There's something undoubtedly adorable about the thought of a child reading their favourite book to a dog. While it's extremely cute, this simple activity also has some clear benefits for both the child and the dog. Not only that, but reading to dogs can even be a great fundraising plan for your children's school. But why is it such a fantastic activity for both the child and the dog? And how can this activity be used as a school fundraiser?
Reading to Dogs
A number of studies have been conducted into the practice of children reading to dogs, and while researchers have found that it can be beneficial in growing a child's confidence when it comes to reading, they've not been able to pinpoint precisely why this is the case. There are a few logical reasons why this type of reading practice can be advantageous.
For the Child
Children get an opportunity to read aloud to an attentive audience, without fear of making a mistake. Although there will almost certainly be mistakes in pronunciation and general articulation, the dog will (obviously) not be in a position to correct these mistakes. Although these errors will need to be addressed by the child's parents and teachers, reading to the dog can help to overcome the child's hesitancy with reading, ideally making them a fearless reader.
For the Dog
The dog will be happy to receive attention during the reading session. The dog becomes a fascinated listener, and the process is mentally stimulating to them. While this is a constructive practice for both the child and the dog, how can it act as a school fundraiser?
As a Fundraiser
Reading to dogs as a fundraiser is an idea to raise the next time your child's school is soliciting fundraising ideas. Your child's school can align themselves with a charity offering a bequest program to help children by reading. This can help raise funds for both the school and a local animal shelter who can provide both the dogs and a safe, contained space for the children and dogs to interact. Children can be sponsored for each book that is read to the dog during the allotted time or even per page (depending on the children's ages and reading abilities).
All forms of school fundraising have tangible benefits, but rarely has a fundraising activity had such clearly positive outcomes for all the participants in the fundraising activity, whether these participants are young people who are improving their reading skills or dogs that are overjoyed to receive attention.
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