Teaching your kids to care for pets can help their development

Having a pet is also great for kids, since they have a friend that they can play with, take care of, and create happy memories with. It's also a great way to teach your kids an important lesson in responsibility, and a good way to help them develop good habits that they will take with them throughout their life.

Here's a list of some of the benefits that taking care of a pet provides your child:

Physical

Taking care of a pet encourages your little one to become more active and can help improve their motor skills. Letting your child walk the dog, or play around with the pets at home helps your child get more physical activity and play more.

A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics also discovered that kids who have contact with dogs and cats at an early age tend to be healthier and have fewer respiratory and ear infections.

Social

Having a pet, specifically, a dog also helps your kids when it comes to socializing. Children feel more comfortable approaching other children if they're with a pet, so if your child tends to be a bit on the quiet side, or has some difficulty making new friends, having a pet could help them overcome their social anxiety.

Pets also act as a common interest in children, since it's easier for your child to make friends with someone who also has a pet since they have similar experiences and interests.

Emotional

Pets are good listeners, even if they don't necessarily understand what their owner is telling them. That's why pets sometimes act as your child's confidant if they have problems, or if they feel sad or lonely. Children with low self-esteem find it easier to talk to pets rather than people, and pets can be helpful in helping children with low self-esteem become more confident.

Plus, pets don't judge their owners, and they show unconditional love.

Cognitive

Having a pet also helps your child do better in school, according to a study from 2011.

The study found that kids who read aloud to their pets had better reading ability and were more proficient readers compared to their peers who read aloud to an adult. According to the study, it could possibly be attributed to the fact that kids are more comfortable with a pet and helps reduce their stress levels.

Having a pet also encourages your little one to learn more about animals and to be more curious about the world aroud them.

Pets also teach your child to be more responsible and to be more compassionate and caring.

Source: sheknows.com

READ: 9 Hilarious pictures of pets that perfectly sum up motherhood