Izzat Yaganagi, head of InSOUL, was invited to deliver a TEDx talk at the reputed DPS Bangalore North campus on 25th July 2025. The theme for the talk was Triumph Redefined. 

In this powerful and heartwarming TEDx talk, Izzat Yaganagi, trekker, counselor, and director at Indiahikes School of OuUtdoor Learning unpacks how an unexpected classroom lies hidden amid rugged trails, not lecture halls. 

So I have just returned from Georgia, trekking in the Caucasian mountains between Georgia and Russia, and just arrived back this morning. So if I sound a little incoherent at times, please forgive me, but it was a beautiful experience as it always is in the mountains, and I feel refreshed and rejuvenated. 

My mind is clear, all of that. I'm also very happy to be here today to be among all of you, and to share the little bit that we have learned and observed over the years. As was introduced, I'm Izzat, and I head the Indiahikes School of Outdoor Learning. I've been a part of this endeavor for the last 13 years, and I still look forward to every day. I guess by the end of today's talk, you will know why that is. 

Izzat Yaganagi at a rest point on the Georgia Atsunta Pass trek.

So just before I left for Georgia, I got a call from a teacher, and she told me that something very interesting happened, and something that she's really happy about. 

There was a child from the school who accompanied other children who went on a trek, a day hike around here in Bangalore. This was a child who had special needs. When our trek leader came back, he narrated that there was a child who did not mingle with others, who was to himself, and got a little agitated when he was in the company of others. So he stayed away most of the time. 

He slowly changed, and by the time he reached the summit that day, he was sitting very close to the trek leader, slowly joining the group; he didn't want to be away. 

He showed interest in what was happening and wanted to engage. When he came back, I got a call from the teacher a few days before I left. She said that he's different even in school, and he seems more engaged now. He seems to have opened up. 

Students making new friends on a school day hike programme.

He doesn't seem to want to be on his own. The other students in the class are a little more receptive towards him. That really made my day, and it is also the reason why I continue doing what I do, because I've seen the effect and the impact that the outdoors has on somebody. 

The “Troublemaker” Who Found Purpose on the Trail

It also reminded me of another child. His name is changed here. I'll call him Adi so that it's easier to speak. So Adi was also a child who had a lot of issues in school. He was known as a troublemaker, and he always got into trouble. He came badly dressed many times because he was in scuffles and fights, and his grades were low, and most of the time, children stayed away from him because he would get into fights all the time. 

Fortunately, the school took the students on a trek, and something very amazing happened. Adi in the outdoors was very different from Adi indoors. It was almost like the walls around him were just suddenly broken. It was like his spirit was free. You could see a smile on his face. You could see him running around because he could run here. 

Students enjoying the views at the summit on a day hike near Bangalore.

He was not in a classroom. Here, we told all of them that yes, you have to pick up the garbage you see on the trail because we need to leave the mountains better than we find them.  Adi got fully into it. 

He had his eco bag, and he kept running around looking for garbage. Once his bag was full, which happened in about 10 minutes, he started picking up garbage and filling other people's bags. 

So all the children's bags were filled by the end of the day, and he needed a sack. So then it almost seemed like he had something to do, and he did it so well. 

Not just this, he even saw that others were struggling. He was agile. He was strong, and he saw some other children struggling with the heavy bags. He'd go and help them. He would hold their hand in tricky sections. At one point, where there was a steep incline, I saw Adi carrying three bags and smiling and walking. He was helping everyone around him. 

Just imagine what a difference it is for him to see himself in this way, that he's doing something that others appreciate, and for others to also see him differently. This is the first time they saw who Adi truly was. 

A child carefully collecting trash from the trail.

You know that beautiful person inside that was hidden within the walls of the classroom; he could shine. And two years later, I spoke to one of the teachers from the school because I was a little curious about what happened to him. 

They said his grades have improved. He was doing really well. He dresses better. He keeps the campus clean because that thing got into his head that I have something that I can do which makes a difference in the planet, and everyone sees him differently. He sees himself differently. So this is a very small bit of the 13 years of experience with thousands of students that we have taken, and there are so many stories like this to tell. 

Why the Outdoors Brings Out the Best in Us

Here we see that when there's a change in environment, sometimes different people shine in different environments, just like different plants need different environments to grow. The outdoors are a perfect environment for almost anyone to shine. You cannot have pretenses when you're outdoors. 

