5 Little Ways To Encourage Your Kids To Appreciate Nature

By: Pradeep

Being one with nature has a multitude of benefits to children. Apart from the great bonding experience that you can have with them, they’re also given the opportunity to be physically active, inhale the fresh air, and declutter their busy minds whenever they’re outside and appreciating nature.

As parents, you should take the initiative to introduce them to Mother Nature. Encouraging and teaching them how to care for the environment is a crucial step in making them more aware of their responsibilities as human beings. Starting them young is the best way to go, but even when they’re already a bit older, it’s still not too late to stimulate your kids’ awareness and appreciation for nature.

How to Encourage Your Kids to Appreciate Nature?

It might be challenging to impose on your kids, especially if they’ve been raised to stay still and play on their smartphones or watch TV all day long. What you need to do is to gradually transform their daily habits and introduce nature little by little. 

Here are some ways that you can do so:

• Be a Nature Lover Worth Emulating:

Teaching kids to be nature lovers can’t happen overnight. They need someone to serve as their guide or a model so they’ll know what to do and how to do it. Show them how to appreciate nature by letting them see that you’re also doing it yourself. Kids are very good observers, and they often follow suit with almost anything that they see in adults.

• Introduce Children to Plants at Home:

Plants are the most noticeable components of nature. Introducing your kids to plants that you have at home can be a good start in encouraging them to appreciate nature. You can make it more fun and exciting by making up games that’ll stimulate their learning ability. 

For example, introduce them to different flower species by asking them to research online about them. The Bouqs website can be a good start if you want them to be familiar with different flowers and bouquets. The vibrant colors and arrangements will surely entice them to learn more about fresh blooms and how they can instantly make any space brighter and more colorful.

• Teach Basic Gardening:

Since you already have plants at home, it’s a good idea to involve the kids in taking care of that flora and fauna, as well. Basic gardening skills will be most helpful to children, and they’re also a good way to teach them how to care for nature. 

For starters, you can give them small responsibilities, such as watering the plants, digging the soil for cultivation, and picking flowers and fruits or vegetables when they’re ready to be harvested.

• Go For a Family Nature Trip:

Nature-tripping as a family will also be a good approach if you want to get your kids to enjoy nature as you do. You can organize different outdoor activities where they can appreciate nature even more. Some activities that you can try are hiking, camping, and stargazing. You’ll be able to instill survival skills in your kids, and these activities are also a good chance to bond with them and spend valuable time together.

Outdoor activities are also a good way to keep them occupied during school vacations. Summer breaks, in particular, are perfect for camping and being one with nature because of the good weather. You can also take them to outdoor museums and galleries that showcase nature, such as bird sanctuaries and forest parks.

• Educate them about Preserving Mother Earth:

More than appreciating nature as it is, it’s important that children also know how they can help in preserving Mother Earth. Make them truly understand that protecting nature starts within themselves and that they can help through the simplest and most little ways they can.

Particularly, you can educate them about:

• Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling:

Teach your kids to minimize their waste. Conserving natural resources is possible by reusing and recycling things, such as their old books and notebooks.

• Volunteering:

When they’re old enough, they can volunteer in different activities in the community, such as cleanup drives.

• Conserving Water:

Educate them on how conserving water can help in preserving Mother Earth. Simple steps like showering with less water can be a great start.

There are so many things that you can teach your kids when it comes to preserving Mother Earth. Instilling such values in their mind while they’re still young is a good technique if you want them to grow as nature-loving persons.

Takeaways:

Kids are always open to explore and experience new things. As their parents, it’s up to you to encourage them to try activities that’ll help them grow and develop as nature-loving persons.

You can try these little ways above if you want to encourage them to appreciate everything around them, particularly their environment.

Source: https://www.beingtheparent.com/5-little-ways-to-encourage-your-kids-to-appreciate-nature/

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