While most parents make the mistake of giving their child electronic tables to learn about technology and play educational applications, well you should know that it's wrong. As parents, you should be putting away the tablet and begin reading books to your children if you aim to make them successful in the field of science and technology.

According to Dr. Shane Bergin, physicist, lecturer and researcher in science education at University College Dublin (UCD), reading books to children has a more profound effect on learning compared to letting them play with electronic tablets.

Dr. Bergin highlights the significance of the roles of the parents when it comes to developing the learning skills of their children, and that looking at a tablet does not necessarily translate to effective learning.

"Young children copy what they see us doing - and in many cases, that is sitting in a room looking at a tablet or phone, even when there are other things happening in the same space," he said.

He also said emphasized that in order to develop the learning skills of the child, interactions and stories should be involved. "It is normal that children will want to do the same thing as us. However, we are fostering a different learning experience, and one that is not as effective as the valuable information exchange that comes with reading." said Dr. Bergin.

"Reading is a fantastic way for children to learn, because they lose themselves into their own imagination for a while."

"But reading as a learning tool is made more profound when a parent, guardian, grandparent or sibling is there to have conversations and answer questions."

He even said that giving a child a tablet requires more care and attention than giving him or her a book. "When you give a child a book, you can be sure of the content. Information is curated in books - someone has already done the work and designed a flow to spark conversation between mom and dad and a little one."

Topics Tablet, Reading, Kids, Learning, Tech, Science