After a few days or a few hours of struggle, your true self comes out, and most of the time, that true inner self is beautiful. It has strengths. It has talents. It has skills that you did not even know existed. 

Sometimes you don't know yourself until you put yourself out of your comfort zone, doing something different in a different environment. And that's what I've been seeing over the years while working with students in the outdoors. 

You must be wondering how this happened. 

My Turning Point: Kashmir Great Lakes Trek

Well, in 2011, when my kids were grown up, I went on my first Himalayan trek, and I went because I just thought I needed to get away from the city. I was just so bogged down with things around me. My mind was in a mess. Professionally, I seemed to be doing okay as a counselor and a trainer, but that didn't seem to be enough. 

I wanted to know what the rest of my life is going to look like because I could not see ahead, and a friend suggested this trek. I joined. I was really happy they accepted me. Then I reached up onto this high point on the Kashmir Great Lakes trek. I could see two lakes below me. We had walked up from these lakes. It was quite a struggle. It was beautiful, but it was difficult.

Reaching up there and feeling the wind in my face and just that silence and just being there like a speck in the universe, feeling I am nobody and my troubles are so insignificant. At the same time, I felt I was everything. I'm a part of this whole beautiful universe, and so there must be a role that I should play. 

That thought was so strong, and I've heard the same thought resonate in so many people, so many come back saying that they had tears at the summit, or they had tears while walking in the forest, or holding on to a tree, or looking at a beautiful flower. 

I know that these are turning points in people's lives, and very often it happens when you're outdoors. It happened after a struggle, which was a turning point, and I realized I needed to do something in the outdoors. 

I need to take my clients outdoors. If I can't take them, I will send them. So many of those who were in counseling with me for a year, 2 years, slow progress, sure progress, but not enough, you know. I said go on a trek, and one of them did. 

She went on a trek, and the next session was the last session with me. Now she's a constant trekker, and I feel so happy about it. 

So many times I've recommended it, to just step out, just go out, find yourself, break those boundaries. 

You know, when you reach a high point, it's like you can see the horizon around you; sometimes, when you're down, you can't see. When you're in the forest, you can't see where you need to go, so you need to reach somewhere where you can see the road ahead, and that is what happened on my first trek in Kashmir. 

The Younger They Start, the Deeper the Impact

After that, I came back, and I volunteered to go with a student group. This time, I said, let me see what happens with students. This was back in 2012. 

Then I saw that when children are out of their comfort zone, when they work together in teams, when they are cooperating and not constantly competing with each other, when they support each other, when they feel each other's pain, when all of them have their hands in freezing cold water, when they have to help in making their own food, the appreciation, those changes that happen within them, in their heart, in their soul - changes those children forever.

Children's joy knows no bounds in the outdoors!

I completely decided, enough of my regular counseling work, enough of doing workshops and training, which I don't know how effective they were. I know they are effective, but here I saw something very different, so I just moved into this as an outdoor educator and as somebody who dreamt of starting adventure therapy, which started after 10 years down the line. 

That is what has brought me to working with students, young people, the youngest of young, and also up to the graduate level students from the IIMs that come with us, and what I have noticed is that the younger they are when they step out, the impact becomes part of their being. 

I know that many of you here have gone on treks. I know that you have started quite young, and I'm sure somewhere inside there, you have found a reason to keep going or something that has made a difference. If I ask any of you here, I'm sure you would tell me that we could speak about it later. 

So that was the story so far, and I would like to perhaps end with something to the parents and the teachers, anyone out there. 

Redefining Success: The Summit is Not Everything

So recently, last year, we had a summer camp for teens, for those between the ages of 15 and 17. There was this girl whose father really wanted her to reach the summit and take a picture on the summit. We knew that because he spoke to us about it, he said it's very important that she feels achievement in her life, that she feels like she has triumphed. 

So, for her, I think the summit picture is important. She needs to get there no matter what. So please encourage her. Unfortunately, she was too tired by the time we reached a point on the Chandashila trek. She stopped at Tungnath, and she just couldn't. But she didn't seem disappointed. She looked at peace. She looked content, and she said, "It's fine. I'll wait here, and the rest of them can go and come. I think I'll enjoy the peace". We were okay with it because she didn't seem troubled. 

Children playing with snow during a summer camp.

But when that picture went to the father and he saw his daughters not in it, he just blew his head. He was so upset because he just sent her with one thing in mind, that success meant going to the summit, that is going to change everything for her. He was very upset. 

