Should Children Read Books On iPad? Which One is Better?
Should Children Read Books On iPad?
Best Options for Reading To Your Children
Should children read books on iPad or with regular books? Every day it seems that there are more and more ways to access information in our everyday lives and those choices also involve our kids. As many ways as we are impacted by these choices, our children are finding new ways to express themselves as well.
Electronic communication has become a huge part of our lives for information, education and communication. There are so many ways now to get our points across and to share ourselves with others that it’s almost overwhelming. Our children have also been impacted by this progression of instant messaging and as with everything else, it is best when things are mixed up a bit and not dedicated to one way or the other. But one does ask, should children read books on iPad or should they not?
Being old-school, I love the feel of a book in my hands. I like to linger my fingers on the corner of a page, reading the words carefully but also anxiously waiting for the story to continue to unfold, pushing my thoughts to the next paragraph. But I have also accepted the fact that it is sometimes better to be able to access a book through electronic means for quick and convenient access to information. Not only do I have one book at my fingertips but a myriad of volumes that I can access within a short period of time without having to crisscross town in search of another book.
When Should Children Read Books On iPad?
The Adventures of Jack and Milo
Today’s child is already a pro at electronic devices. iPads for them are not only for education but for playtime pursuits as well. They carry them everywhere and are able to navigate the internet far better than I ever could. They watch videos, play games and get their school work done all on the same device. It’s a great resource for them and it has become a helpful tool for busy parents who are always on the go and have so many things to take care of in the short space of each day.
It’s not really a matter of which tool is better but which tool will serve the ultimate purpose for a child’s growth and development. When a child is presented a book, it’s one item, one thing that they can focus on completely. It allows them to disengage from the fast pace world of electronics and helps them to calm and stay grounded at least for a small portion of their day. The amount of information that is now being transmitted to our children on a sometimes minute-by-minute basis can sometimes be overwhelming. Their brains are not set up to handle this avalanche of material at one time. Some children have melt downs and sometimes they just shut the world off and retreat a bit to a more quiet place in time.
We look at a child engrossed in their iPad and it looks like they’re having a good time, enjoying the bright colors and words that flash on the screen. But are they actually having a good time? Or are they training their brains to run at such a fast pace that at some point they are going to just burn out? Are they learning or just absorbing without thought?
Don’t Be Afraid to Read Books On iPad To Your Children
Sometimes The Answer is All The Above
Children do need to be introduced to modern society’s innovations but they also need to be presented with standards that have been used for hundreds of years to educate and inform so that they can learn to think for themselves and digest material at their own pace. Before children read books on iPad they need to find their boundaries, embrace their strengths and weaknesses and to learn to master the art of literature by practicing good techniques. It’s a wise parent that limits the time spent on electronic devices and instead steers their child to a new book or visiting an old story that they loved so much. Keeping a happy balance between the two will help your child to become proficient with both genres and help to enhance their cognitive abilities.
Introducing your child to a never ending stream of good books in the written form will give them the ability to engage all of their senses and put a concentrated effort into absorbing small bits of information at a time. Word by word, sentence by sentence and paragraph by paragraph, you will be helping them to train their minds to be orderly and focused, which will help them in their abilities to problem solve and think logically. Being able to read a word, pronounce it and then retain it will also help your child to spell and write correctly which gives them a great start to their educational future.
