buying ebooks for children?
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When it comes to children’s books, there can never be enough! Through encouragement, we teach our children that reading is a good pastime, and present them with picture books before they can even read one word on a page.
Books have changed over the years along with changes in technology. The “Sally ran after Fred” books, with few graphics and lots of text, are a thing of the past. Multimedia reading experiences are now as common as hardback books, and are a welcome change for many children.
One popular reading trend these days is the eBook craze. This change shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, eBooks are becoming even more popular as they become easier to carry on trips and have with us anywhere we go.
Digital books completely eliminate the need for paper books and also provide interactive, colorful and entertaining book-reading options. You can download these books to a personal computer, digital eBook Reader or even a mobile smartphone. While these changes have delighted today’s children, the question of whether these changes are good for the development and growth of learning children remains.
While digital books and multimedia reading options can be seen as a welcome tool for parents, especially those with children who are not yet able to read on their own, we must remember that reading is not just a technical process. Part of the learning experience involves the care and devotion we spend as parents helping our children learn new words and experience new worlds. So while digital books may often be seen only as a cheap babysitter, eBooks and digital multimedia books can be a welcome part of a child’s learning and growth if parents pay proper attention to the child’s learning environment and needs.
You should keep some considerations in mind when purchasing children’s eBook products. When we consider purchasing a paper book for a child, this process is much simpler. We just show up at the bookstore, flip through the pages of some books and choose our favorites, or those that catch our child’s fancy. With digital books, the process is a bit different.
First of all, digital books take on various forms. There are digital books that are simply scanned versions of a print book; there are multimedia books that allow a child to interact with the pages and affect the outcome of the story; and there are all sorts of options in between.
In general, eBooks are typically designed to be read online or on small reading devices such as eBook Readers or smartphones. These books rarely have graphics, so they will not likely keep a precocious three year old entertained for long, let alone expand his or her learning capacity.
Online interactive books are typically the best choice for young children. These types of books allow children to interact with the actions taking place in the story. For instance, a child might click on a balloon to see it fly away into the night sky, while clicking on the balloon seller might instead make him hand the balloon to a child on the next page.
Interactive books are ideal for children who are old enough to use a computer's keyboard and mouse. For smaller children, an interactive paper book, or a large, easy-to-manage hard-back book may be a better option.
If you have decided that you’d like to begin investing in digital books, keeping some of these tips in mind can help you avoid expensive mistakes.
Books have changed over the years along with changes in technology. The “Sally ran after Fred” books, with few graphics and lots of text, are a thing of the past. Multimedia reading experiences are now as common as hardback books, and are a welcome change for many children.
One popular reading trend these days is the eBook craze. This change shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, eBooks are becoming even more popular as they become easier to carry on trips and have with us anywhere we go.
Digital books completely eliminate the need for paper books and also provide interactive, colorful and entertaining book-reading options. You can download these books to a personal computer, digital eBook Reader or even a mobile smartphone. While these changes have delighted today’s children, the question of whether these changes are good for the development and growth of learning children remains.
While digital books and multimedia reading options can be seen as a welcome tool for parents, especially those with children who are not yet able to read on their own, we must remember that reading is not just a technical process. Part of the learning experience involves the care and devotion we spend as parents helping our children learn new words and experience new worlds. So while digital books may often be seen only as a cheap babysitter, eBooks and digital multimedia books can be a welcome part of a child’s learning and growth if parents pay proper attention to the child’s learning environment and needs.
You should keep some considerations in mind when purchasing children’s eBook products. When we consider purchasing a paper book for a child, this process is much simpler. We just show up at the bookstore, flip through the pages of some books and choose our favorites, or those that catch our child’s fancy. With digital books, the process is a bit different.
First of all, digital books take on various forms. There are digital books that are simply scanned versions of a print book; there are multimedia books that allow a child to interact with the pages and affect the outcome of the story; and there are all sorts of options in between.
In general, eBooks are typically designed to be read online or on small reading devices such as eBook Readers or smartphones. These books rarely have graphics, so they will not likely keep a precocious three year old entertained for long, let alone expand his or her learning capacity.
Online interactive books are typically the best choice for young children. These types of books allow children to interact with the actions taking place in the story. For instance, a child might click on a balloon to see it fly away into the night sky, while clicking on the balloon seller might instead make him hand the balloon to a child on the next page.
Interactive books are ideal for children who are old enough to use a computer's keyboard and mouse. For smaller children, an interactive paper book, or a large, easy-to-manage hard-back book may be a better option.
If you have decided that you’d like to begin investing in digital books, keeping some of these tips in mind can help you avoid expensive mistakes.
- Always check samples before you buy. If a particular store does not have demo or sample books available, be sure to check the product guarantee policy before buying, especially if it is an expensive purchase.
- Make sure your child is ready and capable to interact with the book if it is required. If you want the book to occupy your child to give you some quiet time but you have to run to the computer every five minutes to help the child move to the next page, your plans will have been in vain.
- Some children’s book sites require that you view the book on their site only (as opposed to downloading it to a personal computer). This may be appropriate on ad-free sites, or sites with only children-friendly ads.
- As with any entertainment or learning experience for children, be sure to preview the topic and subject matter to ensure that the story is age appropriate.