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Children & Pets: A Likely Team for Learning
Children are natural learners -- from the moment they are born, they are absorbing the environment around them. Children learn from their mothers, fathers, siblings, and other family members. If there are pets in the family, is it possible for children to learn from them as well. In many homes, pets are treated just like one of the family. Whether you have a dog, cat, bird, or other animal, pets do a lot to help children develop into warm, caring, responsible individuals.
Children Teach Pets, Pets Teach Children
Even at a young age, there are many things children can do to help take an active role in caring for their pet. Family members should take time to discuss and carefully plan which type of pet they should bring into their home so it's a positive experience for everyone. Whichever pet they choose, children can help name it. If they choose to have a dog, children can help by brushing it. Children can join an adult while taking their dog for a walk. They can also put food and water in their dog's bowls, and even teach their dog tricks. Children will gain a sense of independence and confidence when they see their pet obeying their commands. What fun it is for children to show Mommy and Daddy what they have taught Rover to do. Teaching pets to do tricks also reinforces the act of listening in children. Children must get their pets to listen to them in order to teach them, just as parents must get their children to listen to them.
If children have a cat as a pet, they might learn that cats are a bit more independent than dogs and that they act very differently. They'll learn that all animals are individual and unique, just as people are.
Birds can teach children a lot about themselves...they are very much like children in a way -- they require a lot of attention, you have to clean up after them, and many times they will talk back to you :). Children would love taking care of a pet bird, and would be amazed at what they are capable of learning.
Smaller pets, such as rabbits, guinea pigs, or hamsters, are also favorites among children. These animals are small enough to hold, and very portable, with or without their cage. These smaller animals need to have their cages cleaned often, which might be too big a task for younger children to handle. So, if parents choose to have this type of pet in the family, children will see how responsible their parents are by helping to keep their pet's environment clean. They may also see how important it is to clean their room each day. But children will definitely learn about caring for a creature that cannot fend for itself nearly as well as a dog or cat.
Pets can help families during difficult times. Spending time with a pet can greatly reduce the amount of stress that family members feel. In times of frustration, pets can help children relax and ease their minds of painful issues.
Companionship & Compassion
Each pet adds another type of responsibility for the child, and they learn to care for a living creature. But besides all the responsibility, they learn about companionship. Pets give love unconditionally, with no expectations. So if a child is not having a good day and happens to yell at the family dog, they'll learn that their pets do not hold a grudge. Pets provide friendship, and are wonderful listeners as well. Taking care of pets gives children the ability to develop their social skills, and helps give them the compassion to show affection, patience, and kindness toward others.
Life & Health
As pets get older, health issues may arise and open a new area of learning for children. Accompanying their parents to the veterinarian can be scary at first, but they'll learn that their pet's doctor is there to take care of their pet, just as their own doctor is there to take care of them. If their pet needs to take any medication, they can be there to support their pet, and be involved in the process of making them well. If a serious illness threatens their pet, parents can teach their children age-appropriate facts about life, and how to handle uncertain situations.
Guidelines from the AACAP
Taking care of a pet can help children develop social skills. However, certain guidelines apply:
- Since very young children (under the age of 3-4 years) do not have the maturity to control their aggressive and angry impulses, they should be monitored with pets.
- Young children (under 10 years) are rarely able to care for a large animal, a cat or a dog, on their own.
- Parents must oversee the pet's care even if they believe their child is old enough to care for a pet.
- If children become lax in caring for a pet, parents may have to take over the responsibility on their own.
- Children should be reminded in a gentle, not scolding way, that animals, like people, need food, water, and exercise.
- If a child continues to neglect a pet, a new home may have to be found for the animal.
- Parents serve as role models. Children learn responsible pet ownership by observing their parents' behavior.
Advantages of Pet Ownership
According to the AACAP, children raised with pets show many benefits. Developing positive feelings about pets can contribute to a child's self-esteem and self-confidence. Positive relationships with pets can aid in the development of trusting relationships with others. A good relationship with a pet can also help in developing non-verbal communication, compassion, and empathy. Pets can serve different purposes for children:
- They can be safe recipients of secrets and private thoughts -- children often talk to their pets, like they do their stuffed animals.
- They provide lessons about life; reproduction, birth, illnesses, accidents, death, and bereavement.
- They can help develop responsible behavior in the children who care for them.
- They provide a connection to nature.
- They can teach respect for other living things.
Other physical and emotional needs fulfilled by pet ownership include:
- Physical activity.
- Comfort contact.
- Love, loyalty, and affection.
- Experience with loss if a pet is lost or dies.
Overall, owning a pet can be a very positive experience for every member of the family. As the HSUS teaches, "Through helping to care for a pet, children also learn to care for their fellow human beings. There is an established link between how people treat animals and how they treat each other. Kindness to animals is a lesson that benefits people, too."
Below is a related article located on myparentime.com:
Below are just a few websites with related information:
Below are a few books relating to this article:
 All About Your Rabbit (All About Your Pets Series) - Bradley Viner. Read more about and purchase this book through Amazon.com's secure server!
Click HERE or on the image of the books to give this gift to yourself or someone else!
Hamsters (1st Pets Series) - Susan Meredith. Read more about and purchase this book through Amazon.com's secure server!
Click HERE or on the image of the books to give this gift to yourself or someone else!
Me and My Pet Fish (Me & My Pet Series) Christine Morley, Carole Orbell, Brita Granstrom. Read more about and purchase this book through Amazon.com's secure server!
Click HERE or on the image of the books to give this gift to yourself or someone else!
My Pet Hamster (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1) - Anne Rockwell. Read more about and purchase this book through Amazon.com's secure server!
Click HERE or on the image of the books to give this gift to yourself or someone else!
Children and Pet Loss: A Guide for Helping - Marty Tousley. Read more about and purchase this book through Amazon.com's secure server!
Click HERE or on the image of the books to give this gift to yourself or someone else!
Remembering Pets: A Book for Children Who Have Lost - Gina Dalpra-Berman, Barbara Hoss-Schneider. Read more about and purchase this book through Amazon.com's secure server!
Click HERE or on the image of the books to give this gift to yourself or someone else!
Click here to read other articles by MyParenTime.com.
Copyright © MyParenTime.com. Permission to reprint "Guidelines," and "Advantages of Pet Ownership" granted by The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP).
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