Print Books Are Better Than Digital for Toddlers
One more reason to crack open a book - new research in the journal Pediatrics suggests that print books are the best way to go when reading with young children.
The New York Times reported the story & broke down the study…
Researchers at the University of Michigan asked 37 parents to read similar stories to their 2- to 3-year-olds in 3 different formats : A print book, a basic electronic book (no bells or whistles) on a tablet and an enhanced electronic book with animation and/or sound effects
The interactions were videotaped and coded
Researched tracked: The number & kinds of verbalizations by parents and children, the amount of collaborative reading & the general emotional tenor of the interaction
Reading print books together generated more of all three items
“A print book is just so good at eliciting these interactions,” said Dr. Tiffany Munzer, a fellow in developmental behavioral pediatrics at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, who was the first author on the study. “You’re comparing a tablet with the gold standard.”
