Children who are raised with pets at home show a much higher EQ (emotional quotient) than kids who are raised without pets. It’s not surprising that children love pets and every pet however big or small teaches your kids to be compassionate, loving, as well as offer a special companionship that they cherish lifelong.
With so many options available in the pet store, it is indeed a Herculean task to choose the right pet for your child. You also need to consider factors like cost, maintenance, and child safety before investing in one. From turtles and birds to the most common household pets like dogs, cats, fishes, the cute and fluffy rabbits, hamsters and squirrels, the list is endless. The only downside is that most pets usually demand high maintenance and need undivided attention coupled with utmost care. Some kids are allergic to pets like cats and dogs and can only keep pets that don’t come in direct contact with them like fishes. Fishes are the only pets that teach kids to be responsible and inculcate a sense of independence in them.
Let us find out the many advantages of having fishes at home with kids:
1) Fishes are great for kids with attention disorders: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) are common among children these days and affect almost 22% of children worldwide. The movement of fishes and gazing at them renders a sense of calmness and improves concentration naturally. Children suffering from behavioral disorders have shown remarkable improvement with fishes as pets.
2) Responsibility: Aquarium fishes teach your kids to be responsible and confident individuals. Teach your kids to feed the fishes on time. Even younger children like 3 years can be given this task that helps develop a sense of responsibility in them while young.
3) Companionship: Pets offer great companionship to children, especially if he or she is a single child. Aquarium fishes are great companions for kids and provide an emotional anchorage in times of distress. Studies have shown that children that grew up with pets like aquarium fishes appeared to be more confident, extrovert and nonchalant in behavior.
4) Allergen-free: Aquarium fish scores major brownie points as pets when it comes to children allergic to pets and pet hairs. Aquarium fishes do not have hair nor do they come in direct contact with humans, therefore, any possibility of allergy from fishes is ruled out.
5) Help with learning: Aquarium fishes satiate the natural curiosity of children about the macro and micro components of the aquatic ecosystem. They also help younger children get familiar with science and it’s fields like Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Watching fishes swimming in their fish bowls or aquariums trigger creativity and the imaginative aspect that further contributes to their brain development. Toddlers can be introduced to the concept of numbers, counting, and colors with respect to the aquarium fishes in a fun and interesting way.
6) Pet fishes are the easiest to maintain: Unlike other pets who demand a lot of attention and care, fishes are practically fuss-free and low maintenance pets for kids. They do not litter your home as they are confined in their own world inside a fish bowl or tank. Unlike the four-legged pets, fishes don’t have any separation anxiety or become a menace when their owners take a holiday break.
7) Develops social skills at a tender age: Children having pets tend to confide and speak with them when they just start blabbering. This helps in developing their social skills and teaches them how to interact with peers at a very young age. It is especially beneficial to a single child who can relate to pets more than they would to adults.
Kids benefit immensely in the company of pets like fishes and there is no doubt about that. If you have no experience with aquariums before there is no need to worry. Invest in a fish bowl or a small aquarium at first and later on, you can proceed to replace it with a bigger fish tank. After that, you need some basic aquarium equipment like filters, light bulb, oxygenator etc. Then comes the most crucial stage of choosing the right aquarium fishes as pets for your children. You must consider factors like easy maintenance, interactive and non-aggressive nature of fishes. Some great options for aquarium fishes as pets are Mollies, Gold fish, Angel fish, Guppies, Betta, Platy etc. In our next article, we shall cover each fish in detail and why they make great pets for your children.
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