Recycling should be a family affair but to kids, especially young ones, it can seem super complicated. Which recyclables go in which bin, which stuff is actually recyclable vs. trash, and which items can be reused or donated before you recycle.
How to help:
- First crank up a dialogue with the kids – talk about recycling objectives for the home. They may not get all of it in one sitting, but eventually small conversations start to add up in their thirsty little brains.
- Make a poster – set up a handy poster with visuals of typical items your home uses – i.e. cans, glass jars, paper, and so on. Have the kids help with this project. You can search old magazines for images to use on your poster.
- Label your bins – once you have your home recycling center set up, make sure to label to bins with text for older kids and pictures for younger kids.
- Make it meaningful – plan a trip to your local recycling plant so your kids can see their actions in well, action.
- Make sure they understand reuse vs. recycling. For example, their old toys and book would go into a reuse/donate bin but an old used up piece of art paper should be recycled.
Are you involving your kids in the recycling process?