25 Free Virtual Earth Day Activities For Kids In 2024

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Earth Day is April 22nd and there are so many fun virtual Earth Day activities your kids can participate in this year!

Not only will they have a great time learning about the natural environment, but they’ll also learn all about environmental topics, such as the importance of taking care of our planet.

Here are some online Earth Day activities to get your kids engaged and excited about spending time with nature, even from the comfort of their own home.

25 Free Virtual Earth Day Activities For Kids In 2024

The free ideas you’ll find on this list are a great way to inspire kids of all ages to get involved in preserving our planet.

Take An Online Nature Tour

April tends to be such a teasing month. You’ll either get perfect weather to do a hands-on activity, or the rain is pouring down and your young kids are inside again.

The best way to enjoy a day inside is by exploring nature, zoos, parks, forests, and other places that Mother Nature shows off on the internet!

Here are some great national parks you can tour online.

Each website has their own facts about endangered animals. And these virtual tours might have preplanned virtual events that you can take part in:

– Yellowstone National Park

– Kenai Fjords National Park

– Bryce Canyon National Park

– Zion National Park

– Yosemite

– Death Valley

– Redwood National Forest

– Gateway Arch

– Niagara Falls

– Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

– Mount Everest

– Cinque Terre

Go On A Virtual Photo Scavenger Hunt

Get together virtually with friends, cousins, or other kids and share photos of various things in your neighborhood with each other.

Here’s a list of items that represent the earth, such as:

– Squirrel
– Recycling bin
– Flower
– Insect
– Footprint
– Tree

Once everyone has finished taking their photos, share them on a group chat, in a Dropbox file, or on social media and vote for the best ones!

The one thing I love about this digital poster game is you can create a safe learning space for young people online that gives them a chance to connect with their peers.

Recycling Facility

Learn all about recyclable materials and renewable energy with this kid-friendly virtual tour.

My children loved watching this video. They loved seeing how recyclables are sorted, cleaned, and eventually turned into new products!

Your children will learn all about the recycling process in action and the different ways their choices can make a big difference.

Earth Day Bingo

Who doesn’t love a good game of bingo? These bingo cards are free to grab online, and your children will have a blast playing this Earth Day-themed game!

You can make it a learning experience by discussing each item on the bingo card and how it relates to taking care of our planet.

This is an easy and fun way to engage children in conversations about the environment while also having some family fun!

Virtually Tour A Famous Zoo

My kids love seeing all the animals at the zoo (and I love the days they do Homeschool Week, so we can save more on our ticket costs).

But if you’re not wanting to wait for special days to save money, here are a list of zoos that stream live cameras on their animals for all the virtual field trips your younger kids want to take.

Sometimes the cameras are live and other times you’ll get a video segment. It just depends on the time of day and the sleep habits of the animals.

You might find tigers, otters, penguins, or other animals for a close up encounter:

– San Antonio Zoo

– Shenshuping Gengda Panda Center in China’s Wolong Valley

– Alaska Zoo

– Monterey Bay Aquarium

– Seattle Zoo

– Aquarium of the Pacific

– Baltimore National Aquarium

– Singapore Zoo

– Donyo Lodge Wildlife Kenya, Africa 

– Houston Zoo

– San Diego Zoo

This or That – Earth Day Edition

Children love talking about their favorite things, so why not have a fun and practice decision making on Earth Day.

Have your child share their favorite things by giving them two options and ask which they prefer.

Here are some Earth Day This or That interactive game questions you can ask:

– Walking or driving?
– Ran or sunshine?
– Inside or outside?
– Rainforest or jungle?
– New York City or the country?
– Hiking or looking at clouds?
– Camping or hotel?
– Aquarium or zoo?
– Fruit garden or vegetable garden?
– Garden or tree house?
– Bugs or birds?
– Walking or running?
– Paper cups or plastic bottles?
– Mother earth or planet earth?

Recycle Roundup

National Geographic has such a fun game to help children learn the importance of recycling.

Young students can help what my kids called “Big Foot in a cape” make his park clean! My littles had an easier time playing this game on the desktop, but mobile works too if you have the patience.

Free Earth Day Coloring Pages

You’ll find 5 volumes (nearly 50 different pages) of Earth Day coloring sheets that’re perfect for elementary students.

Depending on their level of interest and how comfortable they feel, they can color the planet Earth, trees, an electric car, families on a picnic together, and more.

Earth Day Word Search

I have one son who hates word searches, but for some reason he loves these pages.

Instead of wasting a pile of paper cluttering your home, your child can play this word search game.

A word of warning though…I had to disable my ad blocker before Primary Games allowed me to access their Earth Day games.

It wasn’t a terrible experience. Just a quick 5 second video before my child could play their virtual games.

My biggest worry is my preschooler or kindergartener clicking on one of the ads and being taken off the website.

Earth Day Drag & Drop Puzzle

There are so many online games and puzzles available for your child. This simple puzzle is a picture of the three arrow recycle label circling the earth.

If you allow your child to play this game you’ll have the option to select the following levels (and puzzle pieces):

– Easy: 9 pieces
– Medium: 16 pieces
– Hard: 25 pieces

My children had an easier time playing this drag and drop game on the desktop, rather than my phone, where they could use the mouse.

National Geographic Games Presents – Plant it Green!

If you played Sims as a kid and absolutely loved it, then you’ll love introducing your kid to Plant it Green.

