How to Teach Children About Animals

By eHow Parenting Editor

Instructions

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

More Puppy Pages

How to Teach Children Humane Education

Animals share our world—and the best time to learn to treat animals kindly and coexist with them—is when you’re young. Here are some important things for both parents and teachers to include in humane education.

Hi, my name is Tim Labelle, this is my wife April, we are the owners of Pet Barn Exotics in Heartland, Michigan. We are here on behalf of Expert Village to help you choose the right pet. In this segment, my wife April will be discussing with you who is...

Very often when a Jewish boy or girl plans his or her bar or bat mitzvah celebration, they choose a theme and a mitzvah (good deed) project to tie in with the theme. A local animal shelter makes a worthy recipient, as well as something they would have...

How to Teach Children to be Kind to Animals

The love of animals seems to be innate for all children, but that doesn't mean they always know how to behave around animals. Children can be cruel to animals often because they don't know any better. It is important to teach children to be kind to...

How to Teach a Child to Care for Rodents

Rodents make appropriate first pets for children. They are small and cute and children enjoy having a small pet in a cage that can live in their bedrooms. A child can be taught to care for a pet rodent and will often appreciate the opportunity to take...