Whilst kids do certainly love their iPad’s, isn’t it wonderful to hear that recent research – and book sales! – confirm that kids really do prefer to hold a real book when they are reading. The research applied to kids of all ages, not just the little ones who need us to read to them.
So what is it about real books that kids love? There’s certainly the tactile joy of turning the pages and the kids who were interviewed by the research talked about being able to sense how well they were doing as they progressed through the pages of the book.
Without doubt, kids love cuddling up to read a book with their parents and grandparents. It’s such a special opportunity to share a real connection and experience together without any distraction.
So how do you help kids to enjoy reading more? As we all know, kids love to mimic and watching their grandparents enjoying a good read helps their enthusiasm greatly. Sitting together in a special place to read and removing all the distractions lets the grandies know that reading is a special moment when they have our entire focus. And of course, we can make reading fun too – silly voices, being excited to read the story and discover what comes next is contagious. But perhaps most importantly, asking the grandkids questions about the story and allowing them to contribute will make them feel very special.
Happy reading everyone!
