6 Fun Earth Day Activities for Kids

On April 22, the global community will come together to participate in worldwide activities to celebrate our planet. It’s a perfect opportunity to get your kids involved in learning about the importance of the environment. Here are 6 fun activities to celebrate Earth Day with kids.

What Is Earth Day, and When Did It Start?

In 1970, 20 million Americans celebrated the first Earth Day, calling for more environmental awareness and protection. Gaylord Nelson, a junior senator from Wisconsin, approached and recruited Congressman Pete McCloskey, who was similarly concerned about the environment, to help students raise public awareness about air and water pollution.

Sen. Nelson subsequently recruited a young activist — Denis Hayes — to organize campus teach-ins on April 22, 1970, and together with an 85-strong nationwide staff, drew national media attention to Earth Day. The day drew individual environmental groups, Democratic and Republican politicians, labor and business leaders and a broad swath of the urban and rural public. Together, the millions of Americans who took part forced change, with the United States Environmental Protection Agency forming later the same year.

Congress subsequently passed the Clean Air Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the National Environmental Education Act — our country’s first environmentally based laws. Every year since, more people worldwide have become involved in Earth Day. Now, Earth Day mobilizes upward of a billion people globally, and you can get involved by instilling eco-friendly habits in your kids early in their young lives.

What Are Some Fun Earth Day Activities for Kids?

Before Earth Day arrives, educate your children on the importance of conserving resources and energy, protecting plant and animal species and reducing pollution to lessen the effects of climate change. In line with this education, you can involve kids in many fun and memorable activities to make a positive difference on Earth Day.

1. Create Recycled Art Projects

We produce a lot of trash in today’s world, with everything packaged in plastic or marketed to be single-use. However, you and your family can make a difference by reusing and recycling waste in creative ways. Have your children look around the house to find materials they could use for an art project. Here are some great items that can be repurposed in endless ways:

• Glass jars. Kids can paint them, put lights inside to make lanterns, use them as flower vases or fill them with dirt and leaves to make a terrarium.
• They can build structures or cut out different shapes and let their imagination run wild.
• Old clothes. You can teach older kids how to sew or use fabric glue to turn old fabric into dolls or decor.

2. Join a Neighborhood Cleanup

On Earth Day, many communities take part in the Great Global Cleanup. You may have participated in 2024 when global communities registered more than 2,000 cleanups before the end of March — all 50 states were already involved. This year, find an Earth Day cleanup near you and take your kids along to make an environmental difference by beautifying your area. Encourage them to take before-and-after photos and share them with relevant tags on social media.

3. Complete a Carbon Footprint Reduction Questionnaire

Create a carbon footprint reduction questionnaire for your children, and ask them relevant questions about how they reduce carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Referring to the earlier education you’ve given them, ask kids questions like these.

• Do you turn off the faucet while you’re brushing your teeth? Why?
• How can you cool down inside while saving energy? Why?
• Should you turn off the TV or gaming console when you’re not using it? Why?
• What are the best ways to get from one place to another and reduce your carbon footprint? Why?
• Is it better for the environment to eat at home or a restaurant? Why?
• Do you switch off the light when you’re leaving a room? Why?
• What are the healthiest foods to eat? Why?
• What is the best way to dry your clothes to save energy? Why?
• Should you unplug your charger when your phone has finished charging? Why?
• Should you buy a plastic bottle of water if you’re thirsty? Why?

While the first questions get children thinking, the “Why?” questions encourage understanding of their importance, so explain the reasoning after giving them a chance to answer.

4. Check Out Nature Books From the Library

Take your kids to the library and let them pick out nature books that interest them. When you empower children to follow their own curiosity about a subject, they’re more likely to listen and get excited about it. Maybe they love the ocean or have an interest in flowers. Have them decide what aspect of nature they want to explore and see where their passion takes them.

5. Plant a Tree or Make an Insect Garden

Planting trees and brightly flowered gardens encourages children to learn how essential plants and insects are to the environment. Point out what global warming does to insects and what our lives would be like without them. Tell them how fewer trees worldwide cause higher temperatures, affecting agriculture and the oceans. Explain specifics like the rainforests and butterfly migration.

6. Go On a Nature Walk

Enjoying nature is one of the best ways to show kids the importance of living an eco-friendly life. Go on a hike through a local trail or simply sit in your backyard and watch for birds and insects. Teach your kids about the local ecosystem and how their actions can help preserve the beautiful world around them.

Make Earth Day a Fun Learning Experience for Kids

Though you should teach your children about sustainability every day, Earth Day provides a globally visible platform to promote sustainable initiatives on an extra level through fun educational activities. Use your fortunate position to influence their young minds — they may become future leaders in sustainability endeavors to benefit our planet, its ecosystems and its inhabitants.