Why do kids love animals so much?
Toddlers will choose a live hamster over an expensive toy. Preschoolers learn carnivore before they can read. Here is what that pull actually is, and how to use it while it lasts.
What the research actually found
Put a room of good toys next to a live fish and toddlers go to the fish. Then they talk about it, and ask questions about it. Animals are alive and unpredictable, which makes them far more informative to watch than an object.
A toy tiger and a real gecko are both novel. Only one of them looks back.
LoBue, V., et al. (2013). "Young children's interest in live animals." British Journal of Developmental Psychology. PubMed
Toys versus a live animal, four numbers
LoBue, V. et al. (2013), British Journal of Developmental Psychology. PubMed
What the love is actually doing for them
The interesting question is not really why children love animals. It is what that love is good for. Quite a lot, as it turns out.
Vocabulary years above age level
"Habitat", "nocturnal", "camouflage". Each one is a concept, not a word.
Categorisation
Mammal or reptile, predator or prey. The move that underpins most later science.
A safe rehearsal for caring
Something to be gentle with, at a scale they can manage.
Expertise, and the confidence after it
For a shy child, being the one who knows about wolves is what gets them talking.
Persistence that transfers
Sitting with one subject long enough to get good at it is a skill of its own.
The skills they were avoiding
Counting elephant herds is still counting. The animal is the delivery mechanism.
It usually fades, and that is the point
Nothing is lost when a child moves on: the attention and the persistence outlast the subject. But the window is a few years wide, and it is open now.
Around 18 months
The average age an intense interest first appears. Ninety percent of them have shown up by the child's second birthday.
Ages 3 to 6, the peak
The window where a child will voluntarily sit and learn for an hour because the topic is lions. The cheapest motivation you will ever have access to.
School starts
Researchers have observed the probability of holding a conceptual interest declining directly as formal schooling begins.
Afterwards
The subject goes, the habits stay. Attention, persistence and the ability to sit with one thing long enough to get good at it all transfer.
Somewhere for all of that to go
One real animal a month, arriving while the window is still wide.
- A plush Animal Ambassador, this month's animal
- An exclusive book, written to their reading level
- An anatomy poster with the real names on it
- A hands-on STEM project, materials included
- An art project and a themed recipe
- A collectible sticker for the map or Zoo Passport
What it looks like in other houses
Real kids, real afternoons, zero screens.
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“The pangolin box was our first ZooBox and I was highly impressed. My daughter would tell everyone about the pangolin's tongue and that it eats bugs.”
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“This is the perfect thing to get my son excited about learning again. This lit up his joy for learning and creating!”
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“My daughter has kept all of the animal posters in a notebook. The stuffed animals are still well-played with. I will continue to recommend Zoo Boxes.”
Pick the one that fits their age
Cub Club
Play-based animal learning for little explorers, built to do together. Guided activities sized for preschool attention spans, building fine motor skills, early maths and early literacy along the way.
Zoologist Club
Real zoology and hands-on STEM for big thinkers. Deeper anatomy, adaptations and geography, a Zoo Passport to fill in, and projects that reward a child who keeps asking why.
Free U.S. shipping. Skip or cancel anytime.
Before you start
What actually arrives each month?
One real animal, explored properly: a plush Animal Ambassador, an exclusive book written to the age range, an anatomy poster, a hands-on STEM project with the supplies already included, an art project, a themed recipe, and a collectible sticker for the map or passport.
Which club is right for my child?
Cub Club is written for ages 3 to 5 and is built to do together. Zoologist Club runs 5 to 12, with deeper anatomy, a Zoo Passport and projects for a child who asks why.
Do I need to buy or prepare anything?
No. The materials for every project come in the box. That is most of what you are paying for: not having to source thirty small things the night before.
Can I cancel?
Monthly plans can be skipped or canceled anytime. Commitment Clubs, meaning our quarterly and annual plans, run their full term, but you can turn off auto-renewal whenever you like and the club simply ends after its last box.
To cancel:
- Log in to your account
- Click Manage Subscriptions
- Open the Subscriptions tab
- Select the subscription you want to manage
- Scroll to the bottom and click Cancel Subscription
- Go through the confirmation process
To pause, or to switch to every other month, email support@myzoobox.com and the team will set it up.
A different real animal every month
Built around the window while it is open: one real animal a month, the actual science, and hands-on projects with the materials already in the box.
Cub Club for ages 3 to 5, Zoologist Club for ages 5 to 12. Free U.S. shipping.