Creatures large and small teach, delight, and offer a special kind of companionship. Having pets around would help teach kids responsibility and maybe empathy. Moreover, the presence of animals in a house helps foster children’s emotional, cognitive, social, and physical development.

Pets Foster Socio-Emotional Development

Positive relationships with family pets, like cats or dogs, can boost a child’s self-esteem and confidence. Taking part in routines; like walking the dog or feeding their fish; can give them a sense of responsibility. Playing with their furry friend can also reduce stress and anxiety. Children also learn how to nurture when caring for a pet, which is the act of taking care of others. Living with pets will develop valuable qualities including empathy, compassion and consideration for others. Through nurturing and helping to take care of their pet, they learn to form a trusting relationship, which is an important part of socio-emotional development.

Pets Help to Keep the Gadget away

Pets have a lot of energy, so they can be a great way for kids to get physical activity. From crawling together to going for a walk or a swim, pets like dogs need to move around every day, and children can be a part of that. This is not only a great way to get moving, but for children to also practice unstructured play and gross motor ability. Feeding pets, including pouring food into a bowl, is an opportunity to enhance their fine motor skill, too. 

Pets Provides Sensory Experiences

From touching their fur to watching them move and interact, pets open up a whole new sensory world. During play with pets, children learn to apply different types of touch based on the animal. Children will learn to have a lighter touch with more delicate animals like rabbits or cats, as compared to a dog or a horse.

Pets Open Windows to Communication

Pets certainly keep families talking, and can often act as a conduit between parents and kids. Children learn non-verbal cues and the importance of non-verbal communication from pets. Pets can also be great subjects as children learn new communication skills. Children can practice reading to their pets (even if the pets don’t understand the story!). Studies show that reading aloud to a loyal and non-judgmental companion, like a cat, can take a reluctant reader and transfer them into a self-confident one.

Pets Improve Executive Function and Boost Academic Performance 

Some studies have indicated a positive correlation between brain development and being raised with a pet. Pets are living creatures who teach children about topics like reproduction, birth, health, getting older, accidents, death, and bereavement. Routines in helping with the pet are a great way to strengthen executive function skills. Children may need to problem solve if unexpected issues come up while helping or playing with their pet. For example, what if the pet doesn’t want to walk today? Why would that be? And what can he/she do to play with the pet instead? It’s all a great way to get those executive function skills working.

Pets are Good for Health

Experts believe that pets have a direct positive impact on human health. Some studies suggest that exposure to dogs and cats can even reduce allergies in children. Research shows children who live in homes with a dog can possibly have fewer ear infections and respiratory tract infections and require fewer antibiotics, perhaps because the exposure to animals at a young age stimulates the immune system. Scientists have also found that simply being around animals can lower stress and blood pressure and even help to regulate the human heart rate. Any pet owner will attest to the fact that brushing, stroking or patting a four-legged friend is equally as calming for adults as it is for children. Families with dogs are more likely to be fitter and more active, thanks to the time they spend outdoors, taking their pooch for walks and runs and to play.

However, certain guidelines apply when your family adopts pets:

• Since very young children (under the age of 3-4 years) do not have the maturity to control their aggressive and angry impulses, they should be monitored with pets at all times.

• Young children (under 10 years) are unable to care for a large animal, a cat or a dog, on their own.

• Parents must oversee the pet's care even if they believe their child is old enough to care for a pet.

• If children become lax in caring for a pet, parents may have to take over the responsibility on their own.

• Children should be reminded in a gentle, not scolding way, that animals, like people, need food, water, and exercise.

• If a child continues to neglect a pet, a new home may have to be found for the animal.

• Parents serve as role models. Children learn responsible pet ownership by observing their parents' behavior.