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Kids Who Read to Dogs are Better Students
Filed under: In The News
Dog, Simon, prefers television to books. Credit: Jessica Samakow
Puppies might go for "Go, Dog. Go!" or the Clifford series, while older dogs might prefer "Old Yeller." (Spoiler alert: The ending is a bit of a downer.)
Mystery lovers would go for "The Hound of the Baskervilles," while macho types would enjoy "The Call of the Wild." If your dog likes "Cujo," you might want to think about swapping him in for some goldfish.
Whatever your dog's literary tastes, researchers at the University of California say it's a good idea for your kids to read to him. Kids who read to dogs apparently score higher on reading tests, and researchers say dogs help take the pressure off children learning to read.
It makes sense, librarian Julie Karell of Arlington, Va., tells the Washington Examiner.
"The benefit of the dogs is they're truly a nonjudgmental audience," she says. "They're loving and accepting. If the kids mess up a word, the dogs don't care."
Karell organizes Paws to Read, a bimonthly program at her library. The idea is catching on.
Librarians in Montgomery, Pa., work with a group called Comfort Caring Canines to offer their Read to Dogs program. Four therapy dogs -- Abbey, Astro, Samantha and Myszka -- snuggle up with kids for a little quality reading time.
"The dogs seem to enjoy it," Samantha's owner Robert Dettery tells the Montgomery News. "This is a change of pace. Kids are more energetic."
Julie Kulikowski, who started a reading to dogs program at several District of Columbia libraries, agrees.
"It doesn't feel like work. It's fun. It's good for reluctant readers," she tells the Examiner.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 2)
7-16-2011 @ 8:27AM
Jackie Grover said...As a former elementary school counselor now retired, this is something I used to recommend to my young readers. But I had my counselees reading to their cats, hamsters,goldfish, gerbils, whatever. A pet can provide a wonderful sense of nonjudgment that children become willing to risk "looking stupid" while at the same time feeling their pet will love them back regardless.
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7-16-2011 @ 3:55PM
Diane said...My daughters are 25 and 27 years old respectively. Even when everyone else laughed at me, including my sister the teacher, my children grew up reading to the family dogs. And if we watched someone's dog while they went on vacation, they read to those dogs too. However my 27 year old graduated w/honors and got her MSW with honors. My 25 year old had graduated from Boston U with a full ride scholarship. Me???? Being vindicated is soooo sweet!!!! And reading to the dog kept both the kids and the dogs out of trouble
7-16-2011 @ 8:37AM
gbar879 said...I worked in a K-3 school building in Michigan that had a canine reading buddy. It was wonderful to see young children so excited about reading. Too bad adults can't take a lesson from these amazing non-judgmental dogs. For all those who are trashing our schools, why don't YOU volunteer to listen to children practice reading?
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7-16-2011 @ 9:05AM
C. Phillips said...Midpark High School in Ohio has a program called" Pets are Teachers Too" it really helped my granddaughter improve her reading skills and gave her more confidience reading out loud.
She actually enjoys reading now! What a great program hope they keep it in the coming years!
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7-16-2011 @ 10:40AM
B said...We have had a program in the Atlanta, Georgia area called K9 Kids. The program has been in operation for 10 years and is in 22 schools in the area. During that time, the participants have had an average increase of 35% in their reading scores. The program is provided by Canine Assistants in Alpharetta, Georgia. It is an organization that trains dogs to assist the physically challenged adults and children. It has been a win-win situation for the first graders and the dogs. The dogs in training practice their social skills and patience and the children increase their time on task reading to a soft furry friend.
Many reading programs have been based on the K9 Kids example.
We will be going into our 11th year.
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7-16-2011 @ 10:16AM
Chrissy said...I volunteer at our local League for Animals and we have a similar program. It's wonderful to watch; I don't know who has more fun, the kids or the dogs! The kids really get into it, usings emotions and funny voices for the characters - things they'd never do reading to themselves. The dogs just sit or lie there, sometimes just happy for the company, but sometimes, with their expressions and cocked heads, I swear they're listening. And they sure don't care if the kid messes up or acts silly. It's all just so positive, and it's something you can do at home with your dog, cat, gerbil, fish...
