Today, families everywhere are faced with a daunting task: how to talk to children about climate change. This conversation may feel intimidating for a number of reasons. Defining climate change in a way for children to comprehend is challenging. Instilling a sense of climate optimism in children is another obstacle, especially when it is hard to rally this optimism within ourselves. In spite of this, the resilience of children and hope for the future of the planet make having this difficult conversation not only possible but necessary. Keep reading to learn how to get started.

A definition for climate change that young children may understand is:

Humans do things such as putting trash in the ocean, cutting down trees, and burning fossil fuels. This hurts the planet. When the planet cannot heal from the damage, it is called climate change.

A definition for climate change that older children may understand is:

Humans do things that are harmful to the planet, such as deforestation and burning fossil fuels. This harm can change the conditions of an environment, such as sea level or temperature, over long periods of time. This is climate change.

The conversation can vary based on the age of your child; older children may already have some exposure to the realities of climate change based on what they have learned in school or experienced. Younger children may have a more limited vocabulary; this is where activities and books will be important.

For younger children, starting the conversation can be as simple as reading a book. Some books you may read could include:

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge by Joanna Cole
We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom

Some children’s books will be more dense than others-scientific language and concepts may be difficult for younger children and toddlers to digest. Make sure you are choosing the correct book for your kiddo!

Hands-on activities like gardening out in nature is another way to help your family learn about climate change. Buy seeds and explain to your family that flowers grow from them. This gives your child an opportunity to see how long it takes for a plant to grow. Explain trees take even longer, years or sometimes decades. This will help your child understand that cutting down trees and plants is harmful because it takes a while for them to grow back.

Fill a large container with dirt. Scatter objects like an orange peel, a piece of paper, and a plastic zip-loc bag on the surface of the dirt. Track the decomposition of each item over time. This allows your child to understand some things-like plastic-take millions of years to break down, whereas organic matter like food only takes a few weeks. This activity promotes understanding the harms of littering and the importance of using less plastic.

Listen to music about the earth with your child. A step above nursery rhymes, songs about climate change are a catchy way to introduce the concept to young children. Check the songs linked below to get started.

Validating your child’s feelings is the most important step. Climate change can feel like a dark storm cloud constantly looming over our heads. Your family may express fear, worry, or even anger. Acknowledge these feelings as an appropriate response, but reinforce that doom is not imminent. Explain what kind of steps can be implemented in your own home to combat climate change to give your family a concrete way to create hope for the future.

Don’t shy away from questions. Especially if your child is older, you may find them coming home from school wondering about climate change. It is okay to not have all the answers. Reading and doing research together to get answers is a great way to learn and grow as a family. Make it clear no question is silly. With a topic as daunting as climate change, curiosity is natural and important to embrace.

The current generation of children will be facing the realities of climate change as they grow. Intense storms, drought, and extreme weather are all potential realities in their future. As scary as this may seem, it doesn’t have to be. Even better, teaching your family about climate change is one of the best ways to ensure the safety and healing of our planet.

Climate Talk