We’re excited to share some fantastic news: our B3 Books app has shown an impressive increase in engagement, with families now spending an average of 15 minutes per session. This boost in reading time together is not just a win for the app but also a significant step forward in promoting literacy and bonding in today’s digital age. This 15-minute average is substantially higher than the average 2 minutes spent on our desktop digital libraries. All of our digital books are available for free and can be downloaded, printed, and shared. They do not include audio or distracting animations.
Why Digital Books Matter
In today’s fast-paced world, digital books have become an essential tool in making reading accessible and engaging for young children. Research shows that while there are differences between print and digital books, each has unique advantages that can contribute to a child’s literacy development. Recently, even young children have already been exposed to digital media, so it’s hard for researchers to even find children who have only read print books. These children often see phones and iPads as entertainment, not for information and learning, so that may predispose them to treat digital books differently than print books even from a very young age.
Engagement and Comprehension
Studies indicate that preschoolers may exhibit higher levels of engagement with digital books compared to print. For instance, children show more visual attention and interact more directly with digital books, looking at pictures and pointing to the screen more frequently. This heightened engagement might foster a deeper interest in reading from an early age. Additionally, the duration of exposure to digital media has been positively linked to better comprehension of digital stories, demonstrating that digital books can be just as effective as print in promoting understanding. Also, in one study, children who picked digital books wanted to read more afterwards, unlike children who picked print books.
Physical and Emotional Interaction
The tactile experience of reading print books—feeling the pages, smelling the paper—differs significantly from digital reading. These sensory experiences can create a deeper emotional connection to the story. However, digital books offer their own set of advantages, such as customizable visual aspects and the convenience of storage and portability. BookSpring can provide hundreds of digital book titles for each single print book we can distribute. These features can make digital books both more appealing and accessible to families.
Balancing the Pros and Cons
While some research suggests that adults experience greater narrative transportation and emotional engagement with print books, the same doesn’t always hold true for children. Young readers often show more enthusiasm and positive expressions when engaging with digital books. However, print reading can show more arousal and engagement, which suggests a variety of positive learning and cultural outcomes. We believe both print and digital books belong in a child’s home during the early years.
The Impact of the B3 Books App
The increased average use of 15 minutes per session on the B3 book app is a testament to the app’s ability to capture and retain the interest of young readers and their families. This consistent engagement time is crucial, as it translates to more time spent reading and bonding over stories overall, which can significantly benefit children’s literacy and social-emotional development.
While BookSpring will always distribute print books as the cornerstone of our early literacy programs, digital books on the B3 app provide a flexible and interactive platform for children to explore stories in a format that is familiar and engaging to them. As they interact with the app, they develop not only their reading skills but also their ability to navigate and comprehend digital content—a vital skill in today’s digital world.
Encouraging a Love for Reading
The key takeaway from the success of the B3 Books app, a companion to our Books Beginning at Birth program with the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children, is the importance of providing children with access to diverse and engaging reading materials. Whether through print or digital formats, fostering a love for reading in children is essential. The app’s ability to keep parents and children engaged for longer periods demonstrates that digital books can be a powerful tool in this endeavor.
As we continue to embrace the digital age, it’s important to support and encourage the use of digital reading platforms like the B3 Books app. By doing so, we can ensure that children have the best possible start in their reading journeys, setting them up for success both in school and in life.
We look forward to seeing even more families benefit from the B3 Books app and hope to continue bringing the joy of reading to children everywhere. In either print or digital formats, happy reading!
References
Eutsler, L., & Trotter, J. (2020). Print or iPad? Young children’s text type shared reading preference and behaviors in comparison to parent predictions and at-home practices. Literacy Research and Instruction, 59(4), 324–345. https://doi.org/10.1080/19388071.2020.1777229
Evans, M. A., Nowak, S., Burek, B., & Willoughby, D. (2017). The effect of alphabet eBooks and paper books on preschoolers’ behavior: An analysis over repeated readings. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 40, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2017.02.002
Richter, A., & Courage, M. L. (2017). Comparing electronic and paper storybooks for preschoolers: Attention, engagement, and recall. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 48, 92–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2017.01.002