Knjižnica Savski Gaj (Savski Gaj Library) has joined the National Campaign for people with reading difficulties and dyslexia called I ja želim čitati ("I want to read too"). The library offers workshops in which children read with Kiro the dog and his owner from URBAN PET centre.
How can reading to dogs help children?
- Reading to dogs is relaxing.
- The dog listens carefully and doesn't criticize or mock.
- The children can read at their own pace.
- Dogs aren't judgmental, while other children can be.
- Reading to dogs is fun.
Progress in children who read to dogs can be seen in multiple areas.
They start to read better, things don't distract them as easily anymore, and they start to understand the text better and have no problems discussing it. When children relax, they become more confident, and then have less difficulty in reading to their peers.
Priče uz psiće ("Stories with Puppies") program by Urban Pet centre has been approved by the Croatian Ministry of Science and Education.
Reading to dogs workshops are imagined as an individual activity, where each child gets a 20-minute period to read to Kiro.
Workshops will be held on Wednesdays from 6 to 7 p.m. on the following dates: March 8 and 22, April 5, May 3 and 17 and, exceptionally on a Tuesday, on May 30. See them on our calendar here.
You need rto make a reservation and get an appointment, either directly at the Library or by sending an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The contact person is Oleandra Cvjetičanin, librarian at the Children's' Department at the library.
R.E.A.D. (Reading Education Assistance Dogs) is a unique program designed to help children to improve their reading and communication abilities aided by a special method of reading to a dog. The dogs in the R.E.A.D. program are assistant dogs trained to do this and similar activities and, together with their owners, they visit schools and libraries where children read to them.
The type of program that is present in libraries is called AAA (Animal Assisted Activity) and it is motivational, informative and entertaining to children.
Source: dalje.com.
