Tablets Over Bedtime Books Detrimental To Idaho Kids, Study Says

When is the last time you read your child a bedtime story? I've been guilty in recent years of being lazy and putting a tablet on my kid's pillow instead of snagging a hardcover from the bookshelf, but there appears to be data out there that implies these types of habits can be stifling creativity in young children.

Growing up, I can still remember how excited I'd get when my mother or father sat on the edge of the bed and opened a book at bedtime. I can still hear the pages turning in my mind, and I'd compare the story-telling styles of both my parents. My mother had a soothing, sleep-inducing delivery, while my dad would be more goofy and interactive.

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I have two kids. My daughter is of legal drinking age and my boy is seven, but I read religiously to both of them in the first few years of their lives. Tablets, phones, and iPads have resulted in the demise of bedtime book reading in many families, including mine.

Where the Wild Things Are, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Giving Tree, and Funny Bones were a few I still remember being read just prior to falling asleep as a young boy. A 2021 study shared by the Daily Mail found that some Idaho kids benefit more from being read books and interacting with parents than by simply staring into a bright screen that emits radiation.

It's certainly not hard to fathom that our children's creativity, development, and communication skills are suffering due to the death of bedtime stories through books and spoken words by parents.