commentaries

Wow! So what "app" is next on the horizon? An "app" that soothes and comforts your three-year-old after he is stung by a hornet? An "app" that contratulates L'il Johnny after he learns to tie his shoes? How about an "app" that offers a contratulary sticker after Junior, after months of toilet-training, finally manages to learn to wipe properly? Or maybe even an "app" that trots out canned phrases of comfort and encouragement for your five-year-old after the family learns that Grandmama is in the hospital with metatastic bowel cancer? Parenting is about so much more than hearing the sounds. It is all about who is making those sounds. To call this entire line of thought shortsighted is to give it far more credit than it deserves.

There is nothing better a parent can do to prepare a child for learning to read than reading aloud to his/her child. There is nothing better a parent can do to encourage a lifelong love of learning than reading aloud to his/her child. There is no better literacy model for a child than his/her parent(s).

Story time is one of my most cherished time with each of my children...they are all reading different books, but the book isn't the point; time together is.

I am an early childhood educator and given the choice between app or lap for kids, I am always going to choose lap! Having a child sitting on your lap while you read together creates a strong foundation for literacy and deepens the connection between parent and child.