Whether you homeschool your children or not, it is always fun and exciting to teach your children about all the ways animals are intelligent beings. We as humans and as animals of this world too often forget that animals are highly intelligent creatures, and deserve some attention for it! Your kids may not pick up on some of the subtleties of their communication either, so it is always a joy to show them yourself!
Dogs and Cats
Your children may already be growing up with dogs and maybe cats, in which case they may already know a lot of their behavior. It is a little easier seeing how intelligent dogs and cats are when you are spending time with them on a daily basis. Dogs pick up on the playing and snuggling with children very quickly, and love taking on a more motherly role when it comes to younger children. Kids may not put two and two together, so it can be a good lesson on body language of an animal when you explain to them how a dog play bows to initiate play, and how tug of war and wrestling helps them understand how strong they can push the boundaries of play.
Cats can be a little more aloof when it comes to children, and they may stay on the sidelines more. Kittens and younger cats are usually the ones who want to play with your kids, and play similarly as dogs, wrestling and chasing and pushing the boundaries to know how hard to bite or how to use their claws. Cats actually use body language the most when interacting with each other, and have learned over the years that people talk to express their actions and feelings. In turn, cats use their meows and vocalize to us more than they do to each other, and you can teach your kids this so they can use it as a guide to figure out what their cat is trying to tell them!
Wild Animals
It’s a little harder showing your kids the powerful intelligence of wild animals, but you can always look up some videos online to better show them. There are animals that form allegiances that are unheard of, like a prey and predator type relationship (such as a sheep and a lion). But there are also animals that are highly intelligent on their own, such as crows and ravens. They are one of the few animals on this world that use tools to get food! They will use sticks and other long items to grab food from tight spots, or use tools to build nests!
Be sure to teach your kids all the neat and fun ways animals interact with each other!
Katie Kyzivat