What Your Child Can Learn from a Dog – By Richard Peterson, Education Expert

A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down. – Robert Benchley, American Humorist

5 Educational Lessons Children Can Learn From Dogs

Sequencing
Learning how to properly sequence is an important literacy skill children need to practice in order to master reading comprehension. Dog ownership offers real world examples. For instance, to take the dog for a walk, I first need to be properly dressed, summon the dog, clip on the leash and walk outside. Parents can reinforce the lesson of sequencing by talking about what happens should you miss a step in the process – i.e., if the dog’s not on a leash before you leave the house, she may run outside and get hurt.

Cause and Effect
Understanding why things happen the way they do is a life skill every child develops over time. Analysis of cause and effect relationships is a task a child will practice throughout school (and life). Pets offer daily demonstrations of cause and effect in action. For example, I forgot to pick up my toy and as a result, the dog chewed it up.

Empathy
Dogs excel at teaching the character trait of empathy. Pets often sense our moods, and offer a soothing presence in times of stress – making them great role models for children. Point out these canine behaviors to your child, and encourage them to think and talk about how they can incorporate them into their own lives.

Math and Science
A family dog is a four-legged science experiment! Whether you explore together how wild animals became domesticated, or the non-verbal communication skills they employ, your pet can provide countless science lessons. And something as simple as measuring the proper amount of food to give is an everyday application of math principles.

Listening
By design, dogs pay close attention and learn about their environment in order to survive. Listening and following directions is also important for school success. Children can test the application of listening skills by teaching simple commands to a dog, such as sit and stay. And of course, a dog also makes the perfect audience to keep a child’s secrets and listen to his/her stories.

BIO

Richard Peterson is Vice President of Education for Kiddie Academy, a national education and childcare facility headquartered in Maryland with locations across the USA. Richard leads the education team in the development and updating of Kiddie Academy’s proprietary curriculum, guides the company’s accreditation process and Educational Advisory Board, and oversees the company’s Training Department. Prior to joining Kiddie Academy, Richard led education and operations for the Eastern division of an employer sponsored childcare company and spent more than 15 years in multi-site management in educational settings. Richard holds a B.S. in Biology from the University of Maryland.

For more parenting tips, visit Kiddie Academy’s Family Essentials blog.