Introducing Green, Healthy Habits To Your Kids

By Charlie Fletcher

Habits, both good and bad, tend to take root by the tender age of 9. In other words, many of the behaviors that will dominate your life have already been more or less set in stone before you reach high school.  

This puts a particular emphasis on parents as they guide their fledgling humans into the tricky business of adult life.

If you’re a parent with young kids, it’s important to approach your child-rearing developing good habits that balance both personal health and care for the Earth we all share. Here are a few suggestions for ways that you can encourage this behavior in your kids.

Help Your Children Develop a Healthy Palate

One of the best ways to combine personal care and eco-friendly activity is to help your children develop a healthy palate. It doesn’t matter if you’re teaching them about your passionate commitment to be a vegan or simply showing them how to eat a well-balanced diet, developing your children’s culinary tastes is a wonderfully empowering activity for many reasons. For instance:

• It helps them see how their food intake affects the world around them.
• It enables them to take control of their own diets and health.
• It can provide the perfect family activity via baking and cooking together.

Teaching your children thoughtful food habits is one of the best ways that you can set the tone for a healthy, green lifestyle.

Foster an Interest in Mother Nature

The modern world has been overrun with technology, and learning to live with it healthily is a struggle that will continue to plague future generations. Blue light causes issues with sleep, mental health is spiking thanks to things like social media, and smartphones create dopamine addictions in all of us.

One of the most environmentally friendly ways that you can combat this tendency towards tech is to foster a love of Mother Nature in your children. This can’t consist of simply forcing them to put on shoes and go outside for a half an hour each day. To develop a habit that truly sticks, it should clearly reflect in a child’s parents as well. 

Whether you’re naturally an avid outdoorsman or you only step outside occasionally, it’s important to make an effort to consciously head into Mother Nature with your family regularly. You can start simply by visiting a playground or going for regular walks. As a love of nature develops, you can up the ante by starting a garden or going on a family-focused camping trip. The specific action doesn’t matter so much as the fact that you’re teaching your child to consciously turn off the screens and go outside.

Teach Your Children to Live Sustainably

The specifics of living sustainably are always changing as we learn more about how our actions impact the world around us. With that said, it’s critical to teach your children the importance of a long-term investment in a sustainable mindset. 

This training should take two different forms. To begin, make your children aware of the importance of sustainable living in the first place. Then, show them how to do it themselves.

As far as teaching goes, broach subjects about the environment in a positive manner. Simply telling your child that everything is going to hell in a hand basket isn’t going to do anyone any good — and will likely cause some trauma as well. Instead, look for situations that allow you to couch sustainability in child-like terms. 

For instance, you can discuss pollution while you’re driving by pointing out that more than three out of every four commuters travel to work alone. If you do this while you’re in the car, you can point out that there are more than two people in your vehicle right at that moment, associating your own behavior with a solution to the problem.

As your child learns about the importance of sustainability, you can begin teaching them about the “3 Rs:” repair, reuse, and recycle. There are countless ways to put these into action right within your home. You can have them help you as you patch up an air duct or plug a leaky pipe. As you involve them in the activity, explain how it helps you live more sustainably.

Prioritize Green Hygiene

Finally, look for ways to combine self-care with green living habits. It doesn’t matter if you’re five years old or 50, middle-aged or a senior, everyone needs to take care of their bodies. 

Help your child learn about the importance of getting good sleep, nourishing your body, and exercising. Teach them about mental health as well. As you do so, make sure to point out earth-friendly solutions, such as eating local food, going to sleep with the sun, or spending time outside meditating each morning.

Developing Green, Healthy Habits from the Start

Whether you’re teaching self-care, spending time outside, repairing something that’s broken, or cooking as a family, there are many simple ways that you can help your children develop habits that are both good for themselves and the world that they live in. 

The critical part comes with you, the parent. Nothing can happen until you recognize the time-sensitive nature of helping your children cultivate good habits. So assess your own situation, look for areas where your child can grow, and then begin taking action today, so that the next generation can be equipped with the habitual tools they need for a better future.