So in Rishikesh, when he came to pick her up, we were all a little bit worried, what's going to happen now, is he going to blame her, is she going to feel bad? She didn't seem to be worried at all; she was laughing, joyful from afar. 

He could see her with the other students happily walking, and even her body language was different. It was like an open posture of confidence, and she came and spoke about all the amazing things that happened on the trek, how they worked together, how they cooked, how they pitched tents, how her fear of heights vanished. Her fear of darkness vanished. Even talking to others, interacting with others, which she was a little hesitant about earlier. Now she was completely comfortable and confident talking to everyone, all the others. She had made so many friends, friends for life.

She said, seeing all this, something shifted in the father's head. He realized, just like we had already realized, that the summit is not everything. The way to the summit, the learnings on the way, the hardship that you face and overcome, the friendships that you make, and the beauty around you that touches your soul. All of these are triumphs. All of these are successes in their own way. And each and every one of them counts for us. That was really beautiful to see the father and daughter hug for him to realize that yes, what he wanted for his daughter happened, and much more. 

She got a realization that was much bigger than what he had in mind. So with that, my stories are over for today, but I have countless other stories that I would love to share at some point. For each and every one here, what I know is that there is something special in every individual. There is something that you have to find, and you discover it. 

Closing Reflections: Find Your Unique Triumph

You discover it in a challenge. You discover when you step out of your comfort zone. You discover it when you do something new. You discover it a lot when you step out into nature and into the mountains. So do that. 

Find what it is that makes you unique, makes you you, makes you that part of the universe which is connected to every other part and which is so important for the rest of the universe to also exist. Once you find your strength, your talent, use it for the rest of your life to develop it. Use it for yourself and use it in the service of others. I think that for me, triumph is redefined. 

From Trails to Transformation, A TedX Talk By Izzat Yaganagi

A few weeks ago, we ran a survey with over 70 parents whose children had just returned from an 8-day trek in the Himalayas with us.

We wanted to know if parents noticed any changes (big or small) in their children after the trek.

“My daughter came back more confident. She realised she had been chasing what others like and dislike. When she returned, she asked us to remove Instagram from her phone on her own!”

“We felt she is now more confident. Her speaking skills have shown great improvement.”

“My son said ‘nothing is impossible if we work hard.' He was afraid of trekking and whether he would make it to the summit, but he did it!”

“His social skills and confidence have greatly improved.”

Parents and educators underestimate how deeply confidence is tied to a child’s environment. We assume confidence is a personality trait; that some children are “lucky” to be born with confidence.

In reality, confidence is a skill that needs nurturing. A child's confidence skyrockets when they have enough opportunities for action, autonomy, and just enough risk. 

This isn’t just true for children. Plenty of adults who have never identified as “outdoorsy” come back tired and happy but changed after their first Himalayan trek. They are taken aback at their own strength and feel proud.

The unbelievable feeling of having made it to the summit | Photo credits: Vishnu S, Photo Trekker

Can you imagine what an experience like this does to a 12-year-old who’s never been away from home, crossed a stream, or made a decision on their own? It means the world.

How Outdoor Learning Builds Children’s Confidence Better Than Classrooms

Studies show that children become more independent and confident through outdoor learning. Here’s a list of 9 research-backed reasons why:

1.      Nature encourages independent, real-world problem solving

Trekking requires quick, practical thinking. Where do I step? How do I set up this tent? Who needs help in my team? Can I do this? Being outdoors encourages children to make high-agency decisions.

The role of facilitators at the Indiahikes School of Outdoor Learning (InSOUL) is to strategically help children figure out problems on their own while trekking. Studies show that being in nature lends itself remarkably to independent problem-solving.

Children quickly evaluate what might work, or think of Plan B when it doesn’t. Children can solve problems on their own or with peers. Their actions have consequences; the problem isn’t hypothetical.

The outdoor learning process builds authentic confidence. Children know they’ve earned their stripes.

2. Trekking allows “safe risks,” encouraging self-trust and self-belief

Studies on risky play show that children who take calculated, age-appropriate risks develop better judgment and higher resilience.

What does a tough Himalayan trail or chilly morning teach children? I can push through discomfort. I can adapt. When you do it often enough, the belief sticks. A child learns that they can handle much more than they ever thought possible.

3. The outdoors encourage children’s autonomy

We tell children to “grow up”, yet never give them the chance to prove themselves. Less adult control gives children more autonomy. Unlike in the classroom, children on treks get to be in charge of themselves. 

