Just like children, pets also bring a lot of happiness into the family. This is because they offer companionship to the whole family and they can positively influence human behavior and activity.
In a family, the people who enjoy having pets around the most are the children. The excitement that pets bring into kids is incomparable to anything else.
Before you know it, the pet quickly becomes your child’s best friend. The experiences that your child will have with the pet will create lifelong memories, and this is the reason why nobody ever forgets their first pets, I bet you remember yours too.
Caring for a pet is like a childhood rite of passage. Pets will keep your child entertained and give them warm fuzzies. But did you know that pets can also positively affect your child in a more profound way?
According to experts, your child’s physical, emotional, social and cognitive skills will develop as your kid interacts with the family pet. Let’s take a look at how owning a pet affects your child positively.
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Pets Help Your Child to Develop Physically
Your child will become very active when he or she has a pet with her. This will help your child to improve her motor skills. According to a study that was conducted in 2010 in England, it was found that children who had a pet at home exercised 11 minutes more on average than kids who didn’t have a pet at home.
This is because your child will run around a lot while playing with her pet. The 11 minutes may not sound like much, but a little bit of exercise every day can be seriously beneficial to your child.
In addition, studies also show that children who have pets like dogs and cats are less likely to suffer from respiratory and ear infections. This was according to a 2012 study that was conducted by the American Academy of Paediatrics.
Pets Help Children to Improve Their Social Skills
Do you know that pets can actually help you make new friends? This applies to your child too. A pet would be a wonderful catalyst for socializing. Let’s say, for example, your child is walking her dog in the neighborhood, and she meets another child with a pet, she is likely to interact with the other child.
Owning a pet can be a significant factor in facilitating friendship formation within neighbourhoods. It can help a less socially outgoing child to make friends easily.
Dr. Lisa Wood – Associate Professor at the University of Western Australia
Pets Are Good for Your Child’s Emotional Development
Studies show that kids who have pets always have a higher self-esteem than those who don’t. This is because a child will confide in her pet more than she would with people.
A child with a pet will also be more confident in performing tasks she finds difficult when she is with her pet. This is because the child won’t be afraid of looking silly in front of her pet.
“To a child, a pet is a source of unconditional love who offers support and never judges”, said Alan Beck, who is the director of the Center for the Human-Animal bond at Purdue University.
To a child, a pet is a source of unconditional love who offers support and never judges
Alan Beck – Director of the Center for the Human-Animal bond at Purdue University
Pets Boost A Child’s Cognitive Abilities
“Can owning a dog make my child excel in school?”
Most parents may ask such a question. Well, the answer is yes. According to a study that was conducted in 2011 on second graders revealed that children who read aloud to their dogs made bigger strides in improving their reading skills than their peers who didn’t own a dog
Having a pet can also make your child to like research and science as she will be eager to learn more about animals.
What Are Some Of The Best Pets For Kids
Adopting a pet can be the best thing that you could ever do for your child. She will have a childhood experience that she will never forget. If you are now set on getting a pet for your child, the next trick would be what species to go for.
There are many species of animals you can have as pets. The most popular ones are dogs and cats. Dogs are loved because they are loyal classical family pets. Cats are also popular among city dwellers because they are indoor pets who would be happy to play in the house the whole day without the need to be walked around.
You can also test the waters with fish, rats, rabbits, guinea pigs or birds.
Winding Up
In conclusion, it is good for the whole family to have pets around. It will also be good for your child as caring for a pet will teach your child responsibility from an early age.
If you are considering owning a pet, I will encourage you to go ahead and make your child’s childhood memories that will be last forever.