Have Your Kids Read to the Dog

This is good news for kids who might need some extra help getting the words off the page. A study out of the University of California at Davis found that children who read aloud to a dog improved their reading skills by 12 percent when compared to children who only read with an adult. Therapy pets, as educational therapist Rebecca Barker Bridges told KQED, allow kids to focus on the animal instead of their own insecurities. They’re an uncritical, reassuring audience. (A dog will not say, “Actually, it’s pronounced ARC-tic.”) The furry friends benefit from the activity, too—reading to shy dogs can help put them at ease.

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