Story Telling in the Company of Dogs
Studies have shown time and time again that a child who reads 20 minutes per day throughout elementary school will likely land in the top ten percentile of their class. And while this seems logical, given the amount of literacy exposure and practice this daily commitment ensures, this research fails to address one crucial question: How does one motivate a child to sit and read every day?
This concern is especially prevalent for educators and parents of children with learning disabilities. Because these children, in particular, do not seem to grasp literacy concepts at the same rate as their peers, reading can become a less than desirable activity. Those attempting to encourage students to read daily might be met with feelings of inferiority, ineptitude, and maybe noncompliance.
And so, we must ask ourselves, what can parents and educators do to escape from this frustrating catch-22?
Reading Companions and Children’s Literacy Programs
Luckily, there are many organizations in the United States and abroad that strive to solve this early learning literacy quandary. As opposed to making reading a mandatory practice with punitive consequences for those who don’t participate, literacy programs that advocate reading companionship for children, provide the best literacy partner anyone could ask for being man’s (and woman’s) best friend!
That’s right, several children’s literacy programs exist worldwide with the same mission in mind: pair new readers with therapy dogs, and occasionally other animals, to inspire children to read. More specifically, the Reading Education Assistance Dogs Program (or R.E.A.D.) is the most significant program of its kind in the United States that supports this vital mission. R.E.A.D. matches registered therapy dogs and their owners with institutions such as schools and libraries to improve children’s literacy across the country.
Point of interest is that R.E.A.D. was the first program to realize the benefits of children reading to dogs; and we strongly encourage you to explore their website, mission, and stellar reviews at your leisure: http://www.therapyanimals.org/R.E.A.D.html
The Scientifically Proven Benefits of Children Reading to Dogs
Perhaps you’re thinking, “as wonderful as this program sounds, is it beneficial?” And luckily, with the support of scientific research and educator feedback, we are happy to report that yes, it is!
As you will be able to see from the official R.E.A.D. website and below, pairing children with therapy animals to promote literacy does not just meet participant’s expectations, it exceeds them! (With exponential benefits to children who struggle with literacy or behavioral issues, we might add.) Why? We encourage you to keep reading below for a more in-depth explanation.
Animals Provide a Safe Environment for Students to Build Confidence
Many children who struggle with literacy skills are tentative to read aloud to their educators, parents, or peers. Knowing they lack reading proficiency, the students who need to engage with literature the most frequently will avoid reading at all costs for fear of being corrected or teased.
However, a study done by Science Daily (feel free to peruse it for yourself here: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191202102040.htm ) shows that this certainly is not the case when therapy dog reading companions included in the mix. Even the weakest reader is excited to read aloud with their new furry friend as they enjoy an audience that is loving, attentive, and critique-free. Without having to worry about being laughed at by peers or assessed by educators, students who read to dogs build much-needed confidence surrounding their reading skills. And, more than that, they begin to look forward to reading.
Motivation to Read
One elementary school teacher who participated in R.E.A.D. in West Virginia said it best: “The children count down the minutes until it’s time to read with [our therapy dog]…it’s the highlight of their week!”
As opposed to seeing reading as something to dread, children who are a part of literacy programs like R.E.A.D. relish the opportunity to read.
In the Science Daily study mentioned earlier, “the children reported feeling more interested and more competent” in regards to their literacy skills when reading aloud to dogs. As opposed to giving up on more difficult passages, children were more inspired to persevere, wanting to do their best to share the full story they selected with their devoted audience.
Also, because dogs are forgiving spectators, children can feel free to read whatever they would like, however many times they would like. A reader could feel confident to attempt reading a book that might challenge their literacy skills, or reading the same book over and over again with no desire to stop!
See Real Results
Reading fluency, vocabulary growth, sight word identification, accurate word decoding, and reading comprehension. These are the building blocks that make a great reader. And luckily, reading aloud to an audience member, human or otherwise, is one of the best ways to promote all of them.
Not only will students be practicing all of the reading skills that make for a competent reader, but they are also learning in the process. Because students who read to a non-judgmental audience (even if that is just a stuffed animal, to start) are more likely to persevere, tackle difficult reading passages, learn from their mistakes, and grow as readers.
Overall, without the fear of judgment or correction, children’s minds are set free to learn, absorb, and teach themselves the foundational building blocks of reading that educators, parents, older siblings, etc. might not be able to communicate in a healthy or helpful way.
Behavioral Incentive
In addition to having a classroom full of more motivated, experienced readers, teachers also noticed a behavioral difference in children who were a part of the R.E.A.D. literacy program, or ones like it. Instead of refusing to engage in good reading practices, students who had a furry companion to look forward to reading to were more eager to read than ever before, thinking days ahead about what book would be an appropriate selection for their animal audience.
Furthermore, educators were pleased to find that weekly reading periods with their assigned therapy dog became a great classroom incentive for respectable behavior. A child who is eager to spend time reading with their four-legged friend is more likely to comply with classroom rules and expectations in order to earn this privilege rightfully.
Mutually Beneficial
As you might have already guessed, the students are not the only party benefitting from this literary companionship. As much as the students want to show their love and affection to their furry reading companions, the therapy dogs are eager to receive it! The dogs’ owners as well are more than happy to volunteer their time to see the benefits of their reading partnerships.
And, even more than that, children get to learn firsthand about the dos and don’ts of animal treatment. R.E.A.D. student participants show real growth in terms of empathy and kind social interaction with animals and humans alike.
How You Can Get Involved
As you can see, the benefits of children reading to dogs are numerous and plentiful. Children’s literacy programs such as R.E.A.D. are indeed a win-win scenario, with children, animals, and adults growing emotionally and academically from the unique experience.
On this website, it is our full intention to contribute a portion of our revenue to credible literacy programs such as this and animal shelters across the nation. Children and animals are two of our most precious assets, and we become better as a society by investing in these two vulnerable yet capable populations.
To help us contribute to the promotion of child literacy and animal well-being, we encourage you to check back here regularly for new content and updates. Your website traffic is much appreciated and helps our cause more than you know. Additionally, we will be sure to keep you up to date on all relevant information regarding new organizations, movements, and events that further promote children’s literacy and animal assistance.
Furthermore, if you would like to do some further research about or outreach for children’s literacy programs that incorporate animals, we encourage you to look into the following organizations:
1) Story Dogs – Australia
This literacy program was founded in Australia in 2012 and continues to grow each year exponentially. Aiding nearly 2500 children with their reading endeavors every week, Story Dogs is a great place to start whether you are hoping to volunteer, donate money, or sign up to participate.
2) R.E.A.D. – The United States and Beyond
http://www.therapyanimals.org/R.E.A.D.html
As mentioned many times throughout this article, R.E.A.D. is the first and most widely known child-animal literacy companionship program to date. With workshops in 25+ states in America and over ten countries abroad, R.E.A.D. is strongly dedicated to its mission and always looking for more volunteers and participants. You may consider volunteering your time, or perhaps donate, to this organization, whether you have a registered therapy pet or not. Click the link above to find out more and get involved.
Overall, we hope you enjoyed learning about the benefits of children reading to dogs. From helping cope with behavioral issues to improving literacy skills, introducing dogs to new readers is a practice we hope to see even more widespread in the future.
If you are an educator and have any further questions or concerns about how you can participate in or further the cause, please click on the recommended links and join us on our journey to support children’s literacy through animal interaction!