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HELP FOR THE FAMILY | RAISING CHILDREN

Why Reading Important for Children​—⁠Part 2: Book or Electronic Device?

Why Reading Important for Children​—⁠Part 2: Book or Electronic Device?

 Which one your child like to use when they reading​—⁠book or electronic device?

 Plenty young people will choose to read from their electronic device. Dr. Jean M. Twenge asay, ‘This time, children getting use to using their electronic device because they can just click on the next link or go to the next page quick. Using books can make it hard for them to focus.’

 Reading on electronic device get some good benefits. One 20-year-old boy they call John say, ‘The school I was going to, all our books were electronic. The search area can help me to find the information I need quick.’

 People who can read from electronic device get plenty good-good tools to their fingertips. For example, you can just click or tap on one button and you will be able to get the meaning of a word. You can also play audio, watch video, or get other information on it through other links. But you think it not important to read from books?

 Why some people like to use real book when they doing deep study?

  •   Paying attention. One young boy name Nathan say, ‘When I reading from my electronic device, some thing them can just come on the screen that can make me to not focus on my study.’

     20-year-old Karen facing the same problem. She say, ‘When I reading from my phone or tablet, “it can be easy for other programs or playing game to make me to not pay attention.”

     Bible advice: “Make the best possible use of your time.”​—⁠Colossians 4:​5, Phillips.

     Something to think about: Your child able to control himself to pay attention when he reading or studying from electronic device? If not, how you can help your child to learn how to focus?

     Remember this: Help your child to know that electronic device can take their attention from their homework and make them to stay long. Then the time they suppose to use to do other things will pass by them.

  •   Understanding. The book Be the Parent, Please say, ‘Plenty studies na show that when people read from book, they can understand more than when they read from electronic device.’

     One reason that, people who read from electronic device, can just rush through the material without thinking on it. One writer name Nicholas Carr say, ‘When we on the internet, we can just want get information quick-quick just how our eyes and fingers can be moving.’ b

     Rushing through the material can be good some time. But Carr say, ‘The bad thing about it that, we can start making it to be our main way of reading.’ Because of that, maybe your child will get in the habit of just rushing through his study without stopping to understand the thing them he reading.

     Bible advice: “With all you acquire, acquire understanding.”​—⁠Proverbs 4:⁠7.

     Something to think about: How you can help your child to learn how to use book or electronic device to do deep study on certain topic?

     Remember this: Know that, whether that book or electronic device we using, all of them get their good side. That true, some electronic device get some thing them that can help us to understand plenty things. So, be reasonable with your children when talking about the good side and bad side about using book or electronic device. Remember that, every child different.

  •   Remembering. Ferris Jabr write one article in the book they call Scientific American. In that article he say, ‘When you compare reading from book to reading from electronic device, you will know that reading from electronic device ‘can really make our brain tire. . . and it can also make it hard to remember what we read.’

     But reading from book can help us to remember the place we find certain points, and it can be looking just like picture in our mind. Then it can be easy for us to remember that place later on.

     Also, people who can do research say, those who read from book can remember the information it good-good. They can remember it because they learn it good.

     Bible advice: “Safeguard practical wisdom and thinking ability.”​—⁠Proverbs 3:⁠21.

     Something to think about: It can be hard for your child to understand or remember the thing them he read or study? If that what can happen, how you can help your child to improve his study habits? You not think using book will help?

     Remember this: Think about how well your child learning instead of what they choose to use. It easy for people to think that they can really enjoy reading from their electronic device.

a From the book iGen.

b From the book The Shallows.