Pets May Help Your Children Read Better
New research from the UC Davis’ School of Veterinary Medicine is confirming what many anecdotal stories have suggested for some time – that Fido may be an ideal reading partner for your child. The school launched two studies, one on third-grade students who attended public school, and one on home schooled children. In each study, children regularly read to three shelter dogs, named Lollipop, Digory and Molly. At the end of the study, the researchers reported that the kids’ reading fluency improved by 12 percent in public school students and by 30 percent in home schooled students. And 75 percent of the parents reported that their children read aloud more more often and had more confidence when reading after completing the study. The researchers theorized that dogs, and pets in general, may help boost kids’ confidence when reading because they are nonjudgemental, and children don’t have to worry about being corrected or graded.
