Today, most school-goers are glued to their smartphones, gaming consoles, computers and other screens for hours. This excessive exposure to screens has a negative impact on the kids, both physically and mentally. In fact, the ‘American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommends that pre-schoolers should not spend more than one hour on screens. Sadly, research indicates that children around the world are accumulating over four hours of screen-time daily on an average. So, what could be an enriching alternative for these gadget-addicted children? The unanimous answer is reading books.

Benefits of reading physical books

With work-from home and online classes, digital education has become a popular and favourable method of learning. It gives children access to meaningful information at any time of the day easily at their fingertips. However, physically reading books scores in several ways over exposure to screens. Let us encapsulate some of the noteworthy factors:

• Improved concentration and level of patience: Reading leads to improved levels of concentration and patience in children. On the other hand, screen addiction is responsible for children becoming easily distracted. Constantly switching between applications and responding to whichever attracts them at that point is also a leading contributor of high level of anxiety. A study conducted with 400 university students from five countries indicated 86% preferring to read longer texts in print and 92% saying it was easier to concentrate while reading print.
• Enhanced communication skills: Studies have revealed that children develop more connectivity in the part of their brain that deals with language after reading a novel. In contrast, after viewing a TV show, they received lower scores in a verbal test than before the show. Simultaneously, parents are more likely to interact more with their children when reading together than when their children are hooked to the screens.
• Better memory and emotional connect: Studies have also demonstrated that when children read books, they are more likely to remember what they have read and emotionally connect better with the textual information. This has a huge impact on the overall learning abilities by growing their knowledge bank and interest levels. It is a natural tendency to read in detail the contents of a book as opposed to merely browsing through the content on devices and gadgets.
• Health benefits: Reading on devices has proven to cause far more strain on the eyes than reading physical books. It is wise to give your eyes a break from the prolonged exposure to digital screens. E-books can lead to dry eyes, blurred vision and fatigue.
• Enhances the joy of reading: The far more conventional reading on print works out to be more aesthetically enjoyable to children. Once exposed to this medium, many of them have reported they enjoy the look and feel of books in their hands and also the smell of paper!

On the whole, child psychologists and other experts in the domain opine that reading printed textsfacilitatethe young, developing minds ‘to slow down and devote time to sophisticated reading processes, discern truth, apply critical analysis, gauge inference, develop empathy, appreciate beauty to attain the knowledge and wisdom necessary to sustain a good society’.

We support and encourage the art of reading

The highly experienced and qualified faculty at Ruby Park Public School (RPPS), Kolkata always encourages and motivates our students to develop the healthy habit of reading books. The young minds are made aware of the unlimited amount of information that books contain, besides being a solid background for learning activities.

Being one of the top schools in the city, this CBSE-affiliated institution imparts education that meets international standards, with optimum utilization of cutting-edge technology and modern pedagogical tools. By the visionaries of Delhi Public School, Ruby Park quality education and holistic development of all the students is what the school strives for. In connection to this, the institute has been working tirelessly at moulding and nurturing a strong community of future-ready citizens and leaders of tomorrow, sensitive to the winds of change and yet committed to living with responsibility. For more information, visit www.rubypark.com