How do you teach a 3 year old the importance of saving water?

Question

How do you teach a 3 year old the importance of saving water?

Answer 1

Don't scare your child about water just get water regulators in the  taps that  slow the water flow down!

what water are you talking about?

you are with him for his bath/shower etc

& if its just washing his hands the tap regulator is enough

Answer 2

My kids (4 & 7) love to watch animal planet and discovery channel. Recently they saw a show where they showed how polluted the oceans and rivers are. Now when the take a shower they are very concerned about saving the water for the whales and dolphins....it works!

Answer 3

It's either to just teach a child ways to save water, than to try and teach him or her why it's important to save water. Some ways to teach a 3 year old to conserve water:

~     When washing hands, set a number the child should count to, when the child reaches that number, the water goes off, hands go into the towel for drying. If the child can't count past a certain number, the parent should do the counting.

~     If your child is one to want to fill the bathtub to the very top, buy a waterproof marker, or waterproof tape in a bright color like red or blue, and mark a line on the side of the bathtub in your child's bathroom as a "fill line", when the water reaches the line, the water gets turned off. If you don't want a line on your tub, those little stick on bath shapes will work as well, and then you have a fun shape on the wall.

~     After using the bathroom, remind the child that one flush is all it takes to get rid of what's in the potty.

~     When you are teaching a child to brush their teeth, I always turn to the "expert" (in this case Barney) and use the following rhyme "Oh I'm brushing my teeth on top, it's so much fun I hate to stop, but while I'm brushing my teeth

and having so much fun, I never let the water run. No I never let the water run." Which basically means, turn the water on, wet your toothbrush, turn the water off, put toothpaste on your toothbrush, brush your teeth, turn the water back on to rinse your mouth out. There's another saying about brushing teeth, only I can't remember where it came from and it is "When you brush your teeth twice a day, Don't let the water get away! Turn off the tap when you brush, Don't watch it run down the drain in a rush!"

~     There's another saying, and it encourages both parents and kids to conserve water while washing a dog or a family pet. The saying again, I can't remember where it came from, but it goes like this: "Wash the dog or car till they're nice and clean, on the lawn is best it keeps it green! Make sure there's plenty of water in the tub, you don't need the hose while you scrub!" and it basically means fill a bucket with water, scrub the car or dog using the water in the bucket, then rinse with the hose, on the grass so you water the grass at the same time.

~    For laundry, it's another simple saying: "Washing clothes can waste water if there's not much dirt, Don't turn on the machine just to wash one shirt! Wait till you have enough clothes to fill the machine, then use just enough water to get them all clean." Which basically reminds the child that you can't wash just his/her favorite outfit because it wastes water and that you need to wait for more dirty clothes.

~     Another saying for the dishwasher, which reminds kids (and mom and dad too) not to run the dishwasher until it's full. It goes like this: "For the dishwasher saving water is best. Don't wash just a cup or bowl wait for all the rest. All of the dishes that everyone makes, fill it up with saucepans, glasses, and plates"

~     Another rhyme about rinsing things off, especially food items "When you rinse your veggies or even an egg, you don't need to run the water use a bowl instead! To rinse things is good because it makes them clean, but to run the tap for ages, this should never be seen."

Other than that, conserve water yourself. If your family drinks tap water, don't turn the tap on every time you want a drink, fill a pitcher and keep it in the refrigerator instead. Kids see their parents conserving water, and bottomline, they will do what they see being done by those they look up to.

Answer 4

Your child is 3.  At that age, they want to please their parents.  You could get into a big discussion about saving water, but it will probably go over their head.  I just practice what I preach.  When your child sees you do something, chances are they will follow.  Questions will eventually be asked, then you can be more specific with your answers.

Answer 5

Tell them "we don't waste water, we drink water".  You can try explaining to them the importance of it and as they get older they will come to understand but at that age it is probably best to start simple.  You can even make a game out of it. Go on a walk and take some water with you.  Ask is it okay if I drink the water and the obvious answer is yes, can you water a tree probably yes, can you dump on sidewalk answer is no, can you splash it on someone answer is no etc....

Answer 6

well you can tell them that the more water you use the less candy you get. haha

Answer 7

Show her pics of droghts and tell her that this is what happens if we do not save water!!!!

Answer 8

When you're in the washroom helping him wash his hands or brush his teeth, you could show him how to turn off the water when it's not in use. Then tell him that it's important to save water and explain why.

Use experiential and teachable moments, make it fun and applicable to their life.

Answer 9

Show them...like I save the water when I am warming up the shower, then put it on the plants or lawn. Say look, we use this water to put on the plants. Got pets? I do the same when I re-fresh their water.