Preschoolers Benefit from Pet Ownership

A common topic of conversation with a preschooler is pets. It’s one of the reasons our curriculum, Creative Curriculum, developed a long-term study about them. Children who have pets love to talk about them and children who don’t like to discuss which kind they would like to get.

Pretending to have pets or even being the pet are play scenarios that we see often. In short, the subject of pets is a popular one in preschool classrooms.

But what about the act of actually owning a pet? Not surprisingly, the benefits are plentiful and include gains in social-emotional, physical and cognitive development. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, pets can serve the following purposes for children:

They can be safe recipients of secrets and private thoughts. Children often talk to their pets, like they do to their stuffed animals.

They can help develop responsible behavior in the children who care for them.

They provide a connection to nature.

They can teach respect for other living things.

Though the benefits are numerous, pet ownership should not be taken lightly. Young children should always be monitored around pets to keep from being overly rough or aggressive. They cannot take on a lot of the responsibility, but can take on small jobs to help with the care and feeding.

As long as parents are serving as responsible role models, children will gain invaluable skills by having a pet in the house.