5 Fun Ways To Teach Young Kids About Climate Change (No, Actually Fun!)

But the earlier we begin instilling an eco-friendly mindset in our kids, the easier it gets. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the behavioral examples1 we set and the conversations we have with toddlers do make a meaningful impact on their future. And when it comes to teaching them about environmental issues—which are very big, complex, and can at times sound scary—you might be surprised at how simple and empowering those first few lessons can be. Here are five fun ways to set your toddler up for a future of planet-loving habits:

Storytime with your toddler is the perfect place to start. You'll be introducing real-life concepts about where and how we get our food in clear and easy terms they can understand and see in pictures. How Do Apples Grow? by Jill McDonald from her Hello, World! nonfiction series about science and nature for little ones is an excellent addition to your toddler's library.

Stories like these can help teach kids that people, like farmers who grow our food, are also doing a lot to take care of our planet and keep it as strong as possible. So, when they're ready to learn more about the particulars of climate change, they already understand that farmers like the Stewarts are part of a team that will help save the planet.

All you need is a large plastic bin, basic potting soil, pots, shovels, and toy veggies. For an added arts-and-crafts activity, break out the paints and markers to create critters and bugs out of smooth pebbles and pollinators like bees and butterflies out of construction paper. They'll love getting their hands dirty while learning that the soil is how we get healthy food.

You can do the same thing at the grocery store, showing your toddler that you're picking organic products with the USDA Organic seal. Once they've got the concept down pat, you can start mentioning how regenerative farming is a really cool kind of organic!

All you'll need for this is a large jar, shaving cream, gel food coloring or washable watercolors, and pipettes or droppers. In a small cup, mix the food coloring with some water. Take your jar and fill it with non-colored water until it is about ¾ full. Spray your shaving cream on top until it is just above the jar and get the kids to use a dropper to squirt colored water on top of the shaving cream cloud a few times. Soon enough, your cloud will be raining!