In our experience, children rise to the occasion each time - carrying their own backpack, washing their own utensils, taking accountability for group or personal decisions on a trek. Children gain confidence through independent exploration when adults step back. They feel trusted and capable.

4. Physical movement improves mind-body awareness

When children feel strong in their bodies, it improves how they see themselves. Physical movement releases endorphins, strengthens executive functioning, and increases self-perception.

Outdoor physical activity like trekking activates the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for self-regulation and planning. Children finish treks stronger, more coordinated and aware of their bodies; thus, more in sync with themselves.

Failure is a stigma in traditional learning spaces. On a trek, “failure” is simply a natural step in learning. If you forgot your gloves, you learn to pack better next time. Feeling breathless halfway? You rest, then try again. Through iteration and resilience, a child’s confidence soars when outdoors. 

Approaches to concepts of failure in outdoor learning aligns with Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset research, which says that how we praise and provide feedback significantly impacts whether individuals adopt a growth or fixed mindset. 

The outdoors allow children to fail safely and try again without fear, shame, or judgement | Photo credits: Vishnu S, Photo Trekker

6. Outdoor learning gives voice and agency to different learners  

Forest School pedagogy and Vygotsky’s social learning theory both emphasise how cooperative tasks (like cooking, tent-pitching, or navigation) build confidence and collective resilience. These moments build social confidence, especially in children who feel invisible in large classrooms. 

Treks are collaborative by nature, whether it’s deciding the group pace or helping a struggling friend. On our treks, we often see quieter children step up, while the boisterous lot learn to make space for others. The right facilitation on a trek gives every child a voice.

7. Nature learning allows multiple forms of expression

When you're in a classroom, "confidence” is interpreted as knowing the answers, speaking up in class, or excelling in a sport.

On a trek, confidence could look like navigating a trail, helping someone struggling, building a shelter, learning how to cook, or trying something over and over. Different kinds of learners have space to shine in the outdoors.

Children who struggle speaking up have opportunities to lead through different mediums: navigation, music, visuals, physical movement, or leading in nature.

8. Success on a trek is self-measured, not defined by others

Who reaches the summit the fastest isn’t important on an InSOUL trek. Each child’s success is personal. 

We’ve met children who were terrified of trekking, but pushed through and did it anyway. That is success. Some children tend to get extremely homesick. Discovering that you can handle things on your own and do it well? That, too, is success. Success is also crossing streams with confidence or carrying your own backpack.

Experiences on a trek mean something different to each child. They complete a trek feeling both proud and grounded.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) research underlines nature's neutrality. Nature doesn’t judge. It is a space without rigid parameters, tests, and examinations. 

Children are free to explore, lead, fail, and succeed on their own terms. On InSOUL treks, our facilitators honour the neutrality of nature, giving each child self-assurance through emotional safety.

Through safe exposures to risk, outdoor learning via well-designed trekking programmes give a child real-world independence, deep self awareness,  and social-emotional growth.

Every trek at InSOUL is designed with these outcomes in mind. When your child returns home  and it seems like they are standing a little taller, it’s because they’ve earned that ground through action, agency, and reflection.

All these factors work together - not in theory, but in measurable practice - to nurture happier, capable children. Trekking helps children meet the world with confidence, a lot more certain of who they are and what they can achieve.

Confidence is a skill that needs nurturing. Read why outdoor learning is the ideal environment to raise more confident, capable children.

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9 Reasons Why Trekking Makes Children More Confident

We’ve met many schools keen on introducing trekking into the curriculum. Since it's a relatively niche activity in our country, the misconceptions about trekking are still high.

Some assume it's an excursion; others think there will be access to roads or vehicles all the time.

Recently, a faculty member was taken aback while on the trek, when there was no phone network for days! And this, despite multiple presentations, Q&A sessions, meeting the team in person, and due diligence before the trek. This article will address any questions you might have if your school is new to trekking.

Everything you need to know before your first school trek in the Himalayas

1. Walking on foot in stunning but steep terrain

Children ascending a steep section on the Kuari Pass trek | Photo credits: Keerthi Lakshmi, Social Media Assistant at Indiahikes

Your students and you will be walking for several hours each day, typically 4 to 7 hours.

Students become more agile, sure-footed, and confident in navigating rough terrain.

The long walk helps students appreciate the natural world and immerse themselves in it.

Students learn to lean on their peers and ask for help when needed.

Students learn the value of collaboration instead of unhealthy competition.

