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The coronavirus pandemic has led to widespread quarantines and social distancing protocols across the globe. The resulting curfews, remote work, and virtual school have created a scenario in which families have found themselves spending significant amounts of time together on the homefront.
While a good portion of each day is typically spent working and attending classes, there is also plenty of downtime to be had. This presents a perfect opportunity for parents to introduce sustainable concepts to their children in the form of group activities. Here are a few ideas for sustainable family fun to help you proactively teach sustainable living while you’re spending time together at home.
Have Unplugging Sessions
One of the best ways to have a fun yet sustainable time is by introducing “unplugging sessions” to your kids. This consists of time spent away from electronics.
Turn off the television, put phones on “do not disturb,” and power down the tablets and computers. Then find fun things to do together as a family. A few ideas include:
- Playing a board game.
- Reading a book.
- Making up stories together.
The goal should be to find ways to overcome boredom and spark your children’s imaginations without the need for technology. As you do so, use the occasion to demonstrate to your kids that it’s possible to have a good time in a fun-yet-sustainable manner that doesn’t require electronics or electricity.
Prepare Food Together
Preparing food is a powerful activity that can bring people together. It’s also an excellent opportunity to teach your kids about sustainable living.
As you prepare food, invite your kids into the process. Take them shopping with you and encourage them to exercise conscious decision-making as they choose each item.
For instance, if you’re buying coffee, have them look for Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance labels that indicate the beans were sustainably grown and sourced. You could also take the time to set up and tend a garden with your children. Give them their own section to care for and talk through the process together to help them better understand where their food comes from.
Go for a Walk
Exercise is good. So is spending time outdoors. Doing both of these things as a family brings an even greater sense of positivity and purpose to the activity.
It doesn’t matter if you’re walking down the street or hiking a local mountain, going for a walk together is a powerfully sustainable activity to do as a family. It opens up the door for discussions about the beauty and preservation of nature, the importance of physical exercise, and the value of stepping away (literally) from a man-made indoor life too often dominated by technology.
If you have older kids, you can also take them on more serious hiking trails. This provides further opportunity to discuss how to protect the environment when engaging in outdoor activities, such as respecting wildlife and disposing of waste properly.
Camp in the Backyard
If you want to take the sustainable fun to even greater levels, consider camping with your kids. This doesn’t have to consist of a full-blown trip to a state park or a multi-day excursion into the wilderness, either. You can have a pleasantly fun camping trip right in your own backyard, too. All you need to do is gather up some camping essentials for your family, such as:
- A tent and bedding.
- Clothing and hygiene items (only if you’re going to leave your home).
- Food to prepare over the fire.
- Safety equipment like flashlights and a first-aid kit.
- Fun, age-appropriate activities to do around your campsite.
Camping is a great way to expose your kids to the wonders of the great outdoors. It also doubles up as a perfect opportunity to unplug and go for walks as a family — both of which are also on this list!
Challenge Your Kids to Think Differently
Finally, if you’re looking for ways to infuse sustainability with a solid dose of fun, consider spicing up basic eco-friendly activities, like reducing, reusing, and recycling. For example:
- Challenge your kids to reduce their possessions by donating three toys to charity.
- Challenge your kids to reuse items by shopping at a second-hand store instead of the mall.
- Challenge your kids to recycle something that they would have normally thrown away.
By turning these activities into challenges, you naturally encourage a sense of responsibility in your kids. From shopping secondhand to reducing and recycling items, you gently teach them to consider organic ways to live sustainably.
Finding Sustainable Fun as a Family
There are many different ways to have sustainable fun as a family. Some of them are built right into the activity itself, such as going for a walk or camping. Others require an infusion of mindfulness. By inviting your kids to thoughtfully cook with you or challenging them to reduce, reuse, and recycle, you push them to think differently.
Regardless of the specific activity, it’s important for parents to take the time to teach their kids to be sustainable. If children can see the value that comes with a sustainable lifestyle, it will help them embrace it on their own when they grow up and launch out into their own lives.
