It’s not a sticker or a sweet treat, but a doggie kiss is a great way to keep a kid reading.
Bennett, 9, has the best audience to read aloud to thanks to Phoebe the dog, who offers encouragement and her floppy listening ears. She’s a part of the Reading Paws program in an elementary school in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
A school counselor says having a canine audience makes reading out loud a little easier for children who are shy or have learning disorders.
Dr. Forrest Reynolds told WTVF why reading to dogs is effective.
"It promotes reading in a way that anxiety levels are much lower,” Reynolds said.
Heather Eskridge, a school counselor at Northfield Elementary, also spoke to WTVF. “We will see children who are reluctant readers, who won't read in front of peers," she said. "Maybe they have dyslexia or a learning disorder." But those children find themselves able to read to the dogs.
It’s not a sticker or a sweet treat, but a doggie kiss is a great way to keep a kid reading.
“It feels good to have an audience who appreciates when you're reading them a story,” one student told the news outlet.
