A Peaceful Farewell
  • Home
  • The Decision
  • What to Expect
  • Services & Fees
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Additional Services
  • Pet Loss Support
  • Pet Memorials
  • Testimonials
  • The PAW Blog
  • FAQ
  • Home
  • The Decision
  • What to Expect
  • Services & Fees
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Additional Services
  • Pet Loss Support
  • Pet Memorials
  • Testimonials
  • The PAW Blog
  • FAQ

Dogs Can Boost Children's Reading Skills 

5/5/2014

1 Comment

 
Dogs make good listeners, and the kids can help themselves in school by reading to their canine companions.

Can reading to a dog raise children's reading levels? According to studies on the subject a young student's reading scores can advance significantly – two to four grade levels – by reading to a dog for just 20 minutes a week throughout the school year (40 weeks).

The American Library Association estimates that there are 27 million functionally illiterate adults in the United States. The national "America Reads'' program notes that 40 percent of fourth graders read below their grade level, and that children who don't master reading by the third grade risk falling further behind.

Children who read to pets have less absenteeism, visit the library more often, and improve their grades on report cards. Also, children with low self-esteem are often more willing to interact with an animal than with another person. Pets can also teach children empathy and compassion.

Getting Kids Excited About Reading

"We didn't invent the concept of a child reading to a pet, but we were the first to use the structure," said Kathy Klotz, executive director of the Reading Education Assistance Dogs program (R.E.A.D.). She refers to depictions of people reading to dogs in Victorian times, and she has heard several adults admit that they used to read to their dog in the closet as a child. "There is no question that children are terribly eager to read to a dog."

Parents don't necessarily have to wait until a program like R.E.A.D. comes to their child's school. They can try this at home with their children, Klotz said, as long as the dog or cat is trained and able to stay calm for at least 20 minutes while the child reads to it.

Dog Days of School

Several schools have implemented visitation programs that bring trained therapy dogs as a way to encourage children's reading, but it is still a rare practice. At the last count, less than 3,000 children have participated in the R.E.A.D program since its inception in 1999.

Mary Renck Jalongo studied this practice and wrote about it in a recent issue of the journal "Childhood Education."

"When children were asked to read aloud under three conditions (to a peer, to an adult, and to a therapy dog), the presence of a therapy dog reduced children's blood pressure and heart rate to normal levels and diminished other observable signs of anxiety," Renck Jalongo said. "Working with animals is remarkably effective with students who have attentional difficulties, disruptive behaviors, or a general lack of interest in reading."

A Special Connection

The special connection between troubled children and animals was not lost on Samuel B. Ross, Jr., founder of Green Chimneys in Brewster, N.Y., a residential treatment program for children with emotional, behavioral, and learning challenges. The 75-acre farm has a menagerie of 300 animals for 192 children, ages 6 to 18, to interact with. These are all children who have not been accepted back to a public school.

"The children heal the animals, and the animals heal the children," Ross said. "They learn they're capable of doing something productive, having been told they're a failure earlier. Here, they find out this is not entirely true."

Game Plan

R.E.A.D recommends that 20 minutes be set aside each week for struggling readers to practice reading aloud to a dog. Using the standard 180 school days, or about 40 weeks, this adds approximately 14 hours of supervised practice in reading aloud. Enjoyment is essential because low-ability readers learn words incidentally when they are reading for fun.

Success in attitude and academics among reluctant readers can be found by reading to those who offer unconditional respect and attention. Typically, they have four legs.

1 Comment
Vivek vasudevan link
2/24/2021 08:31:49 am

The children heal the animals, and the animals heal the children

wow excellent concept, i will try with my child

thank you

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    The PAW Blog...
    For the LOVE of Pets
    The goal of this blog is to help educate pet owners by sharing pet health facts and pet news articles...and ... sometimes put a smile on your face with a cute or funny pet story! 

    Categories

    All
    Animal World Records
    Behavior
    Cat FAQ
    Cat Health
    Celebrity Pets
    Cute Pet Pics
    Cute Pet Stories
    Dog Health
    Dogs FAQ
    Dogs - FAQ
    Farm Animals
    Featured Breeds
    Fish And Exotic Pets
    Funny Pet Pictures
    Funny Pet Stuff
    Gift Ideas
    Health Alerts
    Holistic Pet Care
    Lost And Found AZ Pets
    Nutrition
    People & Pets
    Pet Adoption
    Pet Books
    Pet Facts
    Pet Gadgets & Supplies
    Pet Loss
    Pet Names
    Pet News
    Pet Nutrition
    Pet Of The Week
    Pet Poisons FAQ
    Pet Polls
    Pet Recipes
    Pet Rescue
    Pets With Cancer
    Pet Technology
    Pet Training
    Pet Travel
    Pet Trivia
    Pet Videos
    Pocket Pets
    Poisonous Plants
    Quick Tips
    Rainbow Bridge
    Recalls
    Research News
    Upcoming Local Pet Events
    Veterinary FAQ
    Weird Pet Stuff
    Wildlife

    Archives

    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    September 2019
    August 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    September 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Search for any topic...

    RSS Feed

Providing compassionate in-home pet euthanasia to fellow pet owners in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Scottsdale, and most of the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area
(480) 760-5896
email: [email protected]
Picture


Proud Member of the American Veterinary Medical Association

Picture


Proud Member of the AZ Pet Professionals