Learning through play: Are interactive publications good for your kid?
Last week, Polish children’s publisher Ameet announced a partnership with Lego Publishing to create a brand-new imprint — Lego Books (Mansfield, 2019). Just like the toy company ‘Melissa & Doug’ with their in-house imprint, Lego Books want to provide children with “playful reading experiences [in the form of digital and print publications] that will combine storytelling, play, learning and creativity”. But, how do these “playful reading experiences” affect our kids and what do they actually have to do with learning?
Capitalizing on more merchandise products is a rather strategic move on Lego's part, especially after a challenging time in 2017 (Marketline, 2019) — their new publications have the potential to be a big hit with the younglings who are obsessed with the colorful bricks (and let’s face it, the adults too). The more collectibles, the better! *consumerism cackles audibly in the background*
But are these interactive publications out there just corrupting kids’ brains? Or do they actually help them grow? Well, let’s find out.
Shift to “free play”
With their mission to “inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow”, Lego’s been an advocate for learning through play for over 80 years now (LEGO, 2018a). According to the company, “play helps develop critical 21st century skills, e.g. creativity, collaboration, problem solving and empathy (LEGO, 2018b). And with schoolkids becoming less and less imaginative and creative (Townsend, 2014), Lego’s rightly using their brand and position to “champion the importance of play” (LEGO, 2018b).
“Hands-on, minds-off”?
Research shows that learning through play, be it learning through reading interactive print books or digital publications, supports overall healthy development and helps children acquire both content, e.g. math and biology, but also learning-to-learn skills, such as executive function (LEGO Foundation, 2017). Nevertheless, interactive books, particularly eBooks, are still widely perceived as a source of entertainment, rather than learning. But “it doesn’t matter if a child sees a book as more of a toy, the learning still happens”, according to Sue Asquith, the early years adviser at NDNA.
Indeed, children are more actively engaged with interactive publications, thanks to features such as moving parts, pull tabs, audio and lift-the-flap activities, which support kids’ sensory development (Kaplan, 2019). Interactive publications that are tied to the world of beloved toys, like in the case of Lego, motivate children to read “when they might otherwise avoid text altogether” (Flood, 2012), which is especially important in the age of digital distractions. Furthermore, there is evidence that suggests interactive features distract children from the story, and the narrative gets lost. Some researchers have also pointed out that interactive books don’t help children acquire literacy skills after all (Flood, 2012).
Bottom line?
Nowadays learning doesn’t necessarily have to happen through heavy textbooks, sometimes written in a way that makes kids go cuckoo. The societal shift towards informal learning and free play, away from disciplined focus on learning, is allowing kids to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in a complex and rapidly changing world (Zosh et al., 2017; LEGO, 2018b, p.15). Even the very strict and academically-focused Chinese parents (Huang, 2013) seem convinced that “playful reading experiences” are the way to go (Gronholdt-Pedersen, 2019).
So, it is clear that even scientists are not 100% sure about the exact impact of interactive publications on the iGeneration (Reich, Yau and Warschauer, 2016). However, they're forgetting that every generation is raised differently — and what comes with that — are different learning means. Indeed, we need to let the kids learn in the way that suits their 21st century needs, because one thing is clear: reading interactive publications in any form is better than not reading at all.
Word count: 600 words
Bibliography
Flood, A. (2012) ‘Enhanced eBooks are bad for children, finds American study’, The Guardian, 7 June. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jun/07/enhanced-ebooks-bad-for-children (Accessed: 26.10.2019)
Gronholdt-Pedersen, J. (2019) Toymaker Lego to open 80 new shops in China this year. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lego-china/toymaker-lego-to-open-80-new-shops-in-china-this-year-idUSKCN1PP1L3 (Accessed: 24.10.2019)
Huang, R. (2013) ‘What Can Children Learn Through Play? Chinese Parents’ Perspective OF Play and Learning in Early Childhood Education’, School of Education e-Journal, Vol. 1, p. 12–19. Available at: http://edjournal.manukau.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/119935/02-Huang-staff-final.pdf (Accessed: 26.10.2019)
Kaplan (2019) Using Interactive Books to Support Early Literacy Skills. Available at: https://www.kaplanco.com/ii/using-interactive-books (Accessed: 26.10.2019)
LEGO Foundation (2017) Learning through play: a review of the evidence. Available at: https://www.legofoundation.com/media/1063/learning-through-play_web.pdf (Accessed: 26.10.2019)
LEGO (2018a) Annual Report. Available at: https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/aboutus/assets/blt02144956ae00afa1/Annual_Report_2018_ENG.pdf (Accessed: 24.10.2019)
LEGO (2018b) The LEGO Group Sustainability Report 2018. Available at: https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/aboutus/assets/blt4510cbc43244b015/Responsibility_Report_2018_v33.pdf (Accessed: 24.10.2019)
Mansfield, K. (2019) Lego Publishing and Ameet to launch new publishing imprint Lego Books. Available at: https://www.thebookseller.com/news/lego-publishing-and-ameet-launch-new-publishing-imprint-lego-books-1093086 (Accessed: 09.10.2019)
Marketline (2019) ‘Lego AS — Company Profile.’ Available at: https://advantage-marketline-com.oxfordbrookes.idm.oclc.org/Company/Summary/lego-a (Accessed: 26.10.2019)
Reich, S.M., Yau, J.C. & Warschauer, M. (2016) ‘Tablet-Based eBooks for Young Children: What Does the Research Say?’ Available at: http://sites.uci.edu/disc/files/2016/10/Reich-et-al-2016-eBooks-review.pdf (Accessed: 09.10.2019)
Townsend, J.C. (2014) Why Playful Learning is The Key to Prosperity. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka/2014/04/10/why-playful-learning-is-the-key-to-prosperity/#2308fb8041a9 (Accessed: 26.10.2019)
Zosh, J.M., Hopkins, E.J., Jensen, H., Liu, C., Neale, D., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Solis, S.L. and Whitebread, D. (2019) Learning through play: a review of the evidence. Available at: https://www.legofoundation.com/media/1063/learning-through-play_web.pdf (Accessed: 09.10.2019)