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7-16-2011 @ 10:02PM
Sally said...My grandkids are homeschooled and not only read to their dogs, they read to their African chiclids, leopard gekko, tree frogs, guppies, and their chickens. It's a great way to practice oral reading!
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7-16-2011 @ 12:25PM
karen lyons kalmenson said...in dog we trust:-D
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7-20-2011 @ 8:56PM
Mosskicker said...I permitted my child to read to our dog. Fabio, our collie, has led our daughter away from the classics we'd hoped she learn to love in the direction of poorly written romance novels that our pet seems to prefer. Frankly my wife and I think he likes them merely for the covers that he seems to stare at. Too, we have noticed Fabio spending more time in front of the mirror.
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7-16-2011 @ 1:44PM
teresa said...seems like a wonderful idea. I love dogs, we have dogs that enjoy the attention and a 5 year old that is learning to read. perfect match. Thanks for this article.
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7-16-2011 @ 2:55PM
basketpam said...Hey why not! Dogs love the attention and kids feel very grown up about it. I think it's a cute and wonderful idea. The child's vocabulary improves, their mind improves and even the dog can become better trained and more well behaved. As far as I can see it's a win-win situation all around.
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7-16-2011 @ 3:35PM
Dana Pratt said...As it often is, the simplest solution is the best. What a terrific idea!
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7-16-2011 @ 4:38PM
dickn2000c said...Never try to teach a dog to read. It's a waste of time and it annoys the dog.
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7-16-2011 @ 4:39PM
conale said...This had not occured to me as I was a natural voracious reader.
However, I did have stage fright and was petrified at the prospects of presenting a formal oral report. Practice before a live and attentive audience seemed to be the only remedy. Lacking the proper human recruits I practiced for days before our 'pound hound' who never made rude remarks, and never ever tired of repetition.
This was seventy years ago and is still fresh in my memory.
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7-17-2011 @ 6:31PM
Diane Morrison said...My daughter just got into UC Berkeley (obviously a smart cookie), and she grew up reading to her pet guinea pigs - constantly. She reads a lot, and got the highest possible score on the writing part of the SAT. Coincidence? I think not.
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7-16-2011 @ 5:17PM
Rennie said...My daughter, when she was 4 years old, would sit with her dog and cat, tell them stories. They sat still the whole time she was talking. I wish now I had film it.
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7-16-2011 @ 9:07PM
techkim said...This is too funny because I was commenting Friday that one of my preschoolers was reading to my dog (take dog to work day) about colors and his sister kept telling the colors and he would say NO, Tucker needs to learn. It was so cute.
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7-16-2011 @ 9:12PM
ttrexxx said...new show on ...FOX..SMARTER THEN A PIT BULL..A NEW GOP CONTESTANT EVERY WEEK..LOL
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7-16-2011 @ 9:43PM
Kristi Freiburger said...I was always a top reader in my school years. I remember my first grade teacher had me read a book in front of my whole class! Boy, that was a little nervewracking but, I did it! I was excited afterward and couldn't wait to tell my Mom and Dad that night that I read a whole story to the class just like our teacher would!
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7-17-2011 @ 1:21AM
Sharon Holm said...I am a Therapy Dog Handler with a Volunteer group called BARK started by Josie Gavieres back in 2007. Our website Readingdogs.org - Josie started out with just 3 or 4 dogs and now has 80 dogs. BARK is a volunteer program that encourages children to increase their reading skills by reading aloud to certified therapy dogs. We even have a few dogs that work with Deaf Students. This year BARK now has more than 80 teams listening to children in over 40 regular locations including eight libraries. We extend from Sacramento to San Clemente and Long Beach to Lake Havasu! From January 1 to June 30, 2011, we listened to 525 kids in eight-week schools sessions, approximately 570 kids in libraries, and 950 kids at the Pet Expo, Young Authors Faire, Kids Book Festival, and other events. We de-stressed about 500 kids at colleges, read to 400 kids at Dr. Seuss Day events, and attended various career day, open house, and back-to-school nights. Approximately 700 kids learned how to care for their pets.
Assessment forms were recently sent to teachers and counselors. They indicated that 75% of the kids improved in reading skills, 91% improved in class participation, and 100% improved in self-confidence!