Animal-assisted pedagogy in pme-childcare centers
Animals play a major role in our learning environments. Whether it's your own childcare center animal or observing animals in their natural environment - there are many ways to engage with animals. They all have one thing in common: the educational benefit.
Colorful fish frolic in the aquarium, snails or agamas crawl through the terrarium, rabbits hop around or chickens scratch in the garden. More than half of our 60 childcare facilities have their own animals. In some childcare centers , a dog is even a permanent member of the group. Where it is not possible to keep animals at childcare center , the children observe animals in the wild or on farms, adopt animals or welcome visiting dogs.
Why is it so important to us that children come into contact with animals? It's simple: animals have a positive influence on children's development - in many different areas.
Positive influence on child development
Empirical findings and our many years of experience in animal-assisted education confirm that encounters with animals have a variety of positive effects on children. Here are a few examples:
Concentration
Animals have a calming effect on children. Even very lively children can immerse themselves in observing animals for a long time and watch fish swim their courses in the aquarium or snails crawl leisurely to their destination.
Social skills and sense of responsibility
Children learn what the animal needs to be well and can take on important tasks in caring for it. This helps them develop empathy and a sense of responsibility.
Language development
"Woof, woof!", "Blubb, blubb!" - even the youngest children imitate the sounds of the animals. Older children love to talk about their experiences with the animals and are encouraged to put their experiences into words.
Scientific experiences
Every animal is different and opens up new experiences for children. The dog has soft fur, the snail is moist, the turtle has a hard shell - by meeting different animals, children expand their knowledge about the appearance of animals, their behavior and their species-specific needs.
Sensory experiences
Touching and stroking animals is an unforgettable experience for every child and is particularly important in the area of tactile perception. But the smell, sounds or vocalizations of animals also stimulate the children's senses.
Emotions
Joy, enthusiasm, caution, restraint: animals arouse emotions in children and give them a reason to engage with them.
Species-appropriate husbandry and careful supervision
Simply acquiring an animal is not enough in animal-assisted education. To ensure that the encounters are positive for humans and animals, the pme Familienservice has developed a comprehensive quality management system that begins with the selection of the animals. The animals are selected in a detailed team process in which the parents are also involved. In each facility, animal representatives work with the children to ensure the animal's care and health. A wide range of further and advanced training courses are available to interested educational staff, for example training courses for visiting or assistance dogs.
Animals in the childcare centers of the pme Familienservice - a selection
- Dogs
- Agate snails
- Guinea pig
- Chickens
- Water turtles
- Dwarf rabbit
- Bearded dragons
- Fish
Sources:
Godau, Michael (ed.): (2011). Rabbits, dogs & co. in the childcare center. Living with animals, caring for animals, learning from animals. Verlag an der Ruhr, 2011.
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