Reading to Animals

Hello Friends !!!!

Just popping in to chat about a real cool topic. Reading to animals. At the place she takes horse riding lessons, they also offer another program. Struggling readers can read to the horses. I believe it’s reading and interacting together. I also believe it’s for 3rd grade and under. Excellent program though. Proven to have much success. But what can you do on your own for your own struggling or young reader? Lots of options, and all for free.

Reading aloud to animals boosts literacy. And heck, it’s just plain fun and makes both the child and the animal feel good. It’s not just beneficial for early or struggling readers, it’s amazing for anyone !! Young and old, struggling or not. You can have your children read aloud to their own pets. Anyone you know with a farm? Lots of animal choices there. But it’s nice if you can cozy up with them too. A really great place to go is your local animal shelter ! So very good for those animal shelter dogs and cats too.

This process has many benefits. It’s great for the child to read aloud to an animal with no one correcting them and no judgement. A little bonding between child and animal. They gain motivation. Confidence. Fluency. They are reading for a purpose.

No animal options available? Allergic to animals? No problem, reading to stuffed animals is great too !!

In our house it’s a little different. Each night when we sit down and read, Ashlyn reads to me instead. Mainly because we have a few things we are working on this summer. But…..our dogs come out to us !! (Sorry for the blurry picture).

Reading to Animals

Wherever they are in the house, within 2 minutes of her starting to read, this is where you’ll find them. With me in there too, but I jumped up to take the picture. Spencer had his head down too but was looking up to see what I was doing. They have “their spot” but often times they are up on the couch with us. It gets pretty cozy. So maybe they need read to as much as the child needs to read to somebody.

Have you or your child ever read to animals?

Where is your favorite spot to read?

What type of books do your kids enjoy? Ashlyn is currently working her way through the National Geographic Kids Chapter Books (all are on animals).

 

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