Early Childhood Sustainability Education

Education for Sustainability (EfS) is an educational approach for developing students, schools, and communities with the moralities and morale to take action for sustainability at personal or community levels and at a global scale, in the present and the future. This time, our focus is on early childhood education for sustainability.

Grooming a child on how to be conscious and take care of their environment is vital in building a sustainable environment. Children are becoming disconnected from nature and the majority are not gaining a foundational ethic of care toward the environment. Many do not understand the need for keeping a clean and healthy environment. Most children have the freedom to play and sometimes engage in mischief. Parents, caregivers, and adults need to place a watchful, caring eye on their activities.

A publication by UNICEF shows that over eight hundred million children are highly exposed to heatwaves and another one billion are exposed to low air quality. Our young ones need to understand that the negative changes in our environment also affect them. They should be enlightened on why and how we all must curb these changes. We also must recognize that children ought to start contributing to sustainability at a very early stage. Their carefree state of mind, willingness to learn and enthusiasm are advantages we can harness.

How do we attract the attention of kids at such a young age to expose them to the need for sustainability?

for more on this article, you can check out our blog https://www.reesafrica.org/early-childhood-sustainability-education/

Author: Paula Ulor

Photo: First Discoverers