You probably already knew, but kids tend to engage more with print books than eBooks. Now there’s a study to prove it.

Print Books for Toddlers

Researchers published a study in the March 25, 2019 issue of Pediatrics and the September 30, 2019 issue of JAMA Pediatrics. Toddlers were paired with a parent (37 pairs total) and their sessions were videotaped. They were read either a print book, a simple eBook, or an eBook with sound effects and/or animation.

The toddlers were more interactive with the print books, i.e., they pointed to and labeled pictures and were overall more verbal, answering questions about the story. Not only that, the parents themselves were more engaged too. They tended to ask the children more open-ended questions — “what do you think happens next?” — than they did with the eBooks.

What does that tell us? A young child wants your attention and will pick you over some hyped-up tech every time.

eBooks for Toddlers

The back and forth interactions between a child and their parent are strengthened by reading print books. The dialogue affects their social development and builds relationship bonds. Remember that a love of learning starts at a young age too, even when reading books about cats sitting on mats.

This is not to say that eBooks are bad. Toddlers certainly responded to them in the study too, just not to the same extent as the print books.

Interestingly, the bells and whistles on the eBooks were not a big draw. In fact, they were often distracting. Parents often had to redirect their children — “don’t touch that!” — to get back on task, and this detracted from the overall experience. Think of it this way. eBooks may allow a child to be more independent (i.e., they may not necessarily need a parent by their side), but print books allow for more meaningful interactions.

Everyone Loves a Good Story

For me, one of the biggest joys of being a parent was reading to my kids. To see their eyes light up when I told them a story or hear their giggles when I broke out in a quirky character voice (my accents are the worst)! Hey, it was worth the embarrassment and gave them respect for quality actors like Meryl Streep.

It doesn’t matter how old they are either. My kids may be a bit old to read to now (high schoolers, what are you going to do?), but we still read together as part of our family book club. All the books they loved when they were younger still sit on our bookshelves and we keep adding to the list.

It may be harder to engage with children when interactive media has their undivided attention but parents get distracted too. How often do you catch a parent checking their social media feeds during kids’ games and PTA meetings? It may be better for everyone to put the tech aside for a while and spend some quality time one on one. Print books and simple toys may be the best way to go.

As Willy Wonka sang, “Come with me and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination.” I know these are lyrics from the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory but what better reason to hit the library for a Roald Dahl book next. The kids are going to love it!

 

Munzer TG, Miller AL, Weeks HM, Kaciroti N, Radesky J. Differences in Parent-Toddler Interactions With Electronic Versus Print Books. Pediatrics. 2019 Mar 25. pii: e20182012. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-2012.

Munzer GT, Miller AL, Weeks HM, Kaciroti N, Radesky J. Parent-Toddler Social Reciprocity During Reading From Electronic Tablets vs Print Books. JAMA Pediatrics. 2019 Sept 30. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.3480