How to Make Pet Care Fun!

Set tails wagging with these fun and free ways to make pet care fun for both your kids and your animal friends!

There’s lots of research out there highlighting the benefits of pet ownership for kids. From improving their physical, emotional and mental health to teaching them responsibility, compassion and emotional intelligence. That said, everyone in the family needs to feel comfortable with the introduction of a furry friend, and of course the furry friend needs to be happy and well cared for, too! So how can we ensure having a pet is both fun and *crucially* communal?

As ever, teamwork makes the dream work. Encouraging all parts of pet ownership to be fun for kids (fully supervised, of course) will make it enjoyable for everyone, and hopefully result in them taking on some of the responsibilities, too.

On the other hand, perhaps it’s not your own household that has the pets. Maybe your friends and family have them and you want to make sure your little one is happy and comfortable around creatures, great and small.

Either way, here are some of our favorite ways to make looking after pets fun for the whole family!

Charts and Checklists

Most children are big sticker fans. Why they love these small, sticky pieces of paper remains a mystery, but our role is to just accept our kids for who they are: sticker fans and all!

Play to their passions and create a chart for them to complete. One task equals one sticker – it’s a fair exchange! The aim is to fill up their chart for all their feeding, grooming, walking and tummy tickling (pet depending, of course. Can you tummy tickle a reptile?!). Once your child has ticked off the list for a sustained period, maybe you could reward them with a special prize? Think movie night, a special play session or a dessert of their choosing!

But of course, it’s not all about the reward. Chat to your little one about why caring for their pet is important, and why each job needs doing to keep their pet happy and healthy.

Cleaning up

Who says cleaning up can’t be fun? (Trust us, we’ve proved it can be in our article, How to Make Cleaning Fun!). Pets come with lots of fun, but also lots of mess. Perhaps you need to muck out your pet’s hutch or enclosure? Your little one will enjoy using the hose, or piling up the fresh sawdust! Or, if you have a particularly furry friend, perhaps they’d like to help you use the lint roller over the couch?

If there's an element of pet care you’re not comfortable for them to help with, then roleplay it instead! Encourage them to pretend care for one of their cuddly toys. You could even give them a lead and collar for their ‘pet’ so they can walk them around the house!

Playtime!

Animals enjoy playing, too! So why not capitalize on that shared love of fun and get your kids to create playful things for their pets to do? (With your supervision, of course).

Dogs are great at playing hide-and-seek, while cats love playing with string or anything fluffy on the end of a stick (which your little one could make with craft materials).

For smaller pets - like guinea pigs or hamsters - why not make them an obstacle course instead? Grab some LEGO® DUPLO® bricks and get your child to build some maze walls – fill it with healthy pet treats, and let your pets follow their noses to freedom!

Outdoor Fun

This one really depends on your pet, but if you have a dog, why not make walking fun with a good old game of bingo? Before you leave the house, write a list of things for your child to spot while you’re out and about (include pictures, if you can), making the route as long or short as you need to find all your items!

This one can still work for smaller animals kept inside or in your garden. Simply write a list or draw pictures of things in your pet's environment, for your little one to find.

Hopefully you’ve found a few useful tips and tricks for making pet care fun for the whole family! If you don’t yet have a pet, but want to test the water, you could always ask to borrow a friend’s doggy, or even get your little one to make a bird feeder for the local birdlife to enjoy.

(Remember, children and pets should never be left alone together unattended!).