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When I talk about reading throughout this book I am usually not making a distinction between physical books and digital books. After all, the content is the same, it’s just the delivery method that is different. The same sustained concentration is required to read an extended piece of writing, whether on paper or screen.
Although adult e-reading is gaining ground, up to now children’s e-reading has been slower to get going. It will no doubt speed up as more devices become available. However, you might find your child is keen to read on a digital device. If so, that’s great, especially if they are older. I would caution against using digital books at a young age. Let your child enjoy the feel of physical books, the pleasure of being able to hold them, flick through them and carry them around. This is all part and parcel of the reading experience.
Also, keeping the physical book as a reminder of shared reading as your child gets older is a contributory factor to the relationship glue I talk about elsewhere in the book. I remember so clearly some of the books my mum and I read together when I was growing up, some of which were kept and I was able to read to my son. I’m especially fond of a dog-eared copy of The House at Pooh Corner. And my brother gave my son, on loan, his treasured childhood copy of Wilf Weasel’s Speedy Skates, which was treated with great reverence by Louis. That physical continuity is not something you get with e-books. So I think it would be a shame to miss out on the physical presence of books in the early years, quite apart from any developmental harm screen time might cause.
Screen time is a very modern problem. Finding the balance between recognising the utility of computers and the potential developmental impairment that overuse can cause is one of the most common issues in family life nowadays. Health education specialists like Dr Aric Sigman, as well as the Department of Health, are raising awareness among parents of the need to consider discretionary and recreational screen time as yet another form of consumption – similar to sweets or crisps, or hours in direct sunshine – that is measured in minutes or hours per day, and which needs to be thought about and limited. There is no way around it; you do need to get involved to help your child find that balance.
Here’s an example of how you go about finding the balance. One mum told me her son, Alfie, is an avid gamer. He is seven years old and into playing the same games on the Wii and on the iPad as much as his friends are. But he is also a very keen reader. She said ‘Alfie reads to relax. He reads in bed every day – we have a routine. He is not allowed to have any gaming kit or phone or TV in his room.’
It can be done!
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