I think it’s so important to include the kids in all of our animal care. I have started to teach them at a young age how to be loving and compassionate towards animals. It teaches them great responsibility and the importance of caring for other living beings and just teaches such great life lessons. It’s also just a fun thing for us to do together to bond and just have fun.
Toddlers
Claire and Finn both love to help feed the animals and give them loving. I do try a few times a week to let them come and help me feed the animals and care for them. They enjoy carrying buckets around and really just anything that they feel involved. They just get so happy and it just shows them how to be gentle and also enjoy there time with the animals. Feeding, giving them love, and help carrying simple things are great ways for your toddler to get involved with animal care.
Ages 6 to 9
At this age, they can start doing a few things independently, but not anything too huge. You don’t want to give them too much responsibility to where an animal or a child could get hurt. Libby helps with cleaning out the bunny litter, dumping it out, and putting new in. She is able to fill up their food and water for the bunnies and baby chicks. If it is something like food and water or just something that is crucial to the animal’s life I always check after she does it. It may not be right away but I always make sure that she gave them enough because I don’t feel it should be a responsibility at that age to make sure the animals are staying alive. I feel like that is too much of a responsibility at that age and pressure. I think its good to give them a job to feel important and to feel like they are important. Just always check on those things for the animals well being.
- Fill food and waters
- Change bunny liters
- Help let animals out with me
- Help me move animals from their cage to an area to roam
- Brush the dogs and cats
- Take the dogs for a walk in our yard
Ages 10 to 13
Noah is 11 and he can do everything that I have listed above. I do let him take the dogs for a walk on a leash around our property. He helps close up the animals at night, he closes the chickens coops, makes sure bigger animals have water and hay, and distribute food when need. Noah doesn’t do all of the animal care, but I think he could do more if he wanted to. I think this age group you have to see how much they love doing and being with the animals and their drive to do them. I think once Libby is this age she will be doing a lot more then Noah is. Libby really loves the animals and for Noah he likes them, but he isn’t passionate about them. This is something that needs to be taken into consideration when you have your kids helping. Even if it isn’t there passion It’s still important for them to be involved and help out, just not do as much stuff.
Noah can still put the bigger animals to bed at night and feed the chickens before bed. If I’m not home he is still able to put the dogs in their crate to bed. I recently have him doing the cat litters and a few other little animal chores that he is able to help with.
I always have the kids do the chores with me first, this way they can get an idea of what needs to be done and how to do it correctly. I have them do it with me several times, for instance, when Noah started closing the animals up at night I had him do it with me several nights in a row before I let him do it by himself. It is so important to teach them the rights and wrongs of animal care. Always remember that they are watching and looking up to you, so whatever you do they will copy. Showing them how to love, be gentle, feed, water, and take care of animals can be such a special time and a great bonding experience!
