Animals are important beings in their own right, with each species having its unique characteristics. Some children are afraid of animals because they are different. Others can get so excited that they might do things that could harm an animal or cause the animal to harm them.
In both cases, children need to learn how to be safe with animals so that they can enjoy these wonderful beings that share this beautiful world with us. Watching wild animals and learning how they live can be fascinating. Playing with tame animals can be a wonderful experience if you know how to treat them with care and kindness. Sections in this article:
– Teaching Animal Safety
– Don’t Feed Wild Animals!
– Pets and People That You Don’t Know Are Still Strangers
– What Children Need to Know About Safety With Dogs
– Mountain Lion and Other Predatory Animal Safety Tips
Published: March 8, 2012 | Last Updated: July 27, 2016
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Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director
Kidpower Founder and Executive Irene van der Zande is a master at teaching safety through stories and practices and at inspiring others to do the same. Her child protection and personal safety expertise has been featured by USA Today, CNN, Today Moms, the LA Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Publications include: cartoon-illustrated Kidpower Safety Comics and Kidpower Teaching Books curriculum; Bullying: What Adults Need to Know and Do to Keep Kids Safe; the Relationship Safety Skills Handbook for Teens and Adults; Earliest Teachable Moment: Personal Safety for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers; The Kidpower Book for Caring Adults: Personal Safety, Self-Protection, Confidence, and Advocacy for Young People, and the Amazon Best Seller Doing Right by Our Kids: Protecting Child Safety at All Levels.
