How to talk to kids about climate

As parents, caregivers and teachers, we all want what’s best for our children. But it can be hard to know how to talk to them about climate change and the future.

Climate anxiety in young people is rising, many are worried about what the climate crisis will mean for their future. As adults, we can play a key role – both in taking action ourselves – but also to help our children cope with the emotional impacts of a changing climate.

To support adults to have conversations with children they care about on climate, we hosted a webinar with We Don’t Have Time and have pulled together some key resources.

Talk to children about the climate crisis – a guide for parents and other adults

As a parent, grandparent or other adult who cares about children, you can play a key role in helping children and young people deal with knowledge about the climate crisis. Our guide contains our top tips for how you can become better at meeting young people’s questions, feelings and commitment to the climate.

You can download our guide here:

Talk to children about the climate crisis – a guide for teachers

Teachers, educators and school leaders can play a key role in ensuring climate education is being prioritized in schools, and in helping children and young people to deal with emotions and questions related to the climate crisis. Our guide provides tips for how you can become better at meeting students’ questions, feelings and involvement in climate action.

You can download our guide here:

Webinar – The big conversation

On 1st June, we brought together leading experts from education, psychology and the climate parent movement to talk about how we can support our children through a changing climate.

The webinar was hosted by Catarina Rolfsdotter-Jansson of We Don’t Have Time, with:

Frida Berry Eklund (Sweden) Founder and Senior Adviser at Our Kids’ Climate, Author of the book Talk To Children About Climate.

Nita Ganguly (India) Educator, Author, Climate Leader-Mentor and National Coordinator for Waste Management (TCRP-India)

Caroline Hickman (UK), Psychotherapist, Climate Psychology Therapist and Researcher. Caroline is a lecturer at the University of Bath in social work and climate psychology.

We discussed:

  • How can we talk to our children constructively about the climate crisis?
  • How can we help children manage climate anxiety and other expressions of concern?
  • What tools do we need as parents and teachers to support our children growing up in a changing climate?
  • What role can schools play in arming our children with the right knowledge for the future?

You can listen to a recording of the webinar below.

Other Resources

Listen to our earlier webinar on talking to children about climate with parent climate leaders from Uganda, Sweden, South Africa and the US.