Monday, June 1, 2015

Are you a digital girl?

For the past few birthdays, someone usually asks me if I want a kindle or other device to read books on. I always decline. I explain that I like my physical books and I spend too much time in my workday looking at screens. I understand that those devices are more convenient and can hold an entire library's worth of books, but I just like the feel of paper too much to give up the real deal.

But when it comes to my son, I will do whatever it takes to keep him interested in reading: He has e-books on his LeapPad and a few downloaded to an iPad and he has a full bookshelf in his room filled with books that he is responsible for picking out at our local used books store. So far, he seems to prefer real books.

And according to the latest research by the National Literacy Trust, he is not alone. The study polled students of all ages in the U.K. and found that girls were more likely to embrace digital media in all its formats, whereas boys tended to like printed materials more. The study also found that boys reported less overall enjoyment from reading than girls.

I find that the second part of the study around children not enjoying reading is the part that stands out the most for me. In our household, it doesn't matter what format our son chooses - tablet, game, book, comic - as long as he is reading.

Do you enjoy reading on a digital device or prefer a paper book? Tell me in the comments.

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