Carbon footprints in the preschool years: What a new Scientific Reports study suggests about teaching sustainability through early science

A newly published paper in Scientific Reports argues that the “carbon footprint” can become a practical, age-appropriate entry point for sustainability learning in the early years, when educators translate abstract ideas into everyday routines such as switching off lights, saving water and sorting waste. Based on interviews with award-winning early childhood science teachers across three Middle East countries, the study proposes a framework for embedding carbon footprint concepts through experiential learning, cultural relevance and consistent practice.

The term carbon footprint can sound far removed from preschool life. Yet the new study positions it as a “tangible indicator” that helps children link daily actions, energy use, transport choices, waste and consumption, to environmental impact. 

Importantly, the paper does not suggest delivering complex climate science to young children. Instead, it highlights how educators can ground sustainability learning in concrete, observable practices that already sit comfortably within play-based programs: gardening, recycling, measuring and comparing resource use, and collaborating on classroom initiatives. 

Using a grounded theory qualitative approach, researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 33 award-winning science teachers working in early childhood contexts in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. 

The central question: how experienced teachers perceive the importance, practice and feasibility of integrating environment-related topics, particularly carbon footprint, into early childhood education. 

From the interview data, the authors identified a set of linked strategies (presented as a conceptual model) that, together, support children’s sustainability learning. 

• Start with child-friendly language and relatable examples – Teachers described introducing the idea of environmental impact through familiar daily experiences, keeping explanations concrete and connected to children’s worlds. 
• Build sustainable behaviours through hands-on routines – Waste sorting, conserving energy and reducing waste were repeatedly described as accessible practices that children can participate in and revisit across the week.
• Enrich the learning with stories, games and interactive experiences – The paper highlights the role of interactive resources (including story-based approaches) to support understanding and engagement, particularly when concepts feel abstract.
• Make it regular enough to become habit – Teachers emphasised that one-off “special activities” were not enough. Repetition and continuity were described as the pathway to shifting sustainability from an idea into a routine, supported by reminders and ongoing participation.
• Anchor learning in local and cultural contexts – Participants reported stronger engagement when learning connected to real-life issues experienced by families and communities, such as resource use at home and local transport patterns, rather than generic examples.

While teachers described innovative approaches, the study also notes that sociocultural factors influence implementation, including broader structural conditions that shape what is feasible in classrooms and communities. 

In its recommendations, the paper calls for professional development that equips educators with practical, developmentally appropriate strategies, as well as wider cooperation between education settings and the community so learning extends beyond the classroom. 

The authors are explicit about limitations:

• the data relies on teacher self-report, which can introduce bias
• participants were award-winning teachers, which may not reflect typical settings or resourcing
• the study used a single research instrument, limiting cross-checking across data sources. 

This makes the work most useful as a practice-informed framework and conversation starter, not as evidence of direct outcomes for children across diverse contexts.

What this means for Australian ECEC services

Sustainability is already embedded within Australian early learning expectations through the Early Years Learning Framework (V2.0) and the National Quality Standard. The EYLF includes Sustainability as a guiding principle, supporting educators to embed sustainability across daily practice and learning. 

At the service level, NQS Element 3.2.3 (Environmentally responsible) links sustainable operations with children’s learning about environmental responsibility and sustainability. The broader intent of Quality Area 3 also places the physical environment as a driver of learning and development. 

Regulatory requirements also reinforce the importance of children experiencing nature in outdoor spaces for example, Regulation 113 on outdoor space and natural environment. 

Against this backdrop, the new Scientific Reports study offers a helpful prompt: carbon footprint learning is most powerful when it is practical, repeated and connected to children’s real lives, not delivered as a standalone “topic”. 

Services considering a stronger focus on sustainability can adapt the study’s themes into everyday curriculum design:

• Daily “switch-off” roles (lights, fans, screens) with simple, consistent language about saving energy. 
• Water-wise routines (timed handwashing songs, tap monitors, garden watering plans), revisited weekly so children can notice patterns and progress. 
• Waste audits as investigation: sorting, weighing or counting packaging with a focus on noticing and problem-solving. 
• Transport talk that stays concrete: walking, riding, carpooling, linked to everyday community life, not global statistics. 
• Storying sustainability: picture books, puppet stories and role-play that explore caring for environments and making choices. 
• Home–service partnerships: simple shared challenges, reusable containers, “nude food” days where appropriate, turning off appliances, that invite families in without judgement. 
• Local relevance: connect learning to local weather, water restrictions, waste services, local parks, and community practices, so sustainability is not abstract. 

Source: The contribution of early science education in developing children awareness of carbon footprints.