Does It Matter If Your Child Reads A Physical Book Or Reads On A Screen?

With kids facing so many distractions these days, reading is a great opportunity for redirection.

It's a well-known saying, "first you learn to read, then you read to learn".As your kids grow older, they learn more enthusiastically if they love the act of reading itself when they are young enough to form a relationship with the written word. This starts by hearing bedtime stories, told in the lap of someone they love, in a voice that feels like home to a young and eager mind.

A study took place in which a group of 3-year-olds were placed in a room with a screen showing a bowl of popcorn. The children were asked if the popcorn would spill out if the screen was tipped over. Each child shook their head yes; they were convinced the popcorn would come out of the screen. This illustrates how a child's mind might interpret what they are experiencing depending on how it is being presented.

In other studies, it's been found that kids who have a harder time reading, find reading on a screen allows them to be more engaged, for longer, because they don't feel the pressure of their pages turning more slowly than those around them.

With parents seeking advice on the best way to raise well-rounded children, screen time has become a regular, and somewhat controversial, topic. Does reading on a screen vs. holding a book in your hand enhance or change the experience? That's up to you to decide, we simply want to highlight the importance of your child being given the opportunity to fall in love with reading as early as possible, and the role parents play in it.

Whatever bedtime looks like at your house – Something all experts, teachers, and parents can agree on is this -- we want children to read, read well, and read often.