Saving energy doesn’t have to be a chore. While children can struggle to switch off lights or power down devices, there are lots of ways you can turn energy efficiency into a fun learning opportunity.
These engaging activities not only reduce your household’s monthly bills but also empower your children to become eco-conscious individuals. Whether it’s switching off the TV, unplugging chargers, or being more mindful about energy use, small actions can help families take on more responsibility and gain a better understanding of how electricity works.
To encourage involvement and keep your children engaged with energy-efficient activities, we’ve put together a few fun ways to get your little ones involved.
Start an Energy Efficiency Patrol
To kick off your energy saving, start with an energy efficiency patrol. This is a fantastic way to teach your children about energy monitoring, introduce sustainable practices, and get them actively involved in turning off appliances.
Send out invites for the patrol to get your children excited, with a date, time, and meeting point. Arrange a route you’ll take around the house and add stickers or post-it notes to key devices (or ‘checkpoints’) along the way, giving your patrol the feeling of a treasure hunt.
At each stop, ask your children questions about the device or how they think it can help them save energy. What are smart meters, for example, and how do they monitor electricity usage? When is a good time to turn the light switches off? By opening up discussions, you encourage your children to engage, question, and learn.
Have a Fun No-Power Hour
Teach your children about what uses energy and what doesn’t with a no-power hour. During this hour, all of your electrical devices are switched off, and you and your children purposefully choose fun activities that don’t require energy, like:
● Drawing, painting, and crafting
● Teddy-bear picnics
● Building blanket forts
● Scavenger hunts in the garden
At the end of the hour, discuss how your activities helped you use less energy. Ask your children what else you could do to save electricity next time, and start drumming up excitement for your next no-power hour.
Play a Game of ‘Turn It Off’
It can be tricky to encourage your children to turn off lights and unplug devices. The solution? Turn it into a game!
Every day, play a round of ‘Turn it Off’. After shouting ‘Turn it Off’, have your children run around the house switching off (or pointing out) all the lights and devices that aren’t being used. If they manage to spot every item that needs to be turned off, they win a small prize or a sticker on their chart.
Use Your Smart Meter to Measure Results
Now that your children have the answer to what are smart meters, you can use your meter to turn energy saving into a measurable game.
Let them become the ‘Energy Detectives’ and monitor how everyday actions affect energy consumption. When boiling the kettle, switching off lights, or using appliances, encourage them to watch the smart meter and record how much energy is being used, and how it impacts the cost.
This can be mixed with other games, too, like:
● The energy guessing game: Before turning on a device, ask your child how much they think the cost on the meter will go up. Switch it on and compare!
● High vs. Low Energy Hunt: List a few household appliances, like the toaster, washing machine, and TV, and ask your child to rank them from highest to lowest energy use. Test them throughout the week as a fun experiment.
● Savings Tracker: Keep a chart and track daily energy use. Set a family goal and reward a low-usage day with something fun like extra story time or a family walk.
Energy Saving Storytime
Turn your children’s bedtime story into a chance to learn about saving energy. There are tons of brilliant children’s books focused on energy conservation and renewable energy, with lessons taught in engaging, child-friendly ways.
Here are some of our favourite children’s books about electricity, saving energy, and the planet:
● Planet Power - Stacy P. Clark
● See Inside: Future Energy - Tom Mumbray and Amy Chiu
● The Shocking Truth About Energy - Mike Goldsmith
● You Can Save the Planet - Lucy Bell
Looking for more fun, food-related activities to do with your children? From recipes to sensory food play, discover a world of activities and advice on our blog.