Should Kids be reading Ebooks or paperback

SueLu21 · Post by **SueLu21** » 12 Aug 2016, 09:10

I believe there is a difference, though, I switch between e-books and hard copy books. Honestly either way you should be proud that he has a love of reading. If you want to make sure he still sees the value in the hard copy, you can always make it a special treat to go to the library or book store for him to pick out a book.

MrsCatInTheHat · Post by **MrsCatInTheHat** » 12 Aug 2016, 11:37

When illustrations are still a major part of the story, it needs to be a paper/hardback book. Otherwise, it doesn't really matter. What matters is that they are reading.

TQC · Post by **TQC** » 12 Aug 2016, 16:18

I think it's important to have some time away from technology. Especially for children! Our world is full of so much technology and though it is making things amazingly accessible, it's also taking away peoples range of activities. I think it's important for people to get off of their phones, computers, etc. And keep a range of styles of activity. Yes, you can play chess on your phone, yes, you can read the news online, yes, you can communicate with people through texts, and yes, you can read books from a screen. But it's important to balance things out and pull away from the technology a little! Play a board game, buy a newspaper, write a letter, and read a book! I believe that children have to learn this from when they are young!

Amh73090 · Post by **Amh73090** » 17 Aug 2016, 09:34

When my son is old enough we will be encouraging actual books. Not everything has to be done with technology. There's a certain experience and feeling while reading a book over an ebook.

Fixxa · Post by **Fixxa** » 02 Sep 2016, 03:48

I've only ever read real books to my son since birth,I take him to the library once a fortnight ad we pick his books. He is almost 2 now and loves his nightly book, He loves turning the pages and interacting with the flaps, sliders, feely bits in said books, pointing out things and making animal noises from the pages. He will only be reading real books, I want him to curl up and get lost in a book like I did as a child. I love picking up a book to read even though I have a kindle due to being able to store so many books in one place!

imyhearu · Post by **imyhearu** » 03 Sep 2016, 20:39

i still go with papersback, now adays a lot of kids doesn't appreciate reading books in a paperback and prefer to use an electronics device.

Elaine5 · Post by **Elaine5** » 03 Sep 2016, 20:57

This is an interesting thread. I have to agree with those who say paper books are best for the little ones. However, as they get older and are already fluent readers, I don't think format is nearly as important. My son is 10 and is very motivated to read ebooks. I'm just happy he's reading!

Karissa2009 · Post by **Karissa2009** » 03 Sep 2016, 23:05

I love this subject! I am a firm believer that books should be read in paperback. I'm not against ebooks by any means, but I think we have to one, teach kids to love the feel of a book in their hands, and let them learn to navigate pages and be able to flip through. Technology has a certain way of easing reading, particularly depending on the purpose of the reading. For example, does everyone necessarily "read" their textbooks in ebook format? I know I did not; rather, I frequently made use of key word search features and skimmed what was necessary. I don't think we should be starting kids off on that path until they have actually fully mastered reading and have gained an appreciation for reading. They will get their fill of technology--it doesn't have to start with books.

AA1495 · Post by **AA1495** » 15 Sep 2016, 21:00

Actual books. I'm not a fan of introducing small kids to technology. It's addictive and really bad for the eyes!!!

red_velvet_girl7 · Post by **red_velvet_girl7** » 16 Sep 2016, 09:02

Paperback definitely. It makes me a hypocrite, but I think kids should remain connected to the traditional paperbacks. And I personally think paperbacks are better because new ebooks don't smell like a new paperback. Yes ebooks are easy to handle, but paperbacks are so much better.

Jacque33 · Post by **Jacque33** » 16 Sep 2016, 11:31

Sounds like a lot of people agree for the most part, and so do I. Physical books for kids are the way to go. I tried once or twice to read to my son with my eReader and it couldn't hold his attention. When he's older and can decide for himself then I don't mind how he reads. For right now, though, we enjoy the different sizes and shapes, easy to see illustrations and different fonts that real books offer. I know that the Kindle can to, but it's just not the same. One of our favorite things to do is go to lunch then the library after preschool every three weeks. Can't beat an outing like that.

e-tasana-williams · Post by **e-tasana-williams** » 16 Sep 2016, 15:28

Jdurand2 wrote: I very much recommend the Kindle eReaders (not the Fire) because they are better on the eyes and are not like typical tablets.

