How to get kids interested in saving energy?

Next to playing football with friends and spending an afternoon with their video games, energy saving is not likely to rank high on your kids’ list of their favourite activities. However, beginning energy-saving habits when they are young could put them on a path to lifelong energy conservation and environmental awareness, not to mention that it could be a great financial help to the family as energy prices continue to rise. Considering these benefits, it is well worth the effort to figure out how you can get your kids into saving energy.

Here are several ways to engage them:

Your kids may not know anything about energy conservation until you bring it up. And even if they have talked about it in school, they will need specific examples to be set at home in order to connect what they’ve learned with how they live. There are many kinds of tools that you can use to begin the conversation with your kids about saving energy, including videos, books, or just your own words. The most important objective is to explain that using too much electricity creates negative environmental consequences both now and for years to come.

For your really little ones, grasping the concept that flipping the light switch is important will be a sufficient challenge. However, as they grow, you can add to your energy-saving narrative by explaining that electricity prices sometimes put a strain on the family bank account. And as they enter their teens, you can even get them interested in the science of energy production by explaining the damage that burning fossil fuels does to the earth.

Reinforcing environmentally-friendly behaviours at home is the most effective way to make an impact on your kids. You can start small with acts like making sure to turn off the tap while you are brushing your teeth and turning off the lights when leaving a room. Then, gradually build to habits that save even more energy, such as using a programmable thermostat (make sure to explain to the kids how it works) and unplugging appliances that run on standby power once you are done using them.

If all else fails, you can always get your kids into the spirit of saving energy by offering them an incentive. Tell them that once you hit your goal for energy savings, you will take them out for ice cream or to the zoo. Help them remember what to do by
creating energy “scavenger hunts” in which they have to roam around the house and identify areas where energy is being wasted. Turning energy saving into a game will not only give them something entertaining to look forward to but also
encourage them to develop more energy efficiency habits on their own.

These tips are just a few ways to break the ice when it comes to talking about energy. As your family becomes more involved in energy efficiency, you’ll find it easier to approach the topic and get everyone interested.