Posted on 12/20/2016
In a word: YES
Perhaps screens are overtaking paper books by leaps and bounds in the homes and lives of your family members, friends, and neighbors, but the digital-versus-paper-book debate is not just an old-folks-versus-modern-people thing. Physicians, psychiatrists, parents, and others are seeing real addictions stemming from too much screen time – sometimes even likening the effects to that of drugs!
Tangible Books & Toys Beat Digital Ones
If your child is already addicted to screens, detox can be a painful process. But if you’re not there yet, trust us — you don’t want to go. “The key is to prevent your 4, 5 or 8-year-old from getting hooked on screens to begin with. That means Lego instead of Minecraft; books instead of iPads; nature and sports instead of TV.” This isn’t just your child’s teacher or doctor talking; it’s the combined assessment of health care and educational professionals around the world. “Developmental psychologists understand that children’s healthy development involves social interaction, creative imaginative play and an engagement with the real, natural world. Unfortunately, the immersive and addictive world of screens dampens and stunts those developmental processes.”
Real Books Offer Real Benefits
Even if kids don’t become addicted, the onscreen reading experience is decidedly inferior to that of paper books. Cognitive neuroscientist Maryanne Wolf explains her concerns: “For my greatest concern is that the young brain will never have the time (in milliseconds or in hours or in years) to learn to go deeper into the text after the first decoding, but rather will be pulled by the medium to ever more distracting information, sidebars, and now, perhaps, videos.” For adults and children alike, reading paper books offers benefits ranging from intellectual growth to mental and emotional health.
Reading Aloud Has Relational Perks
We often think of reading to pre-readers, but reading out loud to struggling readers has plenty of benefits, too. Not only does it expose them to new vocabulary. Sarah Mackenzie’s Read Aloud Revival podcast series is sure to convince you!
Aside from the intrinsic intellectual and educational benefits of real books, read-aloud time provides parent and child with relational benefits, as well. As Sarah puts it, “All I must do is break open the cover, and suddenly my children and I are transported to another time and place — together. . . . We’re seeing through the same lens, hooking arms on an adventure. We’re experiencing something bigger than ourselves, and we’re doing it side-by-side.” Not all books are ideal for reading aloud. You can get a read-aloud book list here.
The Bedroom Source offers a variety of bookcase options that are nearly as varied as the types of books from which you can choose to line their shelves — short or tall, masculine or feminine, contemporary or ornate.
Once you purchase the bookshelf, it’ll be time to start filling it! For tips on building your child’s personal library, check out this next post.
The Bedroom Source
Located near the Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island, The Bedroom Source is your source for the best collection of children's and teen bedroom furniture. From flexibly configurable Maxtrix furniture to fashionable Smartstuff collections, The Bedroom Source offers high end furniture and professional design assistance to create the bedroom of your child's dreams.
Contact the friendly staff at The Bedroom Source by calling (516) 248-0600 or by submitting our online contact form. We're a local family owned mom & pop store. When you shop with us, you're dealing directly with the owners. We professionally assemble everything we sell. We deliver to Nassau, Suffolk, the 5 Boroughs, Southern Westchester, Southwestern Connecticut & Northern New Jersey.