Eco-friendly activities to do with kids this summer

It can be difficult to keep children entertained over the summer holidays, especially if you want to do so sustainably. But there are ways the whole family can have fun, without negatively impacting the planet, and even take action for climate.

Read on to discover our six eco-friendly activities for children this summer. 

Whether you have a garden, balcony or windowsill, there’s plenty of ways to start gardening sustainably with your children. You could plant bee-friendly flowers to encourage pollinators, insects and even butterflies to your garden – giving your children endless wildlife spotting opportunities all summer long and pride in watching their seeds start to flower.

Or consider growing your own herbs for your children to pick when it’s time to cook dinner. You can grow herbs on your windowsill – just make sure to pick a window which gets plenty of sunshine.

Your kids could create a bug hotel for the garden - you’ll not only help the decreasing insect population but kids will love the hands-on learning approach. And, depending on the size of your hotel, it might even shelter hedgehogs or toads too¹. 

Cooking and eating home-grown seasonal fruit and vegetables can help to reduce your carbon footprint – as they don’t need to be shipped from overseas or grown in an energy-intensive heated greenhouse².

Strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, spring onions, broccoli, runner beans, aubergines and beetroot are just some of the fruit and vegetables in season over the summer months³.

So why not let your children choose a fruit or vegetable as inspiration for a seasonal meal or dessert and get them involved in the preparation too – they can learn cooking skills as well as how what we eat can impact the planet. Just be sure to give your kids age-appropriate tasks and supervise them.

Arts and crafts projects allow your children to be creative and have fun, and while these projects can sometimes be wasteful, they don’t have to be.

Before throwing rubbish into your bin, check to find items that can be cleaned and reused. Set aside empty toilet paper rolls, cardboard, egg boxes and plastic containers, alongside some eco-friendly paint, tape and crayons and get creative.

For example, your kids could reuse clean plastic bottles or tin cans to create indoor bowling, make toilet roll animals or use a plastic bottle to create a bird feeder or terrarium. 

An easy way to enjoy the outdoors is to visit a local country park, many of which provide information about the park’s biodiversity, local wildlife and environment. And if your children are old enough, hiking is an exciting way to experience the outdoors, spot wildlife you can’t find in a town or city and appreciate the beauty and diversity of the UK’s landscape.

Or your family could swap car journeys for cycling and explore the local area, go to a local park or visit a beauty spot. You’ll also help to reduce your family’s contribution to carbon emissions and air pollution.  

Nature is full of various treasures for the whole family to explore. To help encourage your children to have fun outdoors, plan a scavenger hunt – it’s an exciting way for children to explore the garden by themselves or can bring added fun to a family walk.

Get your children to spot specific treasures such as brightly coloured flowers, ladybirds, a caterpillar munching on a leaf or the elusive four-leaf clover. What’s more, scavenger hunts can be a year-round activity - as the seasons change there’s always new treasures to be found.

Household and garden experiments are a great way for kids to learn about the advantages of renewable energy and sustainable living. For example, they could create a solar oven, build a self-propelled car or keep track of how much energy your family uses with a smart meter.

And if you want to know more about how you can be more sustainable at home and take action for climate, why not read one of our other blogs on sustainability:

• Seven ways to help protect the environment
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy?
• Everything you need to know about solar battery storage
• The pros and cons of air source heat pumps
• Is an electric car right for you?

^{1. RSPB: Build a bug hotel}

^{2. NY Times: Your questions about food and climate change, answered}  

^{3. Vegetarian Society: Seasonal UK grown produce} 

^{4. Commonwealth Sport: Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games creating a carbon neutral legacy}