January 09, 2023

West Grey Public Library goes to the dogs with Read to a Dog program

Kids and teens aged 5+ who are finding reading a struggle, can get a boost with the West Grey Public Library’s Read to a Dog program. Offered monthly, the program gives children and youth a stress-free environment to practice and enjoy reading to a canine buddy.

Read to a Dog programs have been active in public libraries for decades. In 2010, the University of California-Davis completed a study on reading to dog programs, which suggested that children who read to dogs improved their own reading skills in comparison to children who did not read to dogs, based on the results of the Oral Text Reading for Comprehension Test. The program involved reading to dogs once a week for ten weeks. Children who read to dogs also reported a greater enjoyment of reading than children who did not read to dogs. The dogs seem to like it too!

Dogs all over the world work in hospitals and nursing homes, fight in wars, search and rescue accident victims, sniff out explosives and assist people who have a variety of medical issues. Listening to child read a book is one of their more relaxing jobs.

Families can sign up for a half-hour session, held on Tuesdays from 4-5 pm at the Durham Branch. The next sessions are on January 24 and February 28. Come! Sit! Read!

 

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