Research is showing that young children need the experience of reading print books for proper brain development, not just digital reading. For older children, significant research shows that comprehension suffers when they read on a screen. A study by the Reboot Foundation found that “fourth-grade students who reported using tablets in ‘all or almost all’ classes scored fourteen points lower on the reading exam than students who reported ‘never’ using classroom tablets. Researchers called the score gap “equivalent to a full grade level” of learning.
Parents, the lesson here is buy print books! Read them to and with your young children. Make sure older children read print books at least as much as they read online. There’s a strong correlation between the tactile experience of holding a book while we’re reading and actually understanding what we read. Let’s build strong readers and thinkers.
