QIn our nursery we have a rabbit and a hamster, and we take time to help the children learn how to treat them gently. A four-year-old girl, who has been with us for a couple of months, seems to find it very hard to be kind to the animals. She chases them round the garden, pulls their fur and once actually hit the rabbit. We have talked with her father, who says his daughter is too young to understand. We feel the little girl is getting better, but still cannot be trusted completely. In the holidays, the animals go home with one of the nursery families. This family has asked to take the rabbit next half-term.
AYou are right that it may take time for children to understand how to treat animals with care, but they can learn with adult guidance. Some children need a lot of direction along the lines of, 'Rabbits get scared too. Snowflake doesn't like being chased.' Children improve with plenty of encouragement, such as, 'That's the way to stroke Millie. Now she wants to stay with you.'
It is sensible to be cautious about letting the family take responsibility for the animals. Find a courteous way to explain to this father that, although his daughter is much gentler with the animals than she used to be, you want to wait for another holiday before you let her take the rabbit home, so that she has fully understood how to care for it.
From what you say, this girl is not cruel to the animals, more on the rough side. It is worth being alert to children who are cruel to animals, as they are sometimes reacting to violence at home. They pass on their own experiences of being badly treated by taking it out on animals, which are even more vulnerable than they are.
