Digital books have become a mainstay in children’s homes. Parents and children view eBooks and print titles similarly, although there are functional differences in how they use the two media, according to a study by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center examining behaviors of parents and their 3-6-year-old children reading print books and eBooks together.
Nearly two in three parents (63%) say they and their kids find print titles and eBooks equally engaging. Only 6% say eBooks are more engaging, while 31% say they’re more engaged with print versions.
Children are more likely to physically interact with eBooks than with print titles, but they’re more likely to interact with print titles in a way that’s relevant to the story. With an eBook, for instance, kids will point to an animal that has no correlation to the words on the page. Ultimately, researchers believe eBooks are less effective than print titles in supporting the benefits of co-reading, since kids are more likely to be distracted by random visuals rather than be engaged in the story.
Similarly, children who read enhanced eBooks recall fewer narrative details than children who read the print versions. When the brick wall falls down during Elmo’s adventure, kids may be excited by the action of the wall falling, but they’re less likely to remember why Elmo was building the brick wall in the first place.
Source: Joan Ganz Cooney Center, Sesame Workshop, Carly Shuler, One Lincoln Plz., New York, NY 10023; 212-595-3456; carly.schuler@sesameworkshop.org; www.joanganzcooneycenter.org.
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