Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, yet it can be challenging to know how to approach it with young children. While early childhood is not the stage for deep scientific explanations or alarming statistics, it is the ideal time to lay a foundation of care, curiosity, and connection to the natural world. These early experiences form the roots of environmental stewardship that can last a lifetime.
 

Why Start Early Teaching Climate Change?

 
Children who spend time outdoors, exploring creeks, digging in soil, or watching ants at work, begin to see themselves as part of a living, breathing system. When educators foster this sense of belonging and wonder, they also nurture empathy for the Earth. Discussing climate change with children doesn’t mean introducing fear; it means helping children understand that nature is valuable, vulnerable, and worth protecting.
 

Keep It Grounded in Experience

 
For young children, abstract concepts are difficult to grasp. Instead, focus on direct, sensory-rich experiences that foster a connection with the land and seasonal changes.

Here are some ways to begin:

1. Explore Weather and Seasons

Create a daily weather station outdoors where children can observe the sky, wind, and temperature. Talk about what’s happening in nature and how weather patterns affect the plants and animals around them. Over time, this builds an awareness of change and cycles—important foundations for understanding climate.

2. Grow a Garden Together

Whether it’s a patch in the yard, containers on a balcony, or a community plot, gardening helps children witness how sun, rain, and soil contribute to life. Composting, planting native species, and observing pollinators can spark early conversations about sustainability.

3. Read and Reflect

Choose age-appropriate books that celebrate the natural world and gently introduce environmental challenges. Titles like “We Are Water Protectors” by Carole Lindstrom or “The Earth Book” by Todd Parr can open doors to meaningful conversations.

4. Be Honest—But Hopeful

When questions about climate change arise, answer truthfully in ways that support children’s questions and ways of knowing.  Avoid overwhelming them with many facts. Instead, focus on positive actions: planting trees, reducing waste, and protecting animals. Show how small choices can make a difference.

5. Model Sustainable Behaviours

Children learn by watching. Use reusable materials, minimize single-use plastics during outdoor experiences, and involve children in setting up recycling, repurposing or composting systems. Let them see that caring for the Earth is part of everyday life.

6. Celebrate Nature Often

Make space for seasonal celebrations—planting in spring, adopting trees for care, leaf collecting in fall, snow tracking in winter. Rituals like nature walks, sit spots, and visiting specific areas of their environments, such as adopting trees, help foster reverence for the Earth. When children love the land, they want to protect it.
 

Building Hope and Action

 
Discussing climate change in early childhood is not about transferring facts—it’s about cultivating a mindset. By inviting children to engage with nature in joyful, hands-on ways, educators can plant seeds of responsibility and resilience. Being in outdoor environments in all kinds of weather is an important space for supporting children in learning about climate change.  

Let’s raise a generation that not only understands the challenges ahead but feels empowered to care, to act, and to imagine a better future for all.

 

Check out more ideas for children to explore the world around them