to understand seasonal availability and local agricultural practices.
Explore beyond farmers’ markets: Make shopping an educational experience by visiting farms where local produce is grown or sourced. Engaging directly with producers teaches children about the origins of food and fosters appreciation for local agriculture.

Engage in food-gathering activities: Involve children in activities such as foraging for wild foods or visiting farms where they can pick their produce, encouraging them to try new foods and appreciate the effort involved in food production.
Adapt cooking to available ingredients: Emphasise cooking with seasonal and locally available ingredients. Adjust meal planning based on what’s fresh and accessible rather than following fixed recipes.
Eat seasonally: Encourage seasonal eating to align with natural food cycles and teach children about the availability and diversity of local produce throughout the year.

10. Explore Nature Virtually

Exploring nature virtually provides children with enriching experiences that simulate real-world interactions and foster appreciation for the natural world. Expand your child’s imagination about the natural world without limit with these virtual approaches:

Engage in nature photography: Encourage children to explore their surroundings through photography. Using digital cameras or smartphones, they can capture images of flora, fauna, and landscapes.
Participate in online nature experiences: Explore virtual tours and programs offered by wildlife sanctuaries, zoos, and aquariums. Attend live-streamed animal shows or enrol in virtual classes focusing on wildlife education.

Watch nature videos and documentaries: Access nature documentaries and educational videos that showcase wildlife habitats and behaviours. Platforms like National Geographic and PBS offer a variety of content suitable for children.
Experience virtual reality nature tours: Use VR technology to immerse children in simulated natural environments. Virtual reality headsets provide a unique perspective, allowing them to interact with and observe wildlife virtually.

11. Ride Bikes

Cycling offers numerous benefits for children, including improving coordination, building strength, and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Teaching a child to ride a bike involves several key steps to ensure they learn safely and confidently.

Demonstrate how a bike works: Explain the mechanics of a bike by showing each part. Spin the wheels to illustrate movement, pedal with hands to demonstrate propulsion, and engage the brakes to show stopping power.
Transition from balance bike to pedal bike: Begin with a balance bike to develop coordination and balance. Gradually introduce a pedal bike with training wheels, then remove them once confidence is gained.

Focus on braking skills: Teach braking techniques early on. Practice braking in controlled settings to ensure your child can confidently stop, especially on slopes or in emergencies.
Progress to independent starts: Guide your child in starting the bike independently. Teach them to place one foot on a pedal, push off with the other foot, and maintain momentum by pedalling.
Build confidence through encouragement: Keep the learning process positive and enjoyable. Offer praise and motivation, and incorporate fun activities like races to enhance engagement and confidence.

12. Save Water

With our water resources threatened by pollution, climate change, and increasing demand, teaching children to conserve water is crucial. By instilling these habits early, children can develop a deep appreciation for water conservation, contributing to a sustainable future.

Skip the rinse in the dishwasher: Encourage children to place dishes directly into the dishwasher without rinsing them first, saving water used for unnecessary pre-rinsing.
Use a labelled water bottle: Have children create and use a labelled water bottle in the refrigerator to avoid running the tap to get cold water each time they are thirsty.

Turn off faucets tightly: Teach children to ensure faucets are fully turned off after use to prevent water waste.
Use a bucket for washing bikes or scooters: Instead of letting the hose run continuously, instruct children to fill a bucket and use a sponge for washing bikes or scooters.
Water household plants with leftover water: Encourage children to pour leftover water from glasses into household plants rather than letting it go down the drain.

Raise Environmental Awareness with UNIS Hanoi

The Service Learning Programme at UNIS Hanoi forms a cornerstone of our educational mission, integrating deeply into curricular and co-curricular activities from Elementary through High School. This initiative fosters a sense of community responsibility and sustainability for kids by engaging them in impactful projects that address local and global challenges.

At UNIS Hanoi, environmental awareness is nurtured through structured activities aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In Elementary School, students participate in events like the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation Walk-a-thon, integrating service into their learning through units of inquiry.

Secondary School students delve deeper, aligning service projects with specific SDGs such as Life on Land (SDG 15) and Health and Well-being (SDG 8). Through experiential learning and action, such as visits to Cuc Phuong National Park and advocacy for ethnic minority communities, students actively contribute to environmental conservation and social justice, embodying our commitment to global citizenship and service.

Apply now and join a school where education goes beyond the classroom to create a positive impact locally and globally!

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UNIS Hanoi is ever-evolving, but one thing that remains is our passion to nurture and equip students to be agents of change for a better world.

12 Activities to Support Learning Sustainability for Kids