Therapy Dogs Help Children Improve Reading Skills
According to an article on the AKC website, dogs were taken to a school library to help boost reading skills. The dogs participated at Literary Day at the Meredith College campus in Raleigh, North Carolina on April 30, 2010. Therapy dogs help to promote reading skills in children who have difficulty reading. Dogs offer a comforting presence that may help for foster confidence in children.
About 60 children from four elementary schools visited the college campus for a day of activities designed to promote reading. A team of from the American Kennel Club brought a team of well mannered dogs to listen to the children reading. The dogs included a Border Collie, Siberian Husky and a Bouvier des Flandres.
Dogs are non judgmental company, so the children could feel comfortable reading to the dogs. Children who have difficulty reading may feel more comfortable reading to the dogs because they do not feel self conscious. Having a dog looking at you adoringly while you read is likely a great confidence booster.
According to the AKC, children ofter read better to dogs because the dogs are non-judgmental. There are programs around the country that allow children to practice their reading skills with their canine friends. The therapy dogs are taken to schools and libraries by volunteers.
Children who have difficulty reading may be able to improve their skills by sitting with their canine companion and reading aloud to them. The child gets the benefit of practicing their reading and communication skills. The dog also benefits, because they get to listen to their master's voice.
It doesn't really matter that the dog cannot really understand what the child is talking about. The child gets to work on their reading and speaking skills in the company of their ever-patient companion.
Resource
AKC
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Published by Christine Bude Nyholm
With over 5 million pages views Christine is one of the top 100 AC Contributors and Won Best of AC for Winter Travel Guides in 2008 and Best of Alternative Health in 2009. Christine's article Shop Around for... View profile
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7 Comments
Post a CommentGreat article! We have recently started looking into information about getting our dog into being a therapy dog. I knew of the benefits of therapy dogs for people with arthritis, but I found this article to be very inspiring and informative of yet another way a therapy dog can help. Thanks!
Great article, dogs are such a blessing!
I can see how the comfort of a dog would help children read better.
This is a great article. Therapy dogs help so much.
Great article. I have subscribed to your content and I hope you will check out some of my work as well.
How interesting. I might suggest this to my daughter.
Interesting work. Love the picture.