Preserving creation

“It’s time to do good!” This year’s motto is especially important for our children. This time the question is: How can we teach our children that we are responsible for the creation?

God gave us the task of using and preserving His creation. Every day, we are surrounded by countless wonders that we perceive to varying degrees depending on the situation.

Our shared amazement at God’s creation is the foundation that enables us to recognise our responsibility towards God’s creation and to actively assume it. We can learn to marvel again from our children.

Little by little, we can introduce our children to live responsibly in God’s creation and to care for it.

• First, we need time to discover, observe, and marvel. While we look at the starry sky together with our children, for example, or observe a snail or enjoy an apple with all our senses, we can teach them about the importance of God’s creation and make them sensitive to its sustainable use.

• Children are naturally observant. If we act in an environmentally conscious way and, for example, recycle, save energy, and treat nature with care, and then take the time to explain our actions and decisions to our children, they will be more inclined to follow our example.

• Children need practical examples where they can take actions themselves. By sowing a plant, caring for it, and harvesting its fruits, they can develop a sense of how to treat nature with respect. A single bean planted on the windowsill is enough to start with. Joint activities such as collecting rubbish with the neighbourhood can also help children along on this way.

• As we make choices for our everyday lives, such as avoiding plastic waste or saving water, we can explain to our children in simple terms what we are doing. They see that there are conscious decisions behind our actions. Gradually, we can transfer more and more responsibility to the children, such as separating trash, recycling, or caring for plants.

• All this requires that we notice our children’s responsible decisions or expressions and praise them for their efforts. It takes a lot of patience and continuity to teach children how to treat creation responsibly. By praising God’s wonders in creation in our everyday lives and constantly working to fulfil our mission, we can help our children to live in this creation in a conscious, grateful, and respectful way.

Photo: Narin Sapaisarn – stock.adobe.com

About the author

Maraike Finnern is a teacher and school counsellor at a primary school in Hamburg, Germany. She heads the Working Group Children and Teaching for the Regional Church of Northern and Eastern Germany.