What Do Young Children Learn From Pets?

Is a better understanding of biology something children can learn from dogs and cats? Photo: elista/Shutterstock By Zazie Todd, PhD Young children are very interested in animals. One study even found children aged 11 – 40 months would prefer to look at an animal behind a glass screen ( even if the animal is fast asleep ) rather than play with a toy (LoBue et al 2013). Now researchers are asking whether this interest in animals means that children with a cat or dog know more about biology than those without. The study, by Megan Geerdts (University of North Carolina at Greensboro) et al, was in two parts. First of all, the scientists needed to know how preschool children actually interact with cats and dogs. Although this is observed by parents every day, it seems it hasn’t been recorded in enough detail for science. So the researchers observed 24 preschool children in a free-play session with their pet, and asked their parents to complete a questionnaire about their