The moment your kids start asking for a pet you can immediately envision who will be the one doing all the work. (Hint: it’s not them!) One 12-year-old has come up with an ingenious solution to this problem with a pet responsibility reward chart system for kids.
Approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters every year; experts attribute these high numbers as a result of kids being gifted pets without recognizing the level of responsibility involved. When Ava Bertelli learned this, she wanted to do something about it.
Ava invented a system based on Kenson Kids’ popular “I Can Do It” reward chart to help kids keep track of everything that goes into caring for their pet. The charts feature colorful cards and plastic stars with a hook-and-loop fasteners, which provide both visual and tactile stimulation while encouraging pre-reading skills.
“Owning a pet is a lot of responsibility,” says Ava. “Sometimes, kids don’t realize how much time and work it takes to care for a new pet and they give up. I hope this system helps reduce the number of animals who are taken to shelters.”
Kenson Kids has now turned Ava’s invention into its newest products, including customizable pet care checklists, which feature dog care and cat care task cards illustrated by Ava, along with useful tips on caring for pets. The task cards are also available as a supplemental pack that can be used with Kenson Kids’ “I Can Do It!” reward chart and includes the tasks involved to care for dogs, cats or birds. (You can also download Ava’s handy bird care printable here.)
The charts are available at Kenson Kids for $12.95 each and the company is donating a portion of the proceeds to a charity of Ava’s choice that supports animal welfare.
—Shahrzad Warkentin
All photos: Courtesy of Kenson Kids
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