8 Ways To Teach Your Children To Appreciate And Care For Nature

There are many things that you’ll need to teach to your kids as they’re growing up. You may need to teach them about manners, school subjects, household chores, and anything that will help them become a better and more responsible adult in the future. Aside from those, another important lesson you’ll need to teach your kids is to care for and appreciate nature.

Educating your kids to appreciate and care for nature brings a plethora of benefits for their physical, mental, and emotional health. The more they appreciate nature, the more they’ll love spending time outside, which can boost their imagination and creativity. Exposure to nature will also stimulate their different senses, reduce their stress levels and sharpen their ability to focus or concentrate.

To reap these benefits, here are eight ways you can teach your children to appreciate and care for nature for the rest of their lives.

Let Them Play Outdoors

Allowing your children to play outdoors can teach them to appreciate nature more than gadgets and other modern technologies. As young as they are, teach them some of the famous outdoor games you used to play when you were a kid, such as playing tag, riding bikes, flying a kite, or simply running around the grass.

Whenever they feel bored indoors, allow them to go outside instead of playing with their tablets or cellphones most of the time. Their experience outdoors doesn’t need to be grand and complicated. Even as simple as running around can already make them realize that nature gives them endless possibilities and fun.

Decorate With Flowers

Aside from letting them interact outdoors, it’s also a good idea to incorporate a touch of nature into your home. If you have a flower garden in your backyard, better to let your kids pick their flowers and use them to decorate your house. If not, you may also avail of The Bouqs’ flower delivery or from other flower shops and use their flowers to boost your home’s aesthetic. While teaching them about flower arrangements, you may also introduce them to the different types of flowers. This additional knowledge will stimulate their curiosity about flowers and everything else about nature.

Look For Shapes And Symbols In The Clouds

This activity is perfect for kids who don’t have a spacious backyard available. If you have a porch, a small backyard, or a rooftop, you can set up some cushions or blankets and let your kids look up to the clouds. Then, ask them what symbols and shapes do they see above. Their answers will tell how creative and imaginative they can be. You can teach them about the different types of clouds and what each type means for the weather.

Go On Hikes

Nature walks and mountain hikes are a great way to let your kids immerse themselves outside. Since kids cannot hike as far as adults, you can take them to easier trails or bring them to nearby creeks and lakes. You can expose them to the many diverse beauties that nature has to offer. Don’t forget to ask, what they see, hear, or smell while walking past different scenic views. Lastly, let them enjoy the whole experience and stay in the moment.

Climb A Tree

Climbing a tree is a fun thing to do for kids. They are curious about what it is like to feel on top of a tree and seeing nature’s view. Every once in a while, let your kids experience; how it feels to climb trees and cling to different branches. Just make sure they only climb shorter trees to ensure their safety. For children from one to five years old, just let them examine a tree up close, touch the barks, and seek shade under the branches since they are still too small to climb trees. These activities will trigger their curious minds and urge them to learn more about nature.

Play In The Sand

Kids love playing with sand, so why not let them take out their buckets, spoons, and gloves to dig as much as they can? This activity is so simple as all they need is to fill their buckets with sand and form many shapes they can think of. It will encourage them to channel their inner creativity and just let out all the ideas they have in mind and put them into the sand. What’s more, this is also an excellent opportunity to exercise themselves physically and mentally.

Give Them A Magnifying Glass

Also, you can give your child a magnifying glass and use it to closely see bugs and insects they may find in the backyard. Who knows, this simple activity could encourage your child to love science.

Read Books About Outdoors

Aside from letting them interact with nature, it’s also ideal if you keep them informed about the things they see outdoors. You can give your kids some books about the outdoors or use nature’s elements as the characters of your story when reading their bedtime stories. Books will keep your children mentally and emotionally engaged in nature.

Takeaway

There are various ways to introduce your children to nature and teach them to care and appreciate everything it has to offer. Aside from all these tips, the best way to teach them about nature is to let them explore and not force them to do anything they’re not ready to do. You may talk to them about how much you love and appreciate nature, and eventually, they’ll do the same.