Energy saving tips for children - FAMILIENPORTAL.NRW

How can we save energy in everyday family life?

Saving energy starts at home. Everyone can join in, everyone must join in. Because saving energy in everyday life is a family matter. There are many ways to save energy in the household.

What actually is energy?

Energy is not something your child can see or touch. The electricity comes from the socket, the heating is turned up and the gasoline for the car flows from the gas pump. But all this energy must first be elaborately produced from coal, gas, oil, wind, water, sunlight and heat. Some supplies of basic materials are in short supply. The production of energy from the basic materials, as well as the transport to bring the energy to us, also cost a lot of money.

Explain to your child in an age-appropriate way what "energy" actually is and why it should be saved:

With the war in Ukraine, we have become aware of how dependent we are on gas. Not only gas, but also oil, coal, electricity and wood are scarce resources and not infinitely available.
When energy becomes scarce, prices rise. Higher energy costs put a strain on the family budget.
Saving energy helps a lot with the important issue of climate protection: air and water also remain cleaner. This is good for the environment and slows climate change.

At a glance: Energy-saving tips in the home for the whole family

Throughout the house

In the kitchen

In the bathroom

In the living room

Outside the apartment

Learning to save energy through play

Many things can be learned more easily through play and on top of that is fun for the whole family. Here are suggestions for games you can play together with your child:

Becoming Energy Detectives: Our household appliances consume different amounts of electricity. How about a detective game to see how much electricity actually consumes which device? It goes like this: Take together your household under the magnifying glass and look for the energy guzzlers. Write down the meter reading before and after the use of a device and compare which device consumes how much.
The energy-saving game: Just switch off: An online game from "planet-schule" for to learn and check their own knowledge. Suitable for people from 9 years, but quite challenging also for higher age groups. www.planet-schule.de