Teach kids kindness for animals, birds

As parents, we often focus on teaching our children how to read, write, share, and behave politely.

- Riddhima Kapoor Sahni

But one of the most valuable lessons we can teach them is kindness — especially towards animals and birds. It’s something that I've come to believe deeply over the years. When children grow up respecting and caring for all living beings, they naturally become more compassionate, responsible, and grounded individuals.

Animals and birds may not speak our language, but they communicate in their own ways. They feel hunger, pain, fear, joy, and love — just like we do. When children learn to see them as living beings rather than creatures that exist on the sidelines of our lives, it changes how they see the world. They begin to notice small things — a thirsty bird, a hungry stray, or even an injured puppy on the road. These moments of awareness are where empathy begins.