This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of This post was sponsored by the Carton Council. All opinions are my own for Fenton. All opinions are 100% mine.
Raising responsible kids is a very important task for every parent. I like to approach teachable moments by focusing on the solutions my kids can contribute to, rather than focusing on the problem. Recycling is a great example of ways to teach kids about taking care of the planet. Talking with kids about #recycling will allow them to participate in working towards a cleaner planet and teach them to be intentional about doing the right thing. To start, I chose to focus on recycling food and beverage cartons – examples (like juice, milk, and soup cartons) are easy to find around the house and items are usually small enough for them to do it themselves.
Here are my tips for how to introduce kids to important concepts like carton recycling:
Talk
Talk to your kids about the importance of recycling in saving the natural resources of our planet to create a better future for all living things. Kids are smart, they listen and learn even when we don’t say something to them. They also like cartoons so show them this video to start the conversation. Since food and beverage cartons are not included in this video, use this locator to find out if they are recyclable in your area then add that to your kid’s list of recyclables.
Play
I found that kids learn much better when the lesson is playful. You can simply start with a drawing game. Show your kids the recycling symbol and ask them to draw it. Next, you can ask them to draw an object that can be recycled like juice or milk cartons, box from cookie packaging, etc.! This is a simple and effective way to gather around the house.
Do it together
4 Leadership steps when raising somebody I’ve learned since school:
- a) Let them watch you do it
- b) Do it together side by side
- c) You watch them do it
- d) Let them do it themselves
The same flow applies here: kids have to see you do it, then invite them to go through and pick which items should go into the recycling bin. Eventually, they will start doing it themselves.
*not all communities can recycle pizza boxes, so check your local guidelines using the @recycle_cartons locator for items like pizza boxes and the importance of recycling right
Repeat
Like any vision or idea, before it will click or stick in somebody’s mind, they have to hear it 4 to 7 times, so don’t expect it to work right away. Plan on several talks or games before an actual recycling mission. Thanks to my friends from Carton Council for sponsoring this blog post and spreading such an important message!