5 Lessons Kids Can Learn From Pets

Posted in Parenting on Feb 12, 2010 - 02:11 AM

Homeschooling affords families the opportunity to travel and experience a wide variety of flora, fauna, culture, and...pretty much everything. During the winter months, that can be difficult to do, especially if you're snowed in for days at a time. Thankfully, traveling afar isn't necessary for learning; in fact, much can be learned from your very own kitchen, your laundry basket...even your pets. Here are just five out of the many things that kids can learn without the aid of expensive curricula or educational toys--and with Fluffy or Fido instead.

5. Counting
This might sound far-fetched ("I've got two cats and a fish--there's not much counting involved there!"), but it's been a better numerical inspiration for my kiddo than play dice, counting books, or any other traditional tool. From guessing at our tabby's stripes (which changes every day) to covering our very tolerant calico with bingo chips, she's had a blast while learning to count well past thirty.

4. Caregiving
I've always scoffed when people try to give my daughter dolls. She just doesn't like them. She does like their accessories, though, which we've bought her to accompany gifts from other well-meaning relatives. No, it's animals that capture her heart, and it's our pets she uses her doll accessories (feeding dish, blanket, etc.) with. Her favorite chore is also feeding the cats, which she takes great pride in. She's also learned a lot from the times they've been sick, whether it was a hairball, tummy ache, or the incident with worms when we first brought one of them home.

3. Science
Our little scientist certainly needs no excuse for a new experiment, but her two companions are always ready and willing for some humane animal testing--such as finding out which toys or string will entice which cat, why cats have whiskers, or how cats respond when you blow bubbles. It seems like every time our tabby uses his scratching post a kitty nail ends up in the floor, which leads to long discussions about why our cats don't use nail clippers, how their nails are different from our own, and why they use the scratching post in the first place. She's also realized that like us, they have their own daily needs which have to be met.

2. Respect
This lesson was something we were actively involved in, as our daughter was apt to play with the cats in a pretty rough fashion when she was younger. While she still occasionally engages in the pulling of tails, she now refrains from doing so for the most part out of compassion for the cats. She has learned that animals, like humans, feel pain and get sad, too.

1. Love and Kindness
Isn't that what we have our pets for to begin with? My daughter enjoys cuddling with our cats, "reading" to them, and letting them sleep at the foot of her bed. If she accidentally steps on one of their tails (or plays a little rough, garnering a kitty yelp) she also apologizes, gently petting the stricken feline to calm him or her down. These are skills that she will use every day of her life with her peers, family, and friends that are learned by experience--even if the experience is with cats.

Tags for this entry:
early childhood, character education, animals and learning, lessons from pets

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