Books are a given, or so I thought. While technological progress allowed many children to receive a smartphone from parents, grand-parents, uncles, aunts,… It seems to be detrimental to books and children willingness to read them.
I have loved technology for as long I can remember, even before my parents bought us our 486 compaq presario in 1996, and subsequently, before internet was installed at home.
So the only way to learn at that time was through books. And while I would agree to the fact that finding a solution when you had a problem would take significantly longer than a bing search, by going through a book, we gained also a lot of peripheral knowledge that could and would be useful.
But this is not a case of books versus pdfs or low tech versus high tech. This is just about children not reading books anymore. Or so seldom that some kids try to move the images they see on a paper by swiping, not realising they are not looking at a tablet.
My point is, technology is as good as how we use it. It can’t and won’t go away and that is good but I sincerely think that we should introduce our kids to tablets and phones slowly and gradually while also limiting the screen time to a minimum.
The aim is not to prevent them to enjoy tech but to use it and enjoy it responsibly while knowing also that there are other ways of learning than just googling for the answer.
Create a cozy reading nook for your child. A special reading space may be all the encouragement your child needs to settle down and spend time with a good book!
That’s indeed a great idea. Having a dedicated space is a great way to help children focus.
Like!! Thank you for publishing this awesome article.