8 Fun Movies To Get Your Kids To Love Animals, Adventure, And Nature’s Magic!

Of the many adaptations of this Kipling classic, Disney's 1967 animated movie remains unmatched in charm, wit and wisdom. The Jungle Book provides the perfect backdrop for a discussion on animal homes and eating habits. The endearing characters and catchy songs will stay with your child for a long time. Don't be surprised if you wake up to the song, The Bare Necessities, every day for the next few weeks!

Activity: Get your preschooler to work on their gross motor skills by moving the way animals do—walking like a bear, slithering like a snake, jumping like an antelope, bounding like a panther, and so on.

If your kid has never watched a full movie, this is the perfect initiation. It's short (69 minutes), sweet (non-threatening), familiar (true to the look and feel of the Pooh books), and deals with issues very real to preschoolers (missing possessions, food cravings and irrational fears). This movie is also a great starting point for a conversation on feelings: Why is Piglet scared? Why is Eeyore sad?

Activity: Draw a tailless Eeyore on a chart. Make a cutout of Eeyore's tail. Put glue or double-sided tape on one side of the tail. Blindfold your child and, ask them to find their way to the chart and stick the tail on Eeyore's back.

This classic tells the tale of Elsa, an orphaned lion cub raised by a human couple and released into the wild. It allows you to introduce your primary schooler to several issues human-wildlife conflict and challenges faced by animals growing up in captivity till maturity and then set free to fend for themselves in the wild.

Activity: Talk to your child about the challenges an animal raised in captivity is likely to face when released into the wild. Will the animal miss human contact? Is it possible to teach the animal survival skills before releasing it into the wild? What can be done to help the animals adapt better to their new environment?

This is a moving story of the deep friendship between an injured dolphin, Winter, and an introverted boy, Sawyer Nelson, who help each other overcome their weaknesses. The movie stars the very dolphin it talks about. It explores some sensitive themes—living with disability (the dolphin has a prosthetic tail), growing up in a single-parent household, and battling depression.

Activity: Create a scavenger hunt based on the five senses. One sense can be disabled for each round. For example, blindfold your child and ask them to identify objects purely through touch. Then, give a clue, which must be enacted as charades without a single word being spoken.

Set in a deeply patriarchal Maori village in New Zealand, this coming-of-age movie follows Pai, a 12-year-old girl aspiring to become the first female chief of her tribe. Born into a whale-worshipping, sea-faring tribe, she overcomes her grandfather's deep-rooted gender bias and her insecurities to prove herself as a kind, compassionate, decisive, and courageous leader-to-be.

Activity: Sit down with your child, and together, come up with challenges that your child can take up. For instance, if your child is not very punctual, being on time would be a challenge for them, or if they find junk food alluring, eating healthy would be a challenge. Offer support to your child only if needed and appreciate their efforts.

Activity: Get your child to notice the animal babies in your neighborhood—puppies, kittens, chickens, or hatchlings in nests. What kind of care and support do they receive from their parents? How does this compare with human caregivers?

The film tells the true story of conservationist Dian Fossey, who studied the mountain gorillas of the Congo and Rwanda in Africa. She combats poaching and corruption and makes tremendous personal sacrifices to protect the fearsome animals she deeply loves. Shunning human company and seeking solace among gorillas, Fossey turns into a fanatic animal lover and meets a tragic end.

Activity: Read out to your child the memoirs of naturalists and conservationists—Jane Goodall, David Attenborough, Joy Adamson, and Gerald Durrell, who lived in close contact with wild animals, and have a discussion on the books.

Tyler, a Canadian biologist, takes on a government mission to the Canadian Arctic to investigate a drop in the caribou population. Braving bitter cold, he studies the eating habits of a pack of Arctic wolves and herds of caribou. These encounters with nature and wildlife help him grow as a person. He becomes acutely aware of his powerlessness against nature while realizing the threat his fellow beings pose to habitats and animals.

Activity: Try camping out on the terrace or in the garden for an afternoon or a night. Set up a tent, keep some rations (bread, cookies, fruits), and stay away from digital devices. Ask your teen to pay attention to the fauna around them and write a short essay on their experience.