Have you been thinking about getting a home aquarium? Wondering whether it’s a good idea? There are lots of benefits for children in pet ownership and fish can be a good starter pet. Here are the benefits of owning an aquarium for your kids.

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Aquariums are a wonderful asset for the whole family but, if your child has been hounding you for a pet this might be the best answer, especially if you or anyone in your house suffers from allergies.

Dander can cause a reaction for some allergy sufferers and, it’s fair to say, dogs and cats require much more work. Fish are definitely a lower maintenance, non-allergy pet option! Here are some of the other benefits of a home aquarium for kids.

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The Benefits of Owning an Aquarium

#1. It Can Help With Relaxation

Children typically have a lot of energy, and some children have more energy than others and have a difficult time shutting it off.

Studies have shown that if a person sits in front of a fish tank for a short amount of time the brain will produce more serotonin, which has been called the “happy chemical“.

#2. It Teaches Responsibility

Did you know that responsibility is connected with developing healthy self-esteem? Giving your child chores and responsibilities can help boost their confidence and self-esteem.

Taking care of a fish tank and making it your child’s job to change the filters and feed the fish appropriately, your child is learning what it means to take care of another living creature, which is one of the biggest responsibilities we can take on as humans.

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#3. Valuable Learning

There are lots of lessons that come with caring for a pet. Feeding, cleaning, and making sure their needs are met are just a few of the learning experiences offered with owning a fish tank.

As the fish swim around the tank your child will be inspired to explore and wonder. An interest in science is a wonderful thing and children are sponges, so by having a little ecosystem right in your house, they can be inspired to learn.

#4. Creative Inspiration

A child’s imagination is like nothing else. It is creative and inventive and is unencumbered by life lessons and all those things that make us adults. Having this unending source of creative inspiration in your child’s life is a win-win situation.

The world fish live in is so different from ours it’s difficult not to start imagining what life would be like among the beautiful coral and swimming with the clownfish. As humans we can use diving equipment but the true essence of what it is like to live under water is a mystery to us. And that can inspire your child to be creative and imaginative.

#5. Emotional Health

Even though we can’t pet fish and they don’t curl up with us on the sofa, fish are living creatures and we grow attached to them. Sometimes we feed them too much. Other times we don’t check their water and they die.

When children learn to deal with death it helps them grow to be emotionally healthy adults. Life is about love and loss; losses are part of life and learning about this as a child can help lead to them being a more well adjusted adult.

#6. Better Sleep

There is something soothing about the sound of a fish tank running. The quieter the filtration system the better but, there is no denying that the sound of moving water is helpful when we are trying to sleep. This might be why the sound of the ocean is one of the options on every sound/sleep app out there! So having one in the house can help promote better sleep.

Have your say! Do you own a home aquarium? What have been the benefits to your kids of having one? Leave a comment below and let us know – we’d love to hear from you!