Supporting children to understand sustainability | Bright Beginnings: Supporting Children’s Growth and Development

Definition:

Sustainability, as defined in the Early Years Learning Framework v2, is about ensuring that our children understand the importance of caring for the world today to preserve it for the future. This includes recognising the interconnectedness of people, resources, and the natural environment. Early learning settings are important in helping children build sustainable values, attitudes, and practices (Edwards, Moore, & Cutter-Mackenzie, 2012).

Why it matters:

Introducing sustainability practices to children early can foster lifelong care, respect, and responsibility for the environment and extend to other things. As Planting the Seeds of Science highlights, even young children can explore scientific concepts, such as recycling, energy use, and caring for plants, when given hands-on opportunities (Blake & Howitt, 2010). By making sustainability visible in everyday routines, adults encourage children to see themselves as active contributors to a shared world.

How you can help:

Adults support sustainability through modelling, intentional teaching, and play-based provocations. This means embedding eco-friendly practices in the home and community, such as sorting waste, saving water, or caring for gardens. The Journeys of Inquiry framework emphasises that sustainability is most potent when explored through children’s interests, such as a fascination with snails or collecting natural materials (AISWA, 2018).

Examples:

Loose Parts Recycling Station: Adults can provide recycled items (bottle tops, cardboard tubes, fabric) as play materials, showing children how objects can be reused creatively rather than thrown away.
Composting Project: Families and educators can set up a small compost bin, allowing children to contribute food scraps and observe the waste cycle becoming soil, making decomposition science visible and encouraging responsibility.

Strategies for Parents & Communities:

Model eco-friendly behaviour at home (separating waste, reducing water use).
Create small “green” family projects such as composting, worm farms, or a veggie patch.
Involve children in decision-making (“Should we recycle this?”) to build agency and responsibility.
Embed sustainability into play: using recycled loose parts, exploring nature, and noticing environmental changes.

Resources:

Planting the Seeds of Science (Blake & Howitt, 2010) – hands-on science investigations linked to sustainability.
Journeys of Inquiry (AISWA, 2018) – inquiry-based approaches to embed sustainable practices into children’s play.
ECA Learning Hub videos Embedding Sustainable Practices (2013) – practical ideas to introduce recycling, energy use, and natural materials.

References:

Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia (AISWA). (2018). Journeys of inquiry.

Blake, E., & Howitt, C. (2010). Planting the seeds of science: A flexible, integrated and engaging resource for teachers of 3 to 8 year olds (2nd ed.). AISWA.

Edwards, S., Moore, D., & Cutter-Mackenzie, A. (2012). ‘It will be a wasteland if we don’t recycle’—Sustainability and intentional teaching in early childhood. Every Child.