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Children regularly encounter animals in their games, books and toys, but interacting and connecting with real animals can provide richer learning experiences.
Teaching children at an early age how to care for and interact with animals can set them up for a lifetime of being interested in different creatures and enjoying being with them.
Some practitioners shy away from allowing children to be with real animals because of health, hygiene and safety reasons, but for me the positives far outweigh any negatives. As long as staff are fully aware of all procedures and have completed a full risk assessment, ensuring necessary precautions are taken to prevent accident, injury or the spread of infection, I can see no reason to turn down opportunities to introduce children to animals.
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