Want to lift your children's reading skills? Get them to read to kittens
'The main thing is that we want them to be positive about reading and if this is something that gets them there, then that's great,' she said.
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Hume Libraries supply the books for the program, which is aimed at primary school-aged children. Almost all have animal themes. Among the popular titles are Dr Seuss' classic Cat in the Hat, books from Dav Pilkey's popular Dog Man series and books by Lynley Dodd – particularly those featuring a charming but cheeky black cat named Slinky Malinki.
Lort Smith adoption centre manager Mandy Doolan said while some children brought their favourite book from home, others arrived shy but soon warmed up with a borrowed book.
'If they're not great readers, or they've picked a book that they're not that confident with, sometimes I say to them, 'Just sound it out or talk about what's on the page' and when they realise they can do that it makes a difference.
'It's just great because you see kids blossom, but you also see some cats who might have shut down come out of their shell.
'It's a win for the kids and a win for the cats.'
She said watching a cat's personality emerge helped the adoption process because the centre could say with confidence which cats were comfortable with children. And the results aren't always predictable.
'Sometimes the cats that you think might not be good with the kids are the ones who end up sitting on kids' laps,' she said.
Most of the children who come to the 30-minute sessions don't have pets at home, she said, either because a family member has an allergy or because the household doesn't want the ongoing responsibility of looking after a pet.
Doolan said the Tales for Tails program, run for just five children at a time, allowed them to 'get their fix'.
Kumar said her family currently just has pet fish. But she admits that that could soon change.
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Want to lift your children's reading skills? Get them to read to kittens
She said parents had reported their children were more relaxed reading to animals and that the experience had fostered a positive connection to reading even if some sessions ended up being more about playing with cats than reading to them. 'The main thing is that we want them to be positive about reading and if this is something that gets them there, then that's great,' she said. Loading Hume Libraries supply the books for the program, which is aimed at primary school-aged children. Almost all have animal themes. Among the popular titles are Dr Seuss' classic Cat in the Hat, books from Dav Pilkey's popular Dog Man series and books by Lynley Dodd – particularly those featuring a charming but cheeky black cat named Slinky Malinki. Lort Smith adoption centre manager Mandy Doolan said while some children brought their favourite book from home, others arrived shy but soon warmed up with a borrowed book. 'If they're not great readers, or they've picked a book that they're not that confident with, sometimes I say to them, 'Just sound it out or talk about what's on the page' and when they realise they can do that it makes a difference. 'It's just great because you see kids blossom, but you also see some cats who might have shut down come out of their shell. 'It's a win for the kids and a win for the cats.' She said watching a cat's personality emerge helped the adoption process because the centre could say with confidence which cats were comfortable with children. And the results aren't always predictable. 'Sometimes the cats that you think might not be good with the kids are the ones who end up sitting on kids' laps,' she said. Most of the children who come to the 30-minute sessions don't have pets at home, she said, either because a family member has an allergy or because the household doesn't want the ongoing responsibility of looking after a pet. Doolan said the Tales for Tails program, run for just five children at a time, allowed them to 'get their fix'. Kumar said her family currently just has pet fish. But she admits that that could soon change.
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Want to lift your children's reading skills? Get them to read to kittens
She said parents had reported their children were more relaxed reading to animals and that the experience had fostered a positive connection to reading even if some sessions ended up being more about playing with cats than reading to them. 'The main thing is that we want them to be positive about reading and if this is something that gets them there, then that's great,' she said. Loading Hume Libraries supply the books for the program, which is aimed at primary school-aged children. Almost all have animal themes. Among the popular titles are Dr Seuss' classic Cat in the Hat, books from Dav Pilkey's popular Dog Man series and books by Lynley Dodd – particularly those featuring a charming but cheeky black cat named Slinky Malinki. Lort Smith adoption centre manager Mandy Doolan said while some children brought their favourite book from home, others arrived shy but soon warmed up with a borrowed book. 'If they're not great readers, or they've picked a book that they're not that confident with, sometimes I say to them, 'Just sound it out or talk about what's on the page' and when they realise they can do that it makes a difference. 'It's just great because you see kids blossom, but you also see some cats who might have shut down come out of their shell. 'It's a win for the kids and a win for the cats.' She said watching a cat's personality emerge helped the adoption process because the centre could say with confidence which cats were comfortable with children. And the results aren't always predictable. 'Sometimes the cats that you think might not be good with the kids are the ones who end up sitting on kids' laps,' she said. Most of the children who come to the 30-minute sessions don't have pets at home, she said, either because a family member has an allergy or because the household doesn't want the ongoing responsibility of looking after a pet. Doolan said the Tales for Tails program, run for just five children at a time, allowed them to 'get their fix'. Kumar said her family currently just has pet fish. But she admits that that could soon change.
