Animal kindness begins with exposure

I recently wrote an article about how parents can inspire children to be kind to animals.  Teaching kids to love animals and be kind and gentle with them is important.  It helps kids grow up to be better and more compassionate people.  Teaching animal kindness can be done in many ways, but they all begin with one important element - exposure.

In order for your kids to become friendly with animals, they must first be exposed to animals.  From visiting a farm to adopting a pet of your own, volunteering with an animal advocacy group to spending time at a nature preserve, you must find ways for your kids to see animals up close and get to know them better.

As a wildlife biologist, I spent much time introducing school-age children to the animals in the world around them.  As a parent, I have done the same with my own kids.  My children love animals, and are very kind and loving to the creatures they meet.  If your kids have not spent much time around animals, it's not too late to make a change.  Even if you can't have pets of your own, you can still expose your kids to animal life in many ways.  Check out my article about teaching children to be kind to animals for even more ideas your family can use to raise animal-friendly kids.

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About the Author

Tavia Fuller Armstrong is an award-winning writer for Yahoo! Contributor Network.  As a wildlife biologist and a pet owner, she has cared for a wide variety of animals.  As a mother of three and an educator, she has taught many children to appreciate the natural world all around them.