The ice caps are melting, the seasons are changing, and the oceans are warming and rising.
In 1970, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson established Earth Day, a day for us to take stock of the impact our behavior has on the planet.
Earth Day is now celebrated annually on 22nd April. It’s an opportunity to raise awareness of the environmental movement and focus our attention on how we can take better care of the globe.
In schools, Earth Day is a great opportunity to teach children about the importance of caring for the planet, as well as the negative effects if we fail to do so.
If you are marking Earth Day with your class, we’ve got some great ideas and activities for you to try with your preschoolers below.
1. Nature Scavenger Hunt
Why not take your class outdoors for a nature scavenger hunt?
Create a list of common items they can find in a park or near the school – a pinecone, a feather, a smooth rock, and so on.
This activity not only sharpens their observational skills but also encourages them to appreciate the beauty of nature.
2. Seed Planting
Earth Day can be an opportunity to introduce children to the basics of gardening by letting them plant seeds.
For this springtime activity, provide them with small pots, soil, and seeds of easy-to-grow plants like sunflowers or beans.
They’ll be amazed to watch their plants grow over time, teaching them patience and the importance of nurturing.
3. Earth Day Artwork
Teach your class about the animals that have been most affected by our actions and get them to draw pictures of them.
You can display their creative pictures of sea turtles, polar bears, elephants, and more on the wall afterward.
4. Recycled Craft Projects
Teach children about recycling by organizing craft projects that make use of old materials.
Old cereal boxes can be turned into buildings, while discarded buttons and beads can become beautiful jewelry.
This activity demonstrates the importance of reusing and repurposing.
5. Storytime With Earth Day Themes
Read books related to Earth Day and the environment to your class.
Titles like “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss or “The Earth Book” by Todd Parr offer captivating stories that also impart valuable lessons about caring for the planet.
6. Clean-Up Day
Organize a mini clean-up day in your community or schoolyard.
Equip the children with gloves and bags and supervise them as they pick up litter.
This activity gives them hands-on experience in taking care of their environment.
You may even find they encourage the adults around them to pick up litter as a pleasant side effect.
7. Nature Crafts
Encourage creativity by supplying the kids with natural materials like leaves, twigs, and flowers.
They can create their own Earth Day artwork or collages using these items.
This helps them recognize and appreciate the different textures, colors, and shapes in nature.
8. Water Play And Conservation
Set up a water play station and talk to your preschoolers about the importance of water.
As they play, discuss simple water conservation methods like turning off the tap when not in use.
It’s a fun way to introduce them to the concept of resource conservation.
9. Earth Day Songs And Dance
There are many Earth Day-themed songs available online.
Play some of these songs and let the children dance and sing along.
If you’re all feeling extra creative, you could even make up your own.
Through music and movement, they can internalize messages about loving and protecting our planet.
10. Earth Day Puzzles And Games
Simple puzzles or board games themed around Earth Day can be a fun and engaging way for children to learn about the environment.
For instance, a puzzle that has pieces representing various elements of nature – like trees, animals, and oceans – can spark discussions about the importance of each piece in our ecosystem.
11. “What Can Be Recycled?” Sorting Activity
As humans, we recognize the importance of recycling, but it doesn’t always make it easy. Knowing what you can and can’t recycle can be a minefield.
This task sets children up to learn about recycling from an early age, and they can even go home and educate their families on it.
For this activity, collect a variety of items, some recyclable and some not.
Allow the children to sort them into different bins labeled ‘Recycle’, ‘Trash’, and ‘Compost’.
This hands-on activity helps them understand the importance of sorting waste correctly.
12. Create A Worm Farm
Building a simple worm farm using clear containers, soil, and worms can be an exciting project.
This not only teaches kids about the lifecycle of worms but also emphasizes the importance of decomposition and the role of small creatures in our ecosystem.
13. Nature Walk And Discussion
Take the children on a nature walk around your local area. As you walk, discuss the different plants and animals you encounter.
Talk about their roles in the environment and why it’s important to protect them.
14. DIY Bird Feeders
Using pinecones, bird seed, and peanut butter, let the children create their own bird feeders.
You could also use other bird-safe recycled materials.
Hang the children’s finished feeders outside the classroom and watch as birds come to feed.
This provides an excellent opportunity to discuss local bird species and the significance of animals in our environment – and how we can help to look after them.
15. Earth Day Role Play
Set up a play area where kids can role-play different Earth Day scenarios, such as being a park ranger, a gardener, or an environmental scientist.
This can help them understand various ways in which people work to protect the environment.
16. Create Earth Day Badges
Provide craft materials for your class to design and create their own Earth Day badges.
They can wear these proudly, signifying their commitment to taking care of the planet.
17. Educational Videos
There are numerous short educational videos tailored for preschoolers that discuss Earth Day and environmental conservation.
Watching one or two of these can provide a visual and auditory learning experience.
18. Discussion On Reducing Plastic Waste
Talk to the children about the importance of reducing plastic waste.
Demonstrate how to use cloth bags instead of plastic ones, and discuss the negative effects of too much plastic in our environment.
Ask the children for their ideas on how we can use less plastic.
19. Make Nature Bracelets
Using masking tape, wrap a piece around each child’s wrist, sticky side out. As you take a walk or explore a garden, they can stick small leaves, flowers, or twigs to their bracelets.
It’s a fun way for them to collect and appreciate nature’s treasures.
20. Endangered Animals Puzzles
Talk to your preschoolers about animals that are endangered, and then give them puzzles featuring these animals.
21. Paper Plate Earth
Provide each child with a paper plate and have them paint it like a globe.
22. Seed Bombs
Children will love getting involved in making and using DIY seed bombs.
Making them is suitably messy, which the kids will also enjoy.
23. Earth Day Baking
If you have the facilities at your school, you can do some Earth Day-themed baking with your preschoolers.
Bake blue and green cookies and cupcakes that look like mini globes.
Or you can decorate cupcakes with your favorite endangered animals.
Prepare or print out a simple spot the difference where one image contains litter and the other doesn’t.
Ask the children to identify all the differences between the two pictures.
25. Creative Crowns
Provide each child with a green, grassy crown made from paper and ask them to decorate it with pictures and paintings of colorful flowers and cute little bugs.
26. Building Blocks
Using building blocks, ask your class to build beautiful, flowering gardens together.
27. DIY Recycling Puzzles
In the weeks leading up to Earth Day, save some of your cardboard recycling to turn it into puzzles.
Cereal boxes and other cardboard packaging can be cut up into easy shapes to make a puzzle, which your class then has to put back together.
28. Salt Dough Hangings
Using salt dough, help your class to make earth-shaped hangings. Add a hole at the top so they can be displayed later.
Don’t forget to print their names on the back so you know who’s whose when they’re dry.
Once dry, they can paint them with blues and greens, and they can be hung up around the class.
You can also use salt dough to make Earth Day jewelry instead.
In Summary
Earth Day is an ideal opportunity to teach preschoolers about the environment and how we, as humans, can take better care of it.
You can teach them all about recycling, endangered animals, and the beauty of nature.
Arming children with knowledge on how to care for the earth better from an early age sets them up for future success as the next generation.
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