So Why Enroll Your Children in Reading Dogs?
We’ll let the science speak for itself. Studies have found reading to dogs offer children the following benefits:
Reading Benefits
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Studies show that reading fluency has increased between 12-30% in children after participating in reading dogs programmes
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Gives children extra practice with reading and oral skills
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Some children feel reading becomes less difficult and become more confident reading aloud
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Reading to dogs has motivated children to read more at home, especially to their pets
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Children want to try and read more difficult books as they go through the programme
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Children feel more confident when answering reading related questions
Emotional Benefits
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Children enjoy the programme and think it’s fun. They look forward to coming to the library because they feel the dog is waiting for them.
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Children feel comfortable reading to dogs because dogs don’t judge them if they mispronounce a word.
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Petting dogs can help with motor skills and is known to be a calming factor as it can reduce stress, blood pressure and anxiety
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Children often feel safe when sitting with a dog from the programme
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Reading to dogs can boost the confidence of struggling readers and gives them an increased sense of pride
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A child can feel like a leader by reading aloud and pretending (s)he is the teacher
Social Benefits
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Children learn to take turns while waiting to read to the dog
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Children can learn kindness and empathy by petting and interacting with the dog
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Communication skills can be improved by practicing reading aloud
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Participants enjoy communicating with each other and talking about the session, the dog and the book they read
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