Children love pets, and for a good reason! Animals big and small teach kids about a special kind of love. It’s estimated that four in 10kids start life in a household with domestic animals. And as many as 90% of all kids live with a pet at one stage or another during their childhood. But aside from teaching kids about responsibility and empathy, what are the other benefits of pets for kids?
Here’s a look at how those furries can help boost emotional, cognitive, social, and physical development in young humans!
Top benefits of pets for kids
Pets assist with learning
According to Mary Renck Jalongo, Ph.D., author, and professor at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, educational animals can help developmentally-challenged kids learn. Dogs, especially, can actually benefit ALL children during the learning process. Children tend to be more relaxed in learning setups when animals are in the room. And this can significantly enhance their concentration levels.
Domestic animals comfort kids
In one study, kids were asked what advice they’d give less popular kids for making friends. The top answer? Get a pet! Animals give kids something to talk about and a shared interest with other kids. They’re also an excellent source of comfort. Kids report feeling better after spending time with their pets after experiencing sadness, anger, and fear.
They encourage nurturing
Nurturing isn’t a quality that only adults spontaneously develop. And we also don’t learn the tricks of the trade because we were nurtured as children. We practice being caregivers when we’re young. And in our modern world, there’s little opportunity to care for other living things aside from our pets. This is something that’s especially important for boys because it’s not “girly” to take care of animals.
Pets can help keep tiny humans healthy
According to a study by Dennis Ownby, a pediatrician, and head of the allergy and immunology department of the Medical College of Georgia, having multiple pets decreases a kid’s risk of developing certain allergies. His study found that kids with dogs and cats in the home were less than half as likely to develop common allergies compared to kids who have no pets in the house.
Animals build family bonds
Arguably, one of the most significant benefits of pets for kids is that they can help families bond and stay closer together. Kids see pets as members of their families. And this is why many families focus on including their pets in their family activities. Everyone takes the dog for a walk. They all help to groom and feed him. And they surely all like playing with him. Did you know that you can also reap the benefits just by watching a cat chase its tail? Spending time with pets helps kids slow down and soak up the essence of the here and now. And in this era of over-scheduled everything, this is something we all need in our lives!
