Teaching children about nature and our climate from a young age helps them develop a sense of responsibility and passion for the world around them.
It lays the groundwork growing children will need to understand the scientific issues, like climate change, that will affect them throughout their lives. It’s not just possible, it’s critical to engage children in thinking about our environment at every age, and that includes the challenges climate change presents our environment today.
It can be overwhelming determining how to talk to children about climate change, which is often a difficult topic of discussion for adults. Climate change is complicated and often extremely abstract, and it can be intimidating or even frightening to think about. What’s more, children at different developmental stages engage with these issues in very different ways.
That’s why we’ve developed these age-appropriate guides that provide ways to start simple discussions about environmental impacts with children. Using authentic connections and experiences with nature as a strong foundation, children can gradually build towards more complex ideas about the ways that humans and the environment affect one another.
Ready to start the conversation about climate change with your children? Wondering where to start? Choose an age range below for tips and activities appropriate for your child.