Sometimes you’re climbing, sometimes descending

The distances covered may not seem vast on paper, but the altitude, uneven terrain, and weather conditions add to the challenge. We’ve been trekking with children for over a decade, and can confidently say that they are always up for the challenge!

Most of our Himalayan treks for schools climb up to altitudes between 11,000-12,000 feet above sea level. At these altitudes, the air has less oxygen, and the body takes time to acclimatise.

Students may feel more tired than usual. They may need more time to recover after exertion. 

It’s completely normal, but it’s also why physical preparation and mental readiness are critical before the trek begins.

3. Trekking is a wilderness experience, not an excursion

Just you and the mountains | Picture credits: Harsh P, Trek Leader at Indiahikes

Trekking takes you far away from human habitation or motorable roads. Most of us are accustomed to weekend trips in hill station towns – far from urban spaces yet still offering creature comforts. Trekking is much more exciting!

We venture into places most people will probably never see in their lives – all because we choose to walk there.

Trekking gives students opportunities to bond outside classroom environments. Away from academic pressures or incessant screen time, classmates get to know each other better. Friends become closer. Acquaintances may become friends.

Students may see their teachers in a new light while trekking. Since outdoor learning is not the same as classroom learning, the role of the teacher shifts. You can step back from having to “teach.” Teachers who accompany students on InSOUL treks are enablers more than instructors. Read more on the role of a teacher during an InSOUL programme.

The remoteness means that vehicles are not readily available. You cannot hop into a car to complete the rest of the trek. The only way is to keep walking ahead or turn back on foot.

In case of emergency evacuations, our team members walk back with you, often for hours. We descend the trails on foot until we can get you safely to the nearest village with a motorable road.

It’s important that schools are physically and mentally ready for this level of remoteness.

4. No mules or porters to carry your bags

Everyone carries their own backpack on an InSOUL trek. We insist on it.

Carrying your own backpack is a practical lesson in minimalism | Photo credits: Keerthi Lakshmi, Social Media Assistant at Indiahikes

The benefits of carrying your own backpack:

Students learn self-sufficiency and independence in the outdoors.

Students learn to pack and live light. Trekking is a practical lesson in minimalism for children growing up in a world of over-consumption.

Carrying your own backpack prevents additional burden on animals or other people.

We assign a specific number of porters and mules to carry essential trekking equipment only.

There won’t be mules to carry your bag, unless it is a health/injury-related emergency.

Whether you’re a student or teacher, you carry your own backpack. It becomes imperative to pack light.

An integral part of trekking is embracing the unexpected. You go into it with a sense of adventure; knowing that things might not turn out the way you expect them to, and enjoying it anyway.

Students trekking through fog and rain | Photo credits: Indiahikes archive

The benefits of trekking through bad weather:

Students learn to accept and stay resilient in discomfort.

Students push through self-doubt, meeting and overcoming challenges they never thought possible.

Students learn to adapt when things don’t go the way they want.

Weather in the Himalayas is unpredictable. It might rain, it might snow. We keep walking. The team turns back only if our trek leaders have assessed the situation and consider it unsafe.

6. Sleeping in Shared Tents: A Practical Necessity

If you choose to trek, you will experience camping under the stars and open skies. Camping is a raw, unfiltered way to live in harmony with nature. Living in shared tents is a crucial part of the experience.

Camping in the Himalayas is a once-in-a-lifetime experience | Photo credits: Keerthi Lakshmi, Social Media Assistant at Indiahikes

Sleeping in tents brings everyone together.

Sharing tents keeps students safe and warm.

Students remain cosy and comfortable while still getting a feel of roughing it out in the outdoors.  

We provide tents designed for the conditions - lightweight yet sturdy for high-altitude terrain.

Inside, students will share tents (usually 2 or 3 to a tent) to stay warm when temperatures dip at night.

We do not provide plush mattresses, pillows, or private tents. The focus is on safety, warmth, and a shared adventure.

7. Freezing Temperatures; Can Drop To Single Digits

School students after a successful summit push | Photo credits: Indiahikes archive

Never underestimate how cold it can get in the Himalayas. Even in summer, temperatures in the Himalayas can drop to single digits especially at night.

Many schools underestimate this, leading to students arriving underprepared. Warm layers, thermals, good socks, gloves, and woollen caps are not optional. They are essentials for survival and comfort.

How often do we worry that screens are taking over children’s lives? Here’s your chance to get them to ditch the phones for days! 

