If your child is persistently asking you for a dog or a cat, once you've established that it isn't a passing whim, you might do well to say yes. A pet could indeed have great benefits for a child's development.

Several studies have shown that children who have pets develop a more advanced emotional intelligence (EI). Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand, manage and effectively express one's own feelings, and to interpret those of other people; it is considered a key determining factor in achieving a better and richer quality of life.

Unlike intelligence quotient (IQ), which most experts consider fixed, emotional intelligence can improve over time with practice, and animals can help children do just that. Here are the benefits that four-legged friends can have on children.

1. Compassion

Children who have an animal at home learn, from a very young age, to care for and nurture another creature, initially by observing their parents and absorbing information that will later be drawn upon in every interaction with an animal. Numerous studies have also shown that children who live with animals display greater empathy and more compassion towards other animals and human beings.

2. Self-esteem

Looking after an animal necessarily entails responsibilities; these instil in the child a sense of accomplishment and help them feel independent and capable. Nienke Endenburg and Ben Baarda, authors of the book The Waltham Book of Human–Animal Interaction, report an experiment in which children with low self-esteem showed great progress after having an animal in their classroom for nine months.

3. Cognitive development

Proximity to a pet can facilitate language acquisition and improve verbal skills in children. Children do not simply play with animals — they talk to them and often even read alongside them. "Conversing" with an animal also helps children overcome stuttering.

4. Stress reduction

Animals offer unparalleled emotional support and are able to ease negative emotions. In the course of a survey in which children were asked who they would turn to in times of difficulty, most of them mentioned their pet. Pets can indeed make us feel unconditionally supported, whereas other people might judge and criticise.

5. Understanding the cycle of life

Explaining the concepts of birth and death to one's children can be difficult for a parent; becoming familiar with these processes can be easier, for both parties, through the lives of animals. The death of a pet is clearly a moment of great sorrow, but it can also be an important learning experience. "The way in which their parents handle bereavement will teach the child how to face death," write Endenburg and Baarda. The other side of the coin is birth, and animal reproduction can be a good starting point for opening a discussion about sex.