Easy Ways to Teach Kids About Saving Energy at Home

There are ways to teach your kids about saving energy at home without constantly nagging them to turn off lights or shut the front door. It’s not just about having rules and enforcing them, although that is a good idea too. It’s also about teaching your kids the principles of saving energy and instilling that in them. Here are some ideas for getting that energy-saving point across.

1. Educate your kids. Go to the local library (an eco-friendly thing to do in itself!) and borrow books and media on the subject of energy. The purpose is to show your kids where electricity and energy comes from. Knowing how energy is manufactured and what goes into its production is the first step in understanding why we need to conserve it.

2. Make it a family affair. Agree to a regular time of electricity-free entertainment together. Once or twice a week, have a family game night and break out the board games. Or go outside and play. Other ideas for electricity-free night are:

* Take a hike or walk together
* Put on puppet shows or plays for your kids, or have them put on a show for you
* Ride bikes as a family
* Attend local events such as fairs and festivals, or go to the symphony
* Literally go electricity-free for an evening. For young children, this can really be a fun adventure. Just make sure you explain why you are doing it.

3. Design an energy-efficient playroom or bedroom for your child or children. Include their input. Older kids will have a good (and educational!) time designing and implementing an energy-efficient bedroom.

4. Do energy-saving projects with your kids. Let them help with putting on weather stripping, for example, or caulking windows. Have them help you hang out laundry. Explain how this saves energy.

5. Include your kids in your energy-saving efforts. If you are timing your showers, for example, time theirs, too. Make it a race to see who finishes their shower in the least time, and have a treat or a prize for the daily winner.

6. Bikes were already mentioned above as a way for you to have family fun, but consider them as modes of transportation, too. Get the family into bikes and use them for short errands.

7. Make a game out of it. Remember playing “I Spy” as a child? Play that, only look around for energy-saving or energy-wasting items. You can play this game anywhere, and it is a great way to attune your child to look for those kinds of details.

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