Fun Ways to Teach Kids About Saving Water

Saving water is a habit children can learn from an early age. In Australia, where water availability changes with the seasons and local conditions, teaching children to use water responsibly helps them understand the value of a resource their family uses every day. Even young children can learn to recognise when water is being used and take part in simple household decisions that reduce waste.

Children also learn through play, exploration and participation. According to Australia’s Raising Children Network, games and playful activities help children develop problem-solving skills and learn to follow simple rules. Turning water conservation into an enjoyable challenge gives children opportunities to practise new responsibilities and build habits into their daily routines.

Here are some of the best ways to teach kids about saving water through fun activities you can enjoy together at home.

#1 Turn Shower Time Into a Song Challenge

If your kids love singing along to their favourite songs, why not make it part of their shower routine? Challenge them to finish washing before the song ends. Choose a song or playlist that runs for around four minutes. Play it when your child gets into the shower and encourage them to finish washing before the last song ends. Younger children might need a little help keeping up, so choose a realistic time based on their age and bathing needs. Let your child choose a different song each week to keep them interested.

A shower that uses 9 litres per minute consumes 72 litres in eight minutes. Cutting that shower to four minutes reduces consumption to 36 litres. Stay nearby to supervise younger children.

#2 Organise a Water Detective Scavenger Hunt

Give your children a new mission: become the family’s water detectives!

Walk around your home together and ask them to look for places where water could be wasted. You can give them a checklist to tick off as they investigate. Here are a few clues they can look for:

• Dripping taps in the bathroom or kitchen
• Garden hose left running when nobody is using it
• Water running while someone brushes their teeth
• Washing machine running with only a few clothes inside
• Water spilling out of plant pots while watering

Give them a detective notebook. Children can record their findings with drawings, stickers or short notes. This makes the activity feel like a real investigation while helping them recognise water waste in everyday situations.

#3 Try the Tap-Off Brushing Challenge

Place a large container under the bathroom tap and let the water run for 10 seconds at the same flow your child uses when brushing their teeth. Use a measuring jug to check how much water you’ve collected. Show your child how much water they could waste by leaving the tap running while brushing.

Next, encourage your child to brush their teeth with the tap turned off and use water only when needed. Give them a sticker or a tick on a chart each time they remember to turn off the tap without a reminder.

Plumbers at Sunshine Coast Plumbing and Hot Water share another useful reminder: “Encourage your children to check that the tap has stopped dripping after brushing their teeth. If they spot a drip, they can tell you so you can check it together. It’s another simple way to get them involved in saving water at home”.

#4 Create a Family Water-Saving Scoreboard

Create a family scoreboard and place it somewhere everyone can see. Give each person points for completing simple water-saving tasks throughout the week. Here’s an example you can use:

Let your children record their own points using stickers or coloured markers. Younger children can use pictures instead of numbers. At the end of seven days, count everyone’s points and celebrate what the family accomplished together.

#5 Try a Water-Saving Garden Experiment

If your kids enjoy science experiments, take them into the garden and show them how to water plants without wasting water. You’ll need two similar potted plants with dry soil, a watering can, a measuring jug and a tray for each pot to catch excess water.

Ask your children to guess how much water each plant needs before water begins draining from the bottom of the pot. Then try the experiment together.

1. Place each plant on a tray to catch any excess water.
2. Give your child a measuring jug filled with 500 mL of water.
3. Slowly water the first plant, adding a little water at a time.
4. Watch for water draining into the tray and stop watering.
5. Repeat with the second plant and compare how much water each one received.

Encourage your children to check the soil with their fingers before watering the plants again. If the soil still feels moist below the surface, they can wait another day before checking again.

#6 Design Water-Saving Colouring Posters

If your children enjoy drawing and colouring, turn water conservation into an art activity. Give them paper, crayons and coloured pencils to create posters that show their chosen message. They could draw someone turning off a tap, watering plants with a watering can or collecting rainwater for the garden. Help them add a short message, such as “Every Drop Counts” or “Turn Off the Tap.”

Once they’ve finished, let your children show their posters to the family and explain what their drawings mean. This gives them a chance to share what they’ve learned about saving water.

Place the posters where everyone can see them, such as near the kitchen sink, outside the bathroom or in the laundry. Their artwork can serve as a daily reminder for the whole family to use water responsibly.

Raise Your Own Water-Saving Champions

Teaching your kids to save water doesn’t have to involve complicated lessons. Give them simple responsibilities at home, encourage them to share what they’ve learned and celebrate their progress. As they build good habits, they’ll become more confident in managing their daily water use and encouraging the rest of the family to do the same.

What if your kids became the ones reminding you to save water? With a little encouragement and practice, they could soon be leading by example.