All parents hope their kids will do well in life. To hit this target, you’ve most likely gone through tons of tips, studies, and techniques to help you raise smart, successful, and happy kids. While there’s no specific recipe for “getting there,” here’s one great way to gear them up for responsible adulthood: Get them a saltwater aquarium. Here are four reasons why:
#1: Sense of Responsibility
A 2014 Pew Research study revealed most parents list responsibility as the number one quality they want their kids to have.. How can a saltwater aquarium help teach your kids responsibility? It encourages them to look after their pet’s health and survival. With your supervision, they can help carry out feeding or tank care tasks to keep their fish in good shape.
Your children’s age and ability will come into play when deciding which tasks to assign to them. The younger ones can drop a pinch of pellet food into the tank while the older ones can remove excess algae, check filters, or test water salinity and temperature. Thoughtful delegation is vital to keep the enthusiasm and avoid feelings of frustration.
#2: Family Bond
These days, many kids would prefer to play games on PCs, mobile devices and consoles for their pastime. While moderate gaming isn’t harmful, it’s nice for families to do things together. Quality time with your family is an important foundation for a happy adult life. It gives your children a sense of security and shapes their confidence, too.
Keeping a saltwater aquarium for kids at home is an excellent way to strengthen your family bond. It gives you a topic to talk about over dinner. It gives you an opportunity to discuss and divide tasks among family members (as mentioned above). Simple interactions like these can go a long way in building relationships.
#3: Ocean Awareness
Ocean awareness and conservation are two complex topics, but your kids can start learning them at home, with an aquarium. Watching a fish swimming back and forth ignites their innate curiosity about what lies under the sea. As they observe their pet, you can start a conversation about different kinds of marine species, ocean food chain, or fish behavior. Here are three examples of conversation starters:
- Did you know that clownfish and sea anemone have a special relationship?
- Are corals plants or animals? What do you think?
- If you throw trash into the aquarium, what would happen to the fish?
You can complement your discussion with ocean-related books, videos, toys, and crafts. Just ensure the topics and learning tools you use are age-appropriate.
#4: Stress Reduction
As many studies have proven, like this one by scientists at the UK’s National Marine Aquarium, people feel relaxed by simply observing the motion of swimming fish in an aquarium. If your kids feel down, are stressed from school, or are throwing a tantrum, a saltwater tank may help calm them down. Read some studies that prove aquariums affect the emotional and mental health of people here.
Looking for saltwater aquariums for kids? Start with Biota Aquariums! It offers an all-in-one saltwater tank package complete with sustainably raised tropical fish and corals. If you have any questions about this product, feel free to contact us.
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