Creativity Without Limits: Animal Welfare Education for Teens

Objective: To encourage students to learn more about their favourite animals.

How to play: Each student chooses a favourite animal, then they are asked to draw a picture or make a short presentation on how to care for the animal. For example, what their favourite food is, how they maintain their health, and what they need to live well.

Benefits: This is a light-hearted game that can nurture students’ sense of responsibility towards their favourite animals

Objective: Encourage students to create educational content on how to care for animals.

How to play: Students are challenged to create a short video showing how to care for a pet or help a stray animal, such as feeding a street cat, cleaning a pet cage, or describing animal welfare. These videos are then uploaded to their social media with a specific hashtag.

Benefits: In addition to learning, students can share their knowledge with their friends and followers on social media, which also increases others’ awareness of animal welfare. 

Objective: To teach responsibility and research on the specific welfare of wild animals.

How to play: Students are asked to role-play different types of animals with different needs and challenges (e.g. pets, wild animals or animals in a zoo). They have to express how they feel in certain situations, for example when they are not fed or injured.

Benefits: Teaches empathy and care for animals by imagining
themselves in the animal’s shoes.

Objective: To teach responsibility and research on the specific welfare of wild animals.

How to play: Each group of students is given an animal species (e.g. panda, elephant, tiger) that they symbolically ‘adopt’. They have to conduct research on the species, covering its habitat, threats and welfare needs. At the end, they present how we can help protect the species.

Benefits: Students become more aware of the threats faced by animals in the wild and the importance of conservation. 

Objective: To teach about animal welfare indirectly through puzzles and stories.

How to play: Each student or group is given a story puzzle about an animal that is in danger or needs help. Students must work together to solve the mystery, determine what is wrong with the animal (e.g. starving, sick or improperly cared for) and come up with a solution to help.

Benefits: Enhances critical thinking skills while instilling a deep  understanding of the responsibility of caring for animals.

Objective: Develop students’ analytical skills on animal welfare cases.

How to play: Students are divided into groups acting as ‘animal welfare investigators.’ They are given a case scenario of an animal welfare violation, such as animal neglect or abuse, and must investigate by gathering facts, interviewing ‘witnesses’ (played by friends), and then reporting on solutions or actions that need to be taken.

Benefits: This game teaches students the importance of identifying animal welfare issues and taking appropriate action.

Objective: To teach students the importance of taking action for animal welfare.

How to play: Students are divided into groups to plan and implement a community project related to animal welfare, such as an animal adoption campaign, raising funds for an animal shelter, or organising an awareness programme at school. 

Benefits: Students learn to take concrete actions to help animals and increase their sense of environmental responsibility.

Objective: To test students’ knowledge of animal welfare, animal protection laws and how to care for animals.

How to play: Teachers create an interactive quiz using apps like Kahoot or Quizizz. The questions can cover topics such as types of animal food, animal rights, and ideal conditions for caring for pets.

Benefits: Makes learning about animal welfare more interactive and fun, and encourages healthy competition among students.

Objective: To teach students important facts about animal needs and welfare.

How to play: The teacher prepares a series of clues about different types of animals and their welfare. Students have to look up certain facts about the animals, such as their food, habitat or how to care for them, and complete the fact hunt in teams.

Benefits: The game is light and interactive, while introducing students to important knowledge about animals.

Objective: To teach the responsibility of caring for animals in a fun way.

How to play: Prepare animal picture cards and description cards of their care needs (such as feeding, housing, medical care). Students have to match each animal with its corresponding care. For example, they should match the picture of a dog with the description ‘taken for a walk every day’.

Benefits: Make students understand the responsibility of animal care through a simple card game.