How do you spend time with your pets? Pets are very important to people. Many pets are considered members of the family! This month, as we explore “Animal Adventures”, pets are sure to be a big focus of our inquiry. The children will discuss what responsibilities they have in caring for pets and how they interact with them.
In your opinion as a parent, what are the advantages of having pets around your children? Whether it is responsibility, camaraderie, empathetic attachment, or just a silly playmate, most children enjoy and benefit from pet interaction. The PEDIATRICS Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics published an article focusing on the link between having pets and young children in the same household and the frequency of respiratory tract illnesses in the first year of infancy. They state, “If children had dog or cat contacts at home, they were significantly healthier during the study period in univariate tests (table below) and had fewer weeks with cough, otitis, and rhinitis and also needed fewer courses of antibiotics than children with no cat or dog contacts at all.” And in conclusion, “Our findings support the theory that during the first year of life, animal contacts are important, possibly leading to better resistance to infectious respiratory illnesses during childhood.”
As some children have allergies to the two pets used in the study, what other types of animals would you let your child have as pets? Here are 7 of the most popular pets for kids:
This month on our Facebook page, we are featuring a photo contest! Share a photo of your child with their pet in the Contest Tab then rally all of your friends and family to vote for your photo. The child-pet pair with the most votes will win a $50 Build-A-Bear Workshop Gift Card! See below for details!
Share your thoughts about pets with us!