Actually, students don’t have much of a choice. There will be no phone signal where we’re headed, which makes confiscating their phones much easier for you and us.

Disconnecting from the digital world helps students connect more deeply to nature, to others, and to their own selves.

Without endless notifications and over-stimulation, students learn to live in the moment and just be.

Students are more able to focus on the tasks at hand.

What days of no tech can look like! | Photo credits: Harsh P., Trek Leader at Indiahikes

Once the trek begins, you will be out of network range for several days. You will not be able to make calls or send messages/emails.

Certain sections of treks might receive mobile network, but the connection is patchy at best.

We’ve had instances where a trek was delayed for hours because someone from the organisation insisted on finding a signal to send office email! 

Instead, we urge school staff to make use of this golden opportunity to disconnect, and encourage it in students as well.

Treks take students out of their comfort zones and into a space where they must rely on themselves and their peers. It’s a powerful learning experience; only if expectations are clear from the start.

Before you consider a trek for your students, it’s important everyone—teachers, parents, and students—knows exactly what it involves. This way, your students (and you) know what to expect beforehand.

Trekking is far from easy, but it’s an experience that will shape students positively for life.

From terrain and temperatures to sleeping in tents - everything you need to know before your first school trek in the Himalayas.

Thinking of a School Trek? Read This First

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Recently, we had students from a school join us for their first overnight camping trek in Kodaikanal. They were thrilled to visit a campsite so remote and pristine and were excited to have the adventure of a lifetime by camping with their friends in an outdoor setting.

Their first apprehension was, “Will there be snakes?” Then others chimed in, “I think I would die if I saw a spider in my tent,” and, “Don’t get me started on lizards.”

As a parent of a child growing up in the city, have you ever rescued your child from a fitful fright when they saw a spider or a lizard in their room?

These fears of insects and other creepy-crawlies are common. However, if you leave it unaddressed, these fears can turn into lifelong phobias, and prevent them from enjoying the outdoors and miss out on the wonders of nature. 

The natural world holds a magical charm that shapes their understanding of the environment and their relationship to it.

The first step in helping your children overcome their fears is to ensure that you’re not unintentionally passing on your own. Children are highly perceptive and easily pick up on how you react to the natural world. 

If you feel uneasy or fearful, begin by acknowledging where you are. Start with aspects of nature that you feel comfortable with, and when you're ready, work on confronting your own fears. By doing so, you’ll be better equipped to guide your child through theirs.

If you believe it is important for your child to witness and engage with the natural world around them, but a fear of insects and creepy-crawlies is preventing them from stepping outdoors, here are five tips you can use to help your child overcome their fears.

A child and a Trek Leader exploring the textures and movements of creatures along the trails.

Understanding the Fear
Start by understanding what exactly scares your child. Is it the sudden movements, the way these creatures look, or something they've heard? Listen to their fears without dismissing them. Let them know it's okay to be afraid but also explain that fear can be managed. The more they learn about these creatures, the less scary they become.

The joy children experience when they are able to face their fears! Picture Credits: Harsh Patel, Trek Leader, Indiahikes.

Harsh, a Trek Leader at Indiahikes, shares how on a recent trek to Coorg, the adults in the group were quite terrified of the leeches they might encounter on the trail. A 7-year-old trekker, Nila, did not know what leeches were. 

Harsh made sure to tell her that if she had any concerns on the trail, she should ask him. When she got a leech bite, she showed the blood to him. 

She was not scared, just curious. He picked up the small leech and asked her to hold it in her palm (since they cannot bite through the thick skin on the palm of our hands) and showed her how to observe the harmless creature, explaining how to deal with the bite. 

She later began seeing it as a largely harmless and, in her understanding, a friendly creature.


Little Nila, holding a leech. Picture Credits: Harsh Patel, Trek Leader, Indiahikes.

2. Educating Through Positive Information

Knowledge is a great antidote to fear. Share simple facts about insects, worms, and snakes. Explain how worms help keep the soil healthy and how snakes control pests. Use books, videos, and documentaries that portray these creatures positively. Seeing them in a non-threatening light can change their perception.

Here are a few examples of some facts that often get children curious and excited about the creatures:

Butterflies taste with their feet! They stand on a leaf to see if it’s good to eat.

Grasshoppers can leap up to 20 times their body length, the same as a human jumping the length of a basketball court!

Ladybugs play dead and release a smelly liquid to protect themselves from predators.

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