you have heard How Reading to Dogs Can Help Children Improve Reading
Dogs are patient, nonjudgmental listeners. They don’t mind kids spending time trying new words. They don’t interrupt questions or make corrections.
Kids love the novel idea of reading stories to dogs, even if the dogs don’t understand the plot. It might remind them of their parents who read them stories to show their love at bedtime. How wonderful it is for children to pass on love from a young age, even if they can’t remember which books they read, they will always remember those warm and fuzzy moments.
Many shelters across the United States have reading programs that provide companionship and socialization for adoptable dogs and opportunities for children to read with them.
Despite their inability to understand stories, dogs can learn to love being around children, preparing them for finding a family of their own.
Why Reading to Dogs Isn’t Just for Kids
Even if you haven’t learned to read in decades, you can still benefit from reading aloud with your dog.
You may be learning a new language, taking a university course, or simply trying to learn a new skill.
Research shows that reading aloud and even teaching others—even your dog—is far more effective than learning and reading silently yourself.This is called protective effect.
What’s more, dogs are very sensitive to human voices.
They can understand our tone of voice, adjust our emotions, experience changes in their brain activity, and recognize their human voices.
Your voice can be so comforting to your dog that some pet parents record themselves reading stories and play them when they’re not home to help dogs deal with separation anxiety.
Learning a Second Language with Dogs
I’ve been trying to learn Spanish for years, but no matter how many Spanish courses and apps I take, no matter how much time I spend with Spanish-speaking family, no matter how much Spanish-language music I listen to, it just doesn’t seem to click .
One of my favorite Spanish learning exercises is to take home Spanish picture books from the children’s section of the local library.
Library books helped me grow my vocabulary as a kid, so why not try learning Spanish?
My dog loves to curl up next to me while I read stories, counting pronunciation and storylines. They also didn’t mind when I got stuck and had to look up a translator. I don’t have to be ashamed of making mistakes. And I feel motivated to act out the voice and read the story in a fun, engaging way instead of just trying to figure out the words.
Even though my dogs don’t know much English or Spanish, they clearly enjoy those special story times together. Recently, we were reading Greg van Eekhout’s Perronautas – in three chapters we got hooked on an amazing story about dogs traveling through space!
Will I have a chance to speak to my grandmother in Spanish? maybe not. But gradually, I became more aware of what people around me were saying, and felt more confident trying to speak, even when I would make mistakes and sound awkward.
What else can you do with your dog?
Any boring task can become a positive experience of having your dog by your side.
I’m going to file my taxes soon and I’m going to hate that as always.
But it helps when I talk to my dog about the process, and it helps me remember to take notes that will help me stay organized next quarter.
It doesn’t matter what you’re doing or how boring the task is – your dog just cares about being by your side, and that’s what makes life so good.
Happy dog watching everyone!
she also uses her pet copywriting business Make sure to find the best pet products and services online with engaging copywriting and fun, informative blog posts.she also offers Product Description Writing Services for e-commerce companies.
As Matilda and Cow’s dog mom, she spends most of her days on long walks and practicing new tricks, and most evenings trying to make the most of the very modest part of her bed.
You’ll also find her baking and homemade pizza, laughing, painting and shopping.
