Technology vs. Traditional..The Joy of Reading

Hamptons MouthPiece; Do you have a child that would rather be doing anything than reading a book? Do you find yourself making deals with this child to read, do they do the bare minimum when it comes to reading? Does your child have difficulty with vocabulary and reading is torture for them because every other word they struggle with the definition; the thought of stopping to look up the word in the dictionary is frustrating and ruins the moment for them with the book?

I have that child and this entire year has been a continued struggle getting her to find a passion for reading, to read for the pure enjoyment, to find a book that is a page turner and to be so engaged in the book you are not even aware of what is happening around you. We hired a tutor this year to help her find her passion, because Parents as much as you think you can help your child the fact of the matter is you cannot and often times you do more harm than good. We continuously encouraged our daughter to read, we read with her, to her and nothing worked, but this year our tutor helped her and she is on her way. She still struggled with picking up the book as something fun to do and reading still was not clicking, then I had an Ah-ha moment….


I have an Ipad and I thoroughly enjoy reading books on my Ipad…for some they would prefer not to embrace technology that far and they enjoy the feel of a book. I love the Ipad because I do not need to have big bulky books that take up space in my house or in my bag. I can travel with my book all the time and it does not take up space. I like being able to read in the dark because it has its own light. I like if I come to a word that I do not know the meaning of I can touch it on the screen and the definition appears, I can highlight paragraphs, take notes without having to stop reading to do this. I thought this is the perfect tool for a young person who struggles with vocabulary which is the main reason why they do not like to read. My husband who is a technology freak and must have the newest technology on the very first day it hits the stores bought the Ipad3 and gave the IPad1 to our daughter. WOW…what a difference this has made…she is reading without me telling her to read, she is reading over watching television or playing on her computer. I have noticed a difference in her vocabulary and her use of words, she is taking notes, she is becoming…dare I say it…PASSIONATE…..My heart is filled with tears of joy…it has been a journey and one that we will continue to have, but she is on her way and I could not be happier. She has noticed a change and just today I was talking to her and she was so engaged in her book that she did not even hear me, she could not wait to turn the page…She usually has assignments from her tutor that until today has never really been prepared when the tutor comes over. Today she read ahead and is extremely excited about sharing her new found passion with her tutor….

If you have one of these readers…you might want to consider investing in a Kindle or Ipad…for my non-reader it has been a godsend and I look forward to taking this journey with her as she continues to explore the joy of reading. Technology has really helped our daughter to read, however, we have been told that we need to limit her screen time to make sure she doesn’t damage her eyes. Looking at a screen like that for a long time could cause Digital Eye Strain, so it’s important that we protect her from that. We read that we could always purchase some computer reading glasses from Felix Gray to protect her eyes as she reads on her iPad, so that’s something we might do. You can find the Kindle on Amazon, prices range from $79-$379 and the newest kindle fire is priced at $199…The Ipad is slightly more expensive, but if you search I am sure you can find a good deal.