Improve Reading Skills with Captioning
We’ve all heard the research that too much screen time is bad for our kids. But sometimes it feels impossible to avoid the television, or the iPad, or the phone, or the video games… the list goes on. While it’s definitely a good idea to limit the access kids have to these devices, the occasional episode of Yo Gabba Gabba or Caillou won’t hurt. In fact, if you turn on the show’s subtitles, your kids can also get a lesson in literacy while watching.
According to Reading Rockets, closed captioning can support a host of foundational literacy skills. By linking spoken and written vocabulary, kids are exposed to phonics and word identification. The benefits of closed captioning appear to be especially strong for struggling readers, who might avoid books and other printed media: By adding subtitles to TV shows, movies, and video games, kids are exposed to many more hours of written words than they otherwise would see.
Recently, Jon decided to try out closed captioning with his family’s two iPads.
“Intuitively, it [the research] makes sense,” Jon said. “I have heard people in Eastern Europe say that they learned English because the TV was in English with subtitles.”
In fact, just like Jon’s European friends experienced, using subtitles can improve someone’s language acquisition skills. But subtitles aren’t just for those looking to learn a new language — they can make a big difference for kids learning to read in their native language because of the increased exposure to print.
Our eyes are naturally drawn to the text we see on screen, turning passive screen time into an opportunity for active learning. Closed captioning also helps with word acquisition, reading comprehension, and reading speed and fluency. By turning on subtitles on Netflix, iTunes, and other media channels, you create more learning opportunities for your kids. Nearly all services offer closed captioning as an option — even YouTube allows you to turn on closed captioning for some videos.
Although I’d still stick with the recommended guidelines for limiting overall screen time, it’s nice to know that letting a child use an iPad for a half hour won’t destroy their brain development. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that children younger than two avoid screen time altogether, but older kids should be okay if they stay under an hour or two of screen time per day. These two hours currently used up by passively watching Curious George can be transformed into two hours of engagement by turning on the subtitles.
This piece was originally posted at VersaMe.com. VersaMe created the Starling the world’s first wearable engagement tracker that helps encourage and reinforce positive parenting behaviors.
