Following the news last February when there was alleged neglect of an injured classroom pet, we need to ensure our preschoolers have the right attitudes and actions toward classroom pets.
There are over 1,980 childcare and kindergarten centres in Singapore as of 2022 according to the Early Childhood Development Agency, and some of them employ pets as a way to teach kids.
Having classroom pets is not a mandatory part of a curriculum; however, this can be a great part of your preschooler's learning journey, especially if you don't have pets at home.
Integrating animal care into kids' education is a good way to provide a more holistic approach. It helps nurture positive character traits like responsibility and compassion.
How to teach kids to take care of classroom pets?
Follow the school guidelines on classroom pets
Most schools have rules on how they would integrate pets as part of their class lessons. As a parent, it is necessary for you to know your child's teacher's rules on integrating pets into your child's curriculum.
With this, you can guide your kid on how they would interact with it at the right time.
Volunteer to clean and feed the pets
Your preschooler should at least try to volunteer to clean or feed the classroom pet. Of course, with their teacher's supervision.
This can help them understand responsibility and empathy towards animals.
Reiterate that classroom pets should not be harmed
Although most pets look like cute toys, you should strongly reiterate to your child that they are not to be played with in a harmful or violent way.
You may want to emphasise that, just like them, animals can feel anything you would do to them. This can teach them compassion.
Consider donating useful things or monetary funds
Oftentimes, schools adopt classroom pets as their own.
Another way to teach your child to take care of pets is to allow them to donate what they have with the animal pets. Simple things can be blankets for cats or toys for dogs.
This can teach them the value of sharing and what things pets need.
Consider adopting classroom pets
There are some cases the pets can't be sustained by the school or in a different situation, animal pets may have shorter lives through stressful factors, such as overfeeding, noises from kids, or consistent tapping.
With this, parents can consider adopting classroom pets, especially if their child becomes attached or interested in having a pet.
Hope this helps parents on teaching their kids to behave towards classroom pets!