It is both cost effective and environmentally sound to teach your kids about the importance of saving energy, and discussing the differences between non-renewable and renewable energy sources. In addition, it’s a great idea to demonstrate possible ways of cutting back on domestic energy usage and the entire family benefits.

The majority of children love learning new things and they relish the chance of being helpful around the house. Making the process of learning interactive and fun with activities and games will help them in understanding better and in recalling what they learn. Once you have explained the significance of energy saving, they will only be too happy to do their part.

Here are a few handy tips to keep in mind when encouraging your children to save on energy usage at home:

Make Them Feel Responsible

Try going through each room together and engage them in discussions on ways of saving energy. Ask them to write down a fun set of house rules for the entire family to adhere to. In the process, you can allocate specific light tasks to specific members of the family, including the youngest.

For example, the youngest kid can be asked to remind others about switching off unnecessary lights. This teaches kids on being responsible and this way they are more likely to take more interest in completing the allocated tasks. Ask your kids to point out if anybody is wasting energy – for sure they’ll love the game!

If, for instance, you personally time your own showers, why not involve them in timing theirs as well. You could make it a race to see the kid that finishes showering using the least time, and then have a prize or treat for the winner each day.

Learn/Teach Them About Energy Sources Together

As a family together, search in the internet or through an encyclopedia for answers on issues like what is energy, where does it come from, and how it is produced among other topics. Do they know about other sources of energy like coal, solar or wind power? Do the kids understand what form of energy the fridge, boiler or cooker uses? Get answers to all these questions together in a fun learning style.

Teach the kids several new energy saving tips and tricks each week, and help them in incorporating these new ideas into their normal routines in small doses.

Try Going Electricity-Free One Day Per Week

For younger kids, this could really turn out to be a great fun adventure. Make sure that you explain the reason for doing it. Jointly agree and set apart a regular time during the day when the whole family will have electricity-free entertainment. You could organize to have a night of family games with no electric gadgets or appliances. You can go outside and play games or attend some local events like festivals and fairs, or attend the theater.

Final Thoughts

Remember that it should be a learning game all through and not another new chore for your kids. Saving energy may be a challenging concept for young ones to grasp, and most kids won’t respond well to punitive leaning measures. The ultimate goal is to make them learn and appreciate energy saving at home through something they normally enjoy: having fun.