Is e-reading to your toddler story time, or simply screen time? This is the title of an article posted by the New York Times in October, 2014. It caught our attention because it’s a question parents have been asking, and we’ve been trying to answer.
The article concluded that the answer is not entirely clear yet. Long-term studies are needed to show how learning to read is affected by digital technology. We haven’t used digital devices, such as mobile phones and tablets, long enough for researchers to draw conclusions.
So what should parents do in the meantime?
Research shows that it’s the interaction between an adult and child when reading together that is key to a child’s language development – turning pages together, pointing at pictures, guessing what comes next, talking about the story. So, does reading from an e-book interfere with the kind of interaction that is so important for learning to read?
A handful of new studies suggest that the answer is “yes”. One 2013 study found that children ages 3 to 5, whose parents read to them from an e-book, had lower reading comprehension than children whose parents used traditional books. Researchers found that parents and children using an electronic device tend to focus more on the device itself, and are less likely to talk about the story and its relationship to the child’s life.
It’s the conversation sparked by a book that drives language development. Many e-books now include games and other related activities that may actually distract from and interrupt the “back-and-forth” of a parent-child conversation - that important story time.
One thing researchers know for sure is that when it comes to learning language no electronic device can replace a conversation with a live person. We are social beings. Learning happens when we interact with other people.
Until research shows us otherwise, this fact should guide parents.
