How pets can support children's emotional wellbeing

It is a well known fact that pets can significantly reduce our stress and anxiety. They freely offer us so much including social connection, emotional regulation and stress reduction.

Pets are good for your brain

Pet interactions trigger neurochemical responses in our brains. Stroking a pet increases oxytocin and dopamine while at the same time lowering our cortisol levels. This helps reduce physiological stress and improves mood. Our pets also offer us nonjudgmental companionship which helps reduce social anxiety and supports children to practice empathy and communication.

How do Pets support Children's Mental Health?

Pets support children's mental health in a number of key ways:

* Reduced anxiety and stress: Physical contact with a pet and their predictable nature helps increase oxytocin and dopamine and lowers cortisol, which directly reduces heart rate and stress. Research shows that two minutes of gentle stroking while counting breaths can serve as an immediate calming tool prior to a stressful event, such as an exam.

* Improved self-esteem and confidence: Age-appropriate pet care tasks, such as simple feeding, grooming or training tasks, build new skills which increases levels of competence, a sense of achievement and self confidence. Studies and surveys from recent years link pet ownership to higher reported self-esteem, especially when parents encourage children to take more responsibility and praising their child's accomplishments.

* Enhanced empathy and social skills: Regular interaction with a dependent animal encourages perspective-taking and gentle behaviour. A responsible role of looking after a pet helps children to focus their thoughts and actions on the pet rather than ruminating on their own worries and fears.

* Better emotional regulation and routine: Daily pet care routines create predictability, which helps children's nervous systems feel safe and secure. This has a positive impact on thoughts, feelings and actioins.

* Encourages problem solving skills which build general self confidence which translates to wider settings such as peer groups and school.

Which Types of Pets Are Best for Supporting Children’s Emotional Needs?

Dogs provide a lovely combination of trainability, social signaling and an active presence which makes them especially effective for reducing anxiety and aiding social interaction. Therapy dogs are trained to remain calm, provide predictable responses and gently engage with unfamiliar people, thus enabling social interactions that children may otherwise avoid.

Cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs offer low-pressure, tactile companionship that suits children who prefer quieter, less active connections and families with limited outdoor space. Purring and gentle presence serve as calming sensory inputs that lower arousal, while manageable care routines teach responsibility without overwhelming demands.

The nonjudgmental, independent nature of cats reduces social pressure and allows comfortable closeness which is on the child’s terms.

Observation-based pets like fish, birds, and certain reptiles provide visual and auditory stimuli that promote calm, mindfulness, and regulated breathing without requiring extensive physical interaction.

Watching an aquarium or listening to birdsong can reduce cortisol and produce a meditative focus, which is valuable for children who respond well to visual cues. Low-contact pets are also an option for families with allergies or limited time. Introducing short guided observation exercises,such as: counting fins or labelling colours, can turn passive observation into an active calming practice. These species support emotional regulation through consistent, low-demand engagement.

How Does Animal-Assisted Therapy Help Children with Autism, ADHD, and Anxiety?

For children with autism, guided interaction with a therapy animal increases social initiation and communication opportunities in low-pressure contexts; the animal serves as a transitional social partner to reduce isolation.

For ADHD, structured pet-care tasks and short practice sessions help with attention, sequencing, and impulse control through frequent positive reinforcement.

For anxiety disorders, exposure-based activities with animals create controllable, rewarding scenarios to practice relaxation and coping skills.

How Can Pet Loss Impact a Child’s Emotional Wellbeing?

Very often the death of a pet is the first encounter a child has in their lives of a loved one dying. Feelings of deep sadness, grief and loss can feel very scary and overwhelming.

Preparing children for loss through stories and afterwards with memorial activities can help them feel their feelings without being completely overwhelmed by them.

Your child's mood and behaviour may change as they try to process these emotions.

During this time, it can be helpful if you are able to share your own feelings and how you cope with your own emotions. Children often feel like they are the only ones feeling their feelings, so sharing your own, in age-appropriate ways, lets them know they're not alone and that these feelings are natural and normal.

If you'd like more support on this, you may like to take a look at my short E-book;

The Natural Cycle : Life & Death on my Resources page.

If you are already a pet owner and live in the Fylde area, you may like to take a look at my son's reliable dog walking and pet sitting service here https://peaceofmindpets.com/