More on Reading: Are E-readers and Kindles Okay for Kids?

Now that I am an adult and I don’t HAVE to read, I love reading. I can spend my entire paycheck on books if I’m not careful. I prefer biographies, and expository text but am becoming more open to other types of literature. Children’s books are my favorite. Yep. From time to time, I still pick up children’s books and get immersed in that world. I recently read a wonderful article, remember reading by Sarah J. Robbins, and I wanted to share some of it with you. The article can be found in the June (2014) issue of Real Simple magazine.

According to experts deep reading, fully immersed, has benefits beyond fun. When you are fully lost in a book: you connect information to your background knowledge which helps to form creative thoughts, reduce your stress level by 60% (Mindlab, 2010), are better able to relate to others, better able to understand other people’s feelings, you excel academically, stop multitasking which is good for the brain, and are more likely to pursue higher education (Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 2010).

So what about reading screens? According to Maryanne Wolfe (2014), a professor of child development and the director of the Tuft’s University Center for Reading and Language Research, reading from a screen encourages scanning. Scanning for keywords is what we typically do when surfing the Internet and that skimming and scanning has leaked over into our reading habits on screens (Kindle, IPads). People also tend to multi-task while using screens and listening to audio books which indicates they are not fully engaged with the text.

What about e-readers? According to Jordan Schugar (http://college.usatoday.com/2014/04/17/print-vs-ebooks-it-is-so-e-on/), kids in grades 3-8th comprehended significantly higher when they read conventional books. E-readers may be just fine for adults and college students according to research by the PEW Internet & American Life Project.

1. Avoid multitasking while reading. Immerse yourself in the story because that’s when you get the benefits of reading.

2. Don’t feel compelled to finish a book you don’t like. Give it 50 pages to win you. Don’t make your children finish a book they aren’t interested in reading.

3. Don’t wait for bedtime. According to Heather Ruetschlin an associate professor of literacy at West Chester University kids need to see adults reading. She advises, laughing out loud and reading to your children to share the joy of reading.

4. Re-read chapters you’ve already read.

5. Support children with reading difficulties by using books on tape. If the audio doesn’t exist, make one. All you need is a recorder.

6. When it comes to novels and non-fiction, audio books are almost equivalent to reading says Daniel Willingham, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia.

7. Fill your shelves with a variety of books. Homes with books have children that are more likely to pursue more years of education.

8. Choose books you like. All reading does not need to be challenging. Children’s reading should be at or just above their reading level. Let them choose what they like, even comics.

9. Read aloud to kids who can already read. Here are few recommended books to share – The One and Only Ivan (Katherine Applegate), The Watsons Go to Birmingham (Christopher Paul Curtis).

10. Read books as a family.

11. Make time to ask critical questions about what has been read or provide time for children to share what they are reading, why they like, and what they would change.

12. Pull out and review difficult words before you allow children to sit and read silently. Make sure they do not skip words they don’t know.

13. Reward readers!!

More on Reading: Are E-readers and Kindles Okay for Kids?

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