Saturday, November 10, 2012

...reading to dogs?


YIKES! kids reading to dogs?? huh?? 

yep! its true! kids are reading to their furry friends. and... guess what?? kids who never liked to read before or were afraid to read out loud or were behind in their skill level are turning into big time readers and reading way better.  WOW! how cool is that!

WHO are these cool canines who love to hear kids read? theyre specially trained therapy dogs whose job it is to listen. hmmm? i wonder what kinda stories they like to hear. probably dog stories. ha ha.

KIDS  reading to dogs started in 1999 and has been growng ever since. you can find it in schools, libraries and organizations all over the united states. it gives kids a relaxed dog friendly and fun place where they can practice reading. 
 
WHAT DO THE KIDS GET OUT OF IT?

a big jump in reading skills (12 percent and higher in 10 weeks)
increased reading speed (up to 30 words per minute)
improvement in other school subjects
increase in self-confidence and self-esteem
not afraid to read out loud anymore
increase in social skills
more comfortable and less shy in social settings
feelings of being judged are put aside
they practice reading more
and...they begin to enjoy reading :)

WOW! just look at these cool kids reading to dogs...for sure they look happy!
WHAT do the kids say about reading to dogs? heres a few quotes:

"I feel calmer because it's a dog. He listens to you and I feel calm in saying the words."

"It's kind of like a human because he listens but he doesn't say like you did this wrong or you did that wrong."

"Humans sometimes they will say you got the words wrong and you feel embarrassed and the dog doesn't."

"I feel like a different reader. Now I'm not afraid."

"I'm not nervous anymore. I sometimes read to my mother and it's been a little bit better."

"You get to pet him when you're reading and it feels nice and soft and everything. It's pretty fun when you're sitting there reading."

"I have somebody that listens when I read. If I make a mistake, there's no one around me to laugh."

"I feel relaxed when I'm reading to a dog because I'm having fun."

"The dog doesn't care if you read really, really bad so you just keep going."

and...how bout their furry friends?? 
 


WOOF! WOOF! (translation: "i love a good story!)
                            





if you wanna see a really neat video on kids reading to dogs click here. for sure its worth watching!

cool sources:
Therapy Dogs International
ABC News
Library Dogs
Medical News Today

so...what do you think about kids reading to dogs? would you let your kid do it?

...hugs from lenny