During a visit with my friend and her eight-year-old daughter, I had an idea. Her mother mentioned that she had a Kindle app, so I decided to gift one of my bilingual children's books to her. The little girl glanced up from playing a game on her iPad when I told her about the book but then went back to scrolling through the screen. She politely said thank you as she opened her Kindle app and skimmed through the digital pages. However, when I handed her the same book in paperback form, her face lit up with excitement. She quickly flipped through the pages, admiring the colorful illustrations, and then put her iPad aside to fully focus on reading the paperback book.
The number of children reading physical books has decreased in recent years. What impact does this trend have?
Many students think they are better readers when using screens. Their belief is rooted in the fact that they can read faster on a screen. However, this speed is achieved through scrolling, word spotting, skimming, and scanning, rather than deep reading. This means it is essential to develop strong print reading skills and then adapt them for digital screens.
The journey toward reading begins long before formal instruction. Physical books are the most beneficial for young children, followed by audio resources, with digital reading coming in last. This is because of a complex balance at play here. On one hand, tablets and other devices may be more enticing to young readers, but on the other hand, they promote passive engagement. It's like a double-edged sword: while technology taps into our innate novelty reflex as humans, this can be detrimental to a child's development as it hinders their ability to focus. Instead of fostering concentration and learning, they become accustomed to distractions and fleeting novelty.
After the child closes the screen, the most frequently uttered words are "I'm bored." Why is that? Because they have been overly stimulated. Up until age five, excessive screen time can actually hinder a child's ability to focus their attention on tasks. It has become evident that technology use during these formative years can lead to the opposite outcome of what we desire for children in terms of attention and concentration.
Let children use their imagination
Allow children to be children, to play, read, and use their creativity, while teaching them important morals. Do not expect them to act like mini-adults who can make life-changing choices at such a young age. Let them have fun pretending to be superheroes, mermaids, or animals, but remind them that it is all make-believe. They will outgrow this phase soon enough. Until then, let them believe in Santa and enjoy their childhood innocence.
My children's stories are about acceptance, friendship, family, and moral values such as accepting people with disabilities, dealing with bullies, and not judging others before getting to know them.
Erika loves to dance to her own tunes and follow her dreams, introducing her story-writing skills and her books that are based on creative imagination with themes such as magical realism, alternate history, urban fantasy, cozy mystery, sweet romance, and supernatural stories. Her children’s stories are informative and educational and deliver moral values in a non-preachy way.
I can conquer with everything here in this post. As a veteran teacher, I remember my students holding their books with their little fingers following every word. This is a tactile method and studies have proven children's comprehension of the story is better retained with a physical book. I know my grandsons cherish their favorite books as they take them along while traveling . Thank you for posting this as I hope people will become aware and we can move back to a time where books are preferred over the digital form.
Sadly, less and less children are introduced to physical books and reading at an early age. Parents are busy scrolling through social media and children play games or watch cartoons on their phones. My treasured memories are reading the same fairytale to my 2-year-old, and she correcting me when I skipped a page or missed a word. Her favorite book was about a clumsy cat getting into trouble all the time, and I read the story to her 212 times. (yes, I counted it) Every time we got to the funny part when the cat, Oriza, touched the electric wire and stood there, eyes bugging and hair standing in all directions, my daughter's delightful laugh sounded the same as if she'd heard the story the first time.
I agree fully. I am helping my great grandchildren with their reading and I see everyday how much reading from a physical book helps them. Holding the book in their hands helps make the story real to them.
Exactly! When they hold a physical book, all senses are triggered, and the story holds their attention. It's good to allow children screentime, after all they're born into the digital age, but in my opinion, it needs to be limited to short intervals.
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ReplyDeleteI can conquer with everything here in this post. As a veteran teacher, I remember my students holding their books with their little fingers following every word. This is a tactile method and studies have proven children's comprehension of the story is better retained with a physical book. I know my grandsons cherish their favorite books as they take them along while traveling . Thank you for posting this as I hope people will become aware and we can move back to a time where books are preferred over the digital form.
ReplyDeleteSadly, less and less children are introduced to physical books and reading at an early age. Parents are busy scrolling through social media and children play games or watch cartoons on their phones. My treasured memories are reading the same fairytale to my 2-year-old, and she correcting me when I skipped a page or missed a word. Her favorite book was about a clumsy cat getting into trouble all the time, and I read the story to her 212 times. (yes, I counted it) Every time we got to the funny part when the cat, Oriza, touched the electric wire and stood there, eyes bugging and hair standing in all directions, my daughter's delightful laugh sounded the same as if she'd heard the story the first time.
DeleteI agree fully. I am helping my great grandchildren with their reading and I see everyday how much reading from a physical book helps them. Holding the book in their hands helps make the story real to them.
ReplyDeleteExactly! When they hold a physical book, all senses are triggered, and the story holds their attention. It's good to allow children screentime, after all they're born into the digital age, but in my opinion, it needs to be limited to short intervals.
DeleteAnd there is that new book smell. I thought it magical as a child. Still do I guess.
DeleteI guess I'm anonymous when posting from my phone! Who knew? LOL
ReplyDeleteProbably not signed into Google on your phone :)
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