Pawsitively Fun: 5 Kid-Friendly Ways to Help Animals

Animals bring joy, companionship, and love into our lives, and kids can play a big role in helping them! Most on-site volunteer opportunities require participants to be at least 16-18 years old, but young people who love animals have many other ways to make a difference. Here are some fun kid-friendly fundraiser ideas and other impactful ways for children to help animals.

One of the easiest and most enjoyable ways kids can support animals is by participating in a fundraising walk. Many animal shelters and rescue organizations, such as the Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), host virtual walk events like PAWSwalk, in which participants raise money to support animal care and rescue efforts from anywhere in the world!

• Fundraising walks are a great way for kids to:
• Register on a nonprofit’s fundraising page and ask family and friends for donations
• Form teams with classmates, youth groups, or clubs to make fundraising more exciting
• Help to spread awareness about animal welfare
• Feel connected to their community and peers
• Get fresh air and exercise
• Complete the walk wherever they live, anywhere in the world
• Have a positive experience that may make them more inclined to participate in other fundraising walks in the future

Kids can also raise money for animal shelters and rescues by organizing creative fundraising projects. PAWS suggests several kid-friendly fundraising ideas, including:

• Bake sales. Sell homemade pet treats or human snacks, with proceeds benefiting an animal shelter.
• Craft sales. Make pet toys, bandanas, or paw-print art to sell.
• Recycling drives. Collect cans and bottles and donate the earnings to an animal rescue group.

By doing these projects, kids not only help animals but also develop teamwork and leadership skills. Additionally, homemade fundraising items encourage kids to engage in healthy hobbies and develop new confidence-boosting abilities.

With technology, fundraising for animals has never been easier! Many animal welfare organizations provide online tools for hosting virtual fundraisers. Kids can get involved by:

• Creating a birthday fundraiser. Instead of receiving gifts, kids can ask friends and family to donate to support their favorite shelter, making their special day even more meaningful.
• Hosting a puppy party. Kids can celebrate their pet’s adoption anniversary by sharing their story and organizing a fun “yappy hour” get-together with friends, complete with pet-friendly treats.
• Helping with other fundraising events. Kids can take part in planning a party, organizing a bake sale, or hosting a car wash, where entry donations go directly to an animal welfare organization.

These fundraisers are simple to set up and help provide food, medical care, and shelter for animals in need.

The experiences kids are exposed to at a young age can leave a lasting impression, so learning about animals and sharing knowledge with others is another great way to help. Many animal welfare organizations offer education outreach programs designed for kids. These enable kids to participate in active ways by:

• Attending workshops or summer camps to learn about animal care and advocacy
• Presenting information to classmates about dog and cat adoption, wildlife protection, or responsible pet ownership
• Volunteering as youth ambassadors at shelter events

Education is a powerful way of teaching children empathy and creating a kinder world for animals—while also empowering them to be strong advocates in their schools and communities.

Beyond fundraising and education, there are plenty of simple actions kids can take every day to support animals. Here are some ideas:

• Make things for animals. Make snuffle mats, cat scratchers, cat beds, and dog and cat toys to be given directly to shelter animals.
• Be kind to wildlife. Leave out fresh water for birds and small animals, make or hang bird feeders at home, pick up litter that can harm wild animals, and cultivate a wildlife-friendly backyard.
• Speak up against cruelty. Tell an adult or contact a local animal welfare organization if they see an animal being mistreated.

For kids, learning how to help animals isn’t just about one-time projects — it’s about developing kindness and responsibility that last a lifetime and gaining exposure to careers in conservation and animal welfare. Whatever project they choose, kids have the power to make a real difference in their communities, helping to build a more compassionate world for all creatures.

PAWS helps cats, dogs, and wildlife go home and thrive — whether home is the family room or the forest. We achieve this by rehabilitating injured and orphaned wildlife, sheltering and adopting out homeless cats and dogs, and educating the community to inspire compassionate action. We offer a wide variety of ways for kids to get involved in helping domestic and wild animals.

Since 1967, PAWS has:

• United more than 170,000 cats and dogs with loving families
• Cared for more than 160,000 sick, injured, and orphaned wild animals
• Made the world a better place for countless others through outreach, education, and advocacy.

PAWS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center operates an emergency hospital and specialized recovery facilities designed to rehabilitate sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife, helping them recover and return to the wild.

📍 Our wildlife rehabilitation center has moved!
We are now located at:
13508 State Route 9 SE, Snohomish, WA 

If you need assistance with a wild animal, use our online self-service form or call 425-412-4040.