It may seem difficult to teach your children about the concept of recycling waste materials, but you may become an example for them so they learn faster and follow recycling practices themselves. There are several interesting and fun ways you can make them learn about recycling. Here are some of the encouraging ways you could make your kids aware of this abstract concept.
Place recycle bins in the house
It is always easy to teach kids using visual or practical ways. The same can be done in this case by making and placing some recycle bins around your house. Divide your materials in different categories like cardboard, paper or plastic. Then, make the bins while taking help from kids. Keep telling them about different materials so they know which bin would be used for which disposed material. It is okay if they make some mistakes classifying materials in the beginning. Let them decorate these bins themselves. You may provide pictures of some materials so they can stick these on the bins to separate them.
Ask children to separate items
You should not categorize disposed materials yourself. Instead, ask your kids to classify a few materials you give them. Make them feel the material and ask if they think it is plastic or paper or cardboard. They will gain knowledge about different things in this manner and would soon know how to correctly put them in the right bins.
Encourage creative green practices
You may do this by telling your children how they can put waste items to good use. Try some creative practices for this, such as make kids reuse a cardboard box to make portable drawers or make them use both sides of the paper by explaining the reuse concept. You may come up with your own ideas too.
Get them use food scrap for compost making
When your kids finish eating fruits or other foods with leftover peels, make them put these peels in a container placed outside your house. Tell them that this will help develop compost for future use in soil.
Be an example for them
Place a good example in front of your kids by using gloves to dispose of items that can spoil hands. Separate various materials in an appropriate manner and tell you kids which items to dispose of for recycling and which should not be sent for recycling. They should be explained about the reasons to do this. Being an example yourself would cultivate similar habits amongst them.