This game has your kids building homes, shops, and turn the city into an eco-friendly city.

They’ll be able to keep track of their eco home value, build parks, and unlock new levels to build homes and businesses.

Older students will enjoy making their city a better place far more than younger students would.

Twin The Bin Game

Your child can select a boy or girl character to collect organic material, such as banana peels, apple cores, and watermelons.

You’ll want to play this game on your desktop because you’ll need your arrow keys to collect the items falling from the sky.

Your child will also go through different levels to collect recycle glass, and learn about other items they can and cannot recycle.

Baby Hazel’s Earth Day

Not going to lie on this one, I really wanted to like it because everything was pink and my girls LOVE pink.

But Baby Hazel was difficult. There was a lot of text, which was overwhelming for new readers, and the buttons in the game didn’t always work.

You’ll want to play Baby Hazel’s Earth Day at your own risk.

Junk Monster

This cute game teaches kids about the different bins there are for recycling (cans, bottles, and paper to be precise).

The goal is to clear out all the junk before the time runs out. The more junk you clear out, the more points you get.

There’s a little dragon who does a wonderful job at making a mess everywhere. My older kids loved dragging all the items with the mouse to the bins, but my younger kids had a harder time with the time limit.

Recycle It Maze

Your child can use the mouse or arrows on the keyboard to guide the red ball from Start to Finish through the maze.

This is a very simple game. A fair warning though, the maze is timed, so if you have a child who feels a lot of pressure to perform in such a short time (2-3 minutes), then this maze isn’t for them.

Take A Nature Walk

If weather permits, take a nature walk in your community or backyard with your child. Talk about the different plants, animals, and insects you see.

Make it fun by playing a game of “I spy” or creating a scavenger hunt for your child to find specific items like leaves, rocks, and flowers.

Teach them about the science behind climate change, environmental issues, what a carbon footprint is, and the difference between natural resources and man-made items.

Celebrate Digital Cleanup Day

Just like we’re celebrating taking care of the Earth physically, you can teach your children the importance of taking care of themselves digitally.

Digital Cleanup Day is a day to declutter and organize your online presence and cut back on digital pollution. This is celebrated on March 16th, where Earth Day is April 22nd.

But a digital cleanup and reducing your CO2 emissions is always a good thing to do any day of the year.

Learn About Global Warming

If your kids love animated videos, then this AumSum Time video about global warming and greenhouse gases is perfect for them.

It’s a fun, informative and kid-friendly way to teach them about this important topic.

You won’t have to worry about coming up with any lesson plans for your child’s Earth science class because this video covers all the basics.

Tour The Great Barrier Reef

Give your child a chance to learn about the world’s largest coral reef system. This virtual tour is a great way to teach them about underwater ecosystems and the importance of preserving them.

They’ll be able to see colorful fish, turtles, sharks, and other marine life up close without even getting wet!

Plus, it’s a great opportunity to talk about the impact of climate change on coral reefs and what actions we can take to protect them.

Clean Up Your Home, Church, or School Grounds

Grab some gloves and garbage bags and take a family trip to pick up trash in your neighborhood.

You can also organize a cleanup at your local park or community center, making it a fun and productive outing for everyone.

Explain to your kids why it’s important not only to keep our home clean but also the environment.

They’ll learn about the harmful effects of littering and how small actions like picking up trash can make a big difference.

Plant a Tree or Start a Garden

Get your hands dirty and teach your kids about the importance of trees and plants in our ecosystem.

You can plant a tree in your backyard or start a vegetable garden together.

Not only is it a simple way to spend time outdoors, but it also teaches your child about sustainability and the role plants play in producing clean air and food for us.

Visit a Local Farm or Farmer’s Market

Take your child on a trip to a local farm or farmer’s market and teach them about where their food comes from.

They’ll learn about sustainable farming practices, the importance of supporting local farmers, and how our food choices impact the environment.

Plus, they’ll get to see and taste fresh fruits and vegetables, making it a fun and educational experience for them.

Explore Nature on a Hike or Camping Trip

Go on a hike or camping trip with your family and explore the beauty of nature together.

Take this opportunity to teach your kids about the different plants and animals they see, the importance of preserving natural habitats, and how to be responsible while enjoying outdoor activities.

Not only will it be a fun adventure for your family, but it also helps foster a love and appreciation for nature in your children.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Teach your kids about the 3 R’s – reduce, reuse, recycle – and how they can make a positive impact on the environment through simple actions.

Encourage them to practice things like turning off lights when leaving a room, using reusable water bottles and bags, and sorting recycling properly.

By instilling these habits early on, you are teaching your child to be environmentally conscious and responsible citizens.

Virtual Science Experiments

Whether over Zoom with a handful of friends or at home with your family, you can easily find and conduct science experiments that teach children about the environment.

From making a homemade volcano to creating a mini compost bin, these hands-on activities allow kids to learn in a fun and interactive way.

Plus, it helps them understand important concepts such as decomposition, pollution, and the water cycle.

There area a lot of Earth Day activities on this list, so don’t feel like you have to do them all. Pick and choose what works best for your child’s age, interests, and abilities.

Remember to also keep the conversation light and fun while still educating them about the importance of taking care of our planet.

Who knows? You might even learn something new yourself! So go ahead and explore with your child, but be sure to pick up any litter you see on your walk.

Together, we can make a difference in preserving the beauty of our Earth for future generations to enjoy.

Happy Earth Day!

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