Bird Watching For Kids: Learning The Basics

It is one of life’s great mysteries that children can have extensive knowledge about dinosaurs, zoo animals, and other animals that nature has to offer, yet know little or nothing about the birds flying around their own backyard. Bird watching for kids will give them an introduction to the blue jay, starling or the common red robin and can spark an interest that keeps them enjoying and appreciating nature for a lifetime. 

Some of the best bird watching locations for kids are in their backyards, parks, or local woodlands.  Numerous colorful birds are waiting to be seen in the city in which you live.   Once you have decided to take your children on a possible life changing adventure, take them to a local mountain where you might just see a bald eagle or other endangered species of birds.  Children love to be involved with nature and their surroundings.  They are virtual sponges when it comes to learning, and there is no better way to teach them about their environment and surroundings than teaching them the basics of bird watching for kids. 

Two Requirements for Bird Watching for Kids

The first item that helps with bird watching for kids is a silhouette book or field guide.  Having a field guide to hand is like having an expert with you at all times, and helps the children to distinguish between the different species of birds.  It will help them to tell the difference between sounds, colors, and wingspans.  The best beginner’s bird watching for kids books are written by Stokes.  There is one for both the Eastern and Western areas of the United States.  These books make it a simple, exciting, and colorful way to teach bird watching for kids.
 
A pair of childproof binoculars is also a must.  You should try to keep it inexpensive because of the limited attention span that children have nowadays.   The Eagle Optics Energy binoculars are excellent for the younger bird watcher, as they provide excellent clarity for such an inexpensive starter.  They are durable and are able to be dropped, thrown around, and handled roughly with very little risk of significant damage.  Additionally, Eagle Optics Energy binoculars come in a variety of five different colors- helping to peak the children’s interest. 

After setting them up and teaching them how to use the binoculars and field guide, your next thought should be where to place the feeders in your yard to attract the birds and allow for maximum bird viewing.  They could be close to the widows so that you can discuss the different birds while eating breakfast, or up higher in the trees so they can learn about nesting. Putting up nesting boxes will also help teach the kids about nesting.  Bird watching for kids can be new and exciting, and with so many options of food sources, and feeders the possibilities are almost limitless on what types of birds they will be able to see on a regular basis.  There are plenty of other tips and ideas within this site, including our resources page, which can point you in the right direction for getting the equipment needed to get started, so why not start today.