How to Teach Children About Animals

If you have a young child in your family, you may want to teach them early on the importance of caring for animals. Animals need to be respected and handled with caution. Teaching children about animals helps them have a good relationship with animals later on in life. Read on to learn more.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Start with lessons of compassion towards animals. Let the child know that animals are living things too and should not be treated cruelly.

2. Purchase a small pet. A small animal, such as a pet hamster, can help you teach your child the basics of feeding and cleaning an animal. Once they are older, you can progress to a larger animal, such as a dog.

3. Take the child to an animal shelter. This can help the child understand about pet adoption as well as the importance of keeping the pet population under control. Make a donation in honor of the child while you are there.

4. Go to the zoo. Read through the facts about each of the animals housed in the zoo. Quiz the child at the end of the visit to see how much of the information they have retained.

5. Sign your child up to receive KIND (Kids in Nature's Defense) News sponsored by the Humane Society. The newsletter covers topics that relate to the way that children should treat and respect wildlife.

Tips & Warnings

• Your trip to the zoo is also a good time to teach the child about endangered species and why it is our responsibility to protect them.
• If you see your child being cruel to an animal, it's important that you punish him. This teaches him to handle a pet gently.

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[Jaybeew]

on 3/17/2009 Thanks for the tips!