Easy Recycling Games for Homeschool

Good habits can be taught to children through homeschool games, and fun learning. My favorite thing to do is come up with new games and ways to practice a habit. One of my son’s has overheard me speaking about all of the litter that I have seen laying around our city. Everywhere we look businesses, wooded area’s that are frequently driven and along our roads and interstates are covered with trash.

Many discussions have come up from the kids regarding this subject. When I was younger my parents taught me to not litter. Littering is avoidable. Earth day is coming up and instead of recycling water bottles or paying for a special trash service I decided to take another route.

Homeschool Games for Recycling

Furthermore, helping to find solutions teaches our children to not accept but to overcome. Something or somewhere can always be made better. Our motto is to leave our campsite or picnic spot better than we found it.

First, I started my teaching through everyday application. Training them to pick up trash as we leave our van. So, I carry brown paper lunch bags (which are recyclable) in the van. As we exit, any trash that has been accumulated is placed in bag to be dumped.

At home, each year on Earth Day we hold recycling games. A fun way to reinforce trash and littering for a better world. Equally important is to discuss the importance of trying to not have a generation of kids who just use and consume with no thought. In the past we have done several different themes for Earth Day. One year we planted trees, another year we watched the Disney nature movies they used to put out. When my kids were young though movies weren’t an option because they would not have sat still. Keeping the attention of three little boys’ while I dug a hole for a tree would have happened. At younger ages teaching them through books is helpful. Then choosing an activity relatable to what they learned in the book is good reinforcement for a preschooler. Good Earth Day preschool books are helpful with ideas.

In addition to other methods, one way I have been teaching my children is through games. Furthermore, homemade homeschool games that incorporate the idea that recycling is good, and helpful. Various activities coincide hand in hand with learning. Homeschool activities for kids are geared toward subjects or topics of interest.

Easy Homeschool Games

First of the homeschool games is trash points. My boys’ love this game. We take a notebook that has been used and wad up individual pieces of paper. Then we throw them all over the floor. Messy paper all over the floor of our homeschool room.

In the front of the room is a trash can. We use the trash can to make points. They can stand close, or way at the back of the room. Rules for this game are simple…get the trash where it goes. Keeping track of the points is simple. One point per piece of trash. At home, I help keep track when we practice where we put our trash.

Trash points is a traveling homeschool game that we take everywhere. The kids are good at keeping track of points. There is no reward, only points. Ongoing points that accumulate. The competition exists between us and our desire to keep what we can control litter free. Our home, our schoolroom, cars, rooms, yards, garage, shed and any other place that we can control.

For one thing, I developed this game to travel so they would be inspired to grab any trash out the truck or van as they exit. When we dine out, I was reminding way too much to throw our trash away. Trash points is one of the fun mobile homeschool games that kids’ can play by themselves or with siblings to learn good habits.

Real Life Homeschool Games

Next, we have a whiteboard game. Build a city can be used on paper and tablets too. How this game works is brainstorming a city with beauty. Sketching in homes, gardens, sheds, buildings, stores and other basic structures first.

After creating the basics we add in extra’s like cars, gardens, fountains, and many other ways that cities can be made beautiful. How the game part works is using critical thinking and science. They next can use recycled products, paper, tape, glue or whatever to create an invention. This invention or idea is to keep trash off of the streets, homes and business. Trash that can be used to make something incorporates into recycling.

Whoever comes up with the best invention is the winner. This game can be really interesting to see what kids’ come up with for solutions.

Trivia Game

Finally, Choices is a game of trivia. Using homeschool games to teach kids’ has been a fun way to explore new ways that we can help make our world better with recycling. Last year we were at the zoo. In the dolphin show was incorporated the message to recycle. Making good choices and a few changes of harmful products such as paper bags and paper straws to using in place of plastic.

For example, I use choices as a game to see what we could use in place of something. Questions that not only challenge them to recycle, but to create habits of throwing trash where it goes. Not littering.

For example, a scenario may be ” I am camping with my family. All we have for trash is plastic bags. Do we leave them at the campsite upon departure”?

In addition, scenario’s like these make kids’ think about choices and how they affect the area around them. First, choices on where we put trash and recycling products also resides on people that have higher positions to enforce laws that are in place. Second, some questions may include laws that forbid littering. Finally, Idea’s on enforcement of these laws and how they can help up all work together. Likewise, brainstorming habit training in this area prevents careless actions and assists our children to see the importance of respecting what God has handed us to care for in our neighborhoods.