How Parents Can Help Kids Plug In to Good Reads, Rest, and Play

By Mark W.F. Condon, Unite for Literacy vice president

The State of the Kid™ survey, annually conducted by Highlights Kids, seeks to discover “…topics that allow us to give parents and educators unique insight into how kids view the world they live in.” Each year they ask kids what issues they’re most concerned about and the key aspects of those issues.

In 2014, three key issues were identified: distracted parents and cell phones, children’s chronic lack of sleep, and kids with over-scheduled lives. Each one of these topics struck home with us here at Unite for Literacy.

The buzz we tend to hear about cell phones is typically all about teens who have their attention on texting with their BFFs. Or it is about the time young children spend with games and videos that inhibit cognitive development.

Findings from the Highlights report, however, turn the tables and focus on how children feel that their parents are not present due to time spent absorbed on digital devices. Rather than a problem, however, we see this as an opportunity!

It’s an opportunity for parents to use those digital devices to access educational resources, like our online library. It’s an opportunity for parents to engage with their children about what they read (or hear, if they listen to a book narration in one of the languages available in our library). It is a chance to build language and communication skills critical to reading and school success.

An interaction I witnessed when a parent and child engaged with technology together demonstrates the power of such an activity. A six-year-old named Shaun and his dad settled in to browse for a book to read in the Unite for Literacy digital library. Shaun loves insects, and immediately chose a book called Roly Poly. First, they look at the covered.

“He’s on something gross!” Shaun says.

“It looks like he’s wearing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 little helmets!” Dad notices, counting.

“Maybe that’s his armor...but why would he need armor?” Shaun wonders.

They had such a rich conversation about a book they hadn’t even opened yet! What is interesting is that dad was as “plugged in” as his 6-year-old son. They both shared their impressions of the cover, each making observations that pulled them further into the book. This is a perfect example of how time spend using digital devices can be an educational experience.

The second category in the Highlights’ report is insufficient sleep. According to experts, too many children get too little sleep and end up tired all day at school. Of course, from our perspective, the absolute best transition from daily activity to winding down is reading in bed. Book time can create a perfectly smooth transition to bedtime. If reading becomes a natural part of a bedtime ritual, more reading and more sleep can be the result. BOTH are good for kids (and adults).

The final topic was children feeling over scheduled with extracurricular activities, so much so that they have little time to just play and hang out. Not surprisingly, from our perspective, overscheduling also means little time to sit quietly and get lost in a self-selected book or two.

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, children who have 100 or more books at home and who read for fun every day or nearly every day tend to score “proficient” or higher on reading exams. So, children whose parents read with them either using paper or digital books, children who get the rest they need, and children who have space in their days for unstructured play and reading time will benefit greatly.

It is always gratifying to discover research and data that help support the principles we stand on here at Unite for Literacy.