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Pets can be a great addition to the home. Here are the top 15 reasons why your child needs a pet!
Owning a pet is just like an adventure to the kids. Yes, they have a lot of benefits than you can imagine. They help with social development, teach responsibility, and provide unconditional love. Pets also encourage independence and teach children to nurture.
As your child’s first friend, a pet offers security to them. Pets will play with him when he feels lonely; they will snuggle up with him on the couch when he is sick, and they’ll greet him after school every day. A pet is like another sibling for your child-and an ever-present companion who unconditionally loves and accepts them.
The following list of reasons children needs experts developed pets in animal behavior and parents of kids with pets. There are many benefits to having a furry friend in the family, but these 15 reasons probably top them all:
Kids with pets get better grades in school
In a report called “The Educational Benefits of Pets,” the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association found a connection between children who have pets and their academic achievement.
Participants in this study reported that kids with better grades were more likely than others to grow up around animals, even after other factors like socioeconomic status were factored out.
Pets help Kids learn naturing skills
While feeding and caring for their pet, your child will learn to be nurturing, even if they care for something other than a human. This will help them as they grow and mature into adults who know how to care for others.
Furthermore, having a pet in a family without younger siblings allows the youngster to exhibit compassion and care that they may not otherwise have the opportunity to do.
Kids with pets have a stronger immune system
A study on the effects of loneliness and health found that children surrounded by pets had fewer respiratory infections, stomach aches, and headaches than those without pets in the home. Petting an animal has been shown to lower blood pressure too!
Pets are great for social development
It’s normal for children to want friends and, when parents work long hours or don’t have the time to provide their children with daily socialization, a pet can be a great way to help them develop their social skills.
Socialization is essential for children as it teaches them how to communicate and interact with others, plus animals can also help improve a child’s speech because they have to be able to express what the animal needs.
Pets teach children about responsibility
A pet requires proper care and maintenance; without which, the animal will suffer or die. This is why it’s essential to start taking care of a pet at a young age to instill in your child that if he does not take care of something living, it will suffer and eventually die. If your child grows up around pets and knows how to handle them properly, there shouldn’t be a problem when he gets his first dog or cat as a teenager!
Pets teach children how to be more active
In the 2012 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, getting 60 minutes of daily activity is recommended for adults and children alike. Pets can help with this. It’s been proven that pets prompt their owners to take more outdoor walks, especially if the exercise is done with the accompaniment of a four-legged friend.
Children who grow up around pets are less likely to be afraid of them later in life
Pets are adorable when they are small, but they can become giant beasts as they get older! However, kids who grow up around dogs are not easily frightened by even large or aggressive ones because they have seen how cute puppies can be.
Not only will your child know how to interact with dogs once he goes out on his own, but he will also understand how to read dog language and know the signs of a dog that is about to attack.
Children with pets are less likely to develop allergies later in life
Dogs and other pets can be a great help when it comes to preventing children from developing asthma or allergies later on in life, especially if they start taking care of the pet at an early age or grow up around one.
It’s been shown that children exposed to a pet while growing up have lower rates of allergies, asthma, or fever than those who don’t grow up around animals.
Pets Reduce doctor’s visits
Considering that pets reduce allergies, asthma, and anxiety, it helps reduce the number of doctor’s visits kids need. This is because pets help children build up resistance to all types of common illnesses, therefore reducing the need to take them to the doctor.
This can also work as a saving plan because you probably spend less dealing with an illness that would have been costly otherwise.
Children with pets are less likely to develop anxiety disorders or depression later in life
Pets provide comfort to children when they are sick, sad, or hurting-something no human being can do on his own. So if your child has trouble coping with anxiety or low moods, get him a pet ASAP. Kids without pets are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depressive disorders than those who grew up around animals.
Animals can provide a sense of security and safety that’s often missing in a child’s life. Pets also give unconditional love, which can help children who have been victims of abuse feel better about themselves and their world.
Kids with pets feel loved unconditionally
“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself,” Josh Billings once said. This is because the unconditional love that pets give their owners isn’t always found in human relationships. For example, children can get upset and angry with their parents, siblings, or friends yet still receive hugs and kisses from their furry companions; this teaches children that it’s okay to get mad at someone but still love them without any restrictions.
Pets help boost reading skills
A majority of the kids will happily play games with the family pet, for instance, the dog, but did you know that it can also help boost reading skills. Studies show that children who read to dogs will often improve their reading abilities because they want to keep their attention.
A dog can sit for hours listening to a child read, without interrupting which helps the child get over any anxiety about reading in front of others, i.e., builds confidence.
Pets help your child become more empathetic
Kids learn empathy when they help their pets feel happy and safe. Even infants can provide care by just cuddling with a pet or helping to name it!
Pets give children the responsibility of caring for another living thing, which teaches them empathy. They also provide unconditional love without judgment or criticism.
Pets can help children cope with the loss of a loved one
Nobody wants to think about death, especially at a young age. But it is all around us, and we need to understand it so as not to be so scary.
Sometimes bad things happen to good people, and that includes pets as well. The death of a beloved pet can be a challenging experience for children, but it is essential to talk about their feelings to reduce confusion and anxiety.
That being said, please don’t assume your child doesn’t care about the death of their pet if they don’t cry or seem upset. Just because they aren’t crying doesn’t mean they don’t have those feelings inside them.
Pets build family bonds
Pets are a great way to bring your family together. Many pets love cuddling up with their owners or playing tag- you can even teach them to play hide and seek!
Families often engage in activities centered on their pets. Everyone takes the dog for a stroll, grooms and feeds him, or lowers down to play with him. There are even benefits from simply watching a cat chase his tail or a fish swim in his tank. Spending time like this offers a beautiful opportunity to bond with loved ones.
The benefits of pets are not just for adults. If you have a child, there is no better gift than they could receive than an animal companion to love and care for. With all the research available on the health and wellness benefits of owning a pet, it’s easy to see why so many people choose this as their go-to birthday or Christmas present.
Pets can help children with social skills, anxiety management, empathy development – even academic achievement! As long as your family has time to give them enough attention and care, having a pet will be one of the best decisions you make in raising your kids. What do you think? Have any other ideas about how pets benefit children from different stages in life? Let us know.
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