Learning to read? Read to your pet

A few weeks ago I was reading an article somewhere that talked about an interesting way to help your child learn to read:

Have him or her read to your pet.

How does this help? There's no pressure. The dog (or cat or whatever) won't correct your child, won't say he or she is reading too slow or mispronouncing words, and won't judge. If anything the pet will appreciate the attention. With the pressure gone your child is free to read at his or her own pace. If encouraged to read for half an hour a day you should see an improvement in their reading ability after a couple weeks.

Give it a try. Set your child down with your pet and an age appropriate book for a few days and let us know if it works.

Who knows, your pet might even begin reading to you!