Good point! This is one of my main concerns with my youngest. He is already nearsighted, and using an e-reader exclusively would make them worse (you know the posture: nearly navel-gazing, screen 6 inches from the face...). I use a Kindle Paperwhite myself for this very reason. I let him use it, but I also require him to read from paper books each week.

-- September 16th, 2016, 2:31 pm --

SueLu21 wrote:I believe there is a difference, though, I switch between e-books and hard copy books. Honestly either way you should be proud that he has a love of reading. If you want to make sure he still sees the value in the hard copy, you can always make it a special treat to go to the library or book store for him to pick out a book.

Good point! My boys are attached to screens, but LOVE the book fairs at school and still beg for books when the fair comes through twice a year.

SandraTWP-BRW · Post by **SandraTWP-BRW** » 16 Sep 2016, 17:06

I've read through replies up to here, and I'm going to echo much of what I've already read, but hope that I bring a little something new.

We have three sons - currently 13, 11, and 9. We are those sort of weirdos who read to them in utero. Yeah. The week that all the docs said our first baby was starting to be able to hear anything (16 weeks?), my husband started reading aloud in the evenings. While we can't still do this every night, reading aloud is still a part of our standard evenings.

We stuck almost exclusively with hard copy books for the first 11 years of parenthood. We read a lot of public domain books from Porject Gutenberg, and I (yikes) printed them out for reading. Mm-hmm. When we moved a few years ago, I passed them along to a like-minded mama and she acted like I gave her treasure (well, I did

).

Now, we travel, enough that it was starting to make life complicated (we also homeschool, because of the travel). In 2009, a bank gave us a giftcard as an apology for a big time screw up, and I used it to get a Sony eReader. This made (homeschool) life surprisingly better.

In 2013, my husband and I, after much thought, got all three boys the "lowest tech" Kindles. At the time, they were 11, almost 9, and 5. We made all sorts of rules (because we had gadget phobia), and I loaded them up with school books.

Long story short - having those kindles has led to two phenomena.

Me fairly constantly nagging them about putting them away (because they are always being left everywhere, because the are used so often) and...
A huge influx in their reading of ALL types of books - eBooks and hardcopy alike.

Not all books come in eBook format (who knew

). And the boys have figured a few things out over the years, including: many Kindle books are free (and they don't hesitate to ask for those), Mom has a Kindle Unlimited subscription (yeah, that was a banner day when they figured that out), the library lends Kindle titles. None of this stops them from signing out hardcopy books from the library, often enough books that I simply refuse to help them carry them.

Honestly, I was really worried about getting the Kindles, but there were many reasons at that time it was a good thing to try. I would still object (even now) if they were reading from a backlit screen, such as on an iPad or Fire. But in the end, it has only fed their desire to read books, and it has not led them to any sort of aversion at ALL to hard copy books.

As far as our parental gadget phobia: The kindles the boys have (the low tech, non-backlit ones) have never, ever been an issue. Our old iPhones or handheld games (presented by a grandparent)? Those have turned out to create serious issues, to the point we actually keep them put away unless it's a really special occasion (like a family or field trip). Away as in, mom has them hidden.

One more nice thing: We tend to buy "nice" (aka hard back) books for ourselves. When we travel, we used to buy trade paperback version so we wouldn't lose or mess up our nice copies. Most of the time, getting the title for travel on the Kindle is cheaper, and it's ALWAYS lighter and takes up less space.

Balta_Varna · Post by **Balta_Varna** » 17 Sep 2016, 02:55

My opinion - paperback is always a right way. Kids should not only read, listen and understand, but also touch.

easy_dc13 · Post by **easy_dc13** » 08 Oct 2016, 18:55

It's kind of like kids gravitating to playing games on their Tablet rather than enjoying the sunlight outside while playing. I will say that you don't want to make him/her read on e-books too much because as convenient as it is, it still packs radiation and you don't want that. Paperbacks are pretty nice because kids will be able to understand the value of literature while it looks too easy to get as an e-book.