Should you buy a phonics book and teach your child to read, or should you hand the task over to your computer? And will learning on a phonics app produce a strong reader?

Here’s the quick answer: from everything I’ve read, experienced, and understood, teaching a child to read from a phonics book will always outperform a computer, nor can a computer help your child develop a love for the written word.

There are several reasons for why a phonics app is not a good choice, and they are worth understanding.

Reward Systems

One of the selling angles for phonics software programs is the reward system. It works like this: every time your child gets a correct answer when learning to read, he wins a virtual prize.

Play the game, win the prize. Hopefully, at some point, he’ll figure out how to read.

But what the tech industry fails to understand is that learning how to read is the prize.

When the computer gives your child its little insignificant rewards, it deprives him of the joy he’ll experience when he first comes to understand that s-a-d spells sad and that c-a-t spells cat.

The extrinsic reward of the computer will always rank considerably less than the intrinsic reward of doing something for its own sake.

The Love of Reading

How do apps compare to a real teacher when it comes to a love of reading? A computer has no feelings, so it cannot impart a love of reading to your child. After all, the computer is just a machine.

It conveys information to your child in a cold, detached, heartless way, whereas a good teacher inspires a love for his subject.

Your child will be more inspired by a good teacher—you—then he will by the lack of human spirit particular to machines.

And if you don’t love to read, as most people don’t today, you will discover a love of reading when you homeschool using sound methods. Don’t let a lack of reading on your part deter you from teaching your own child.

I was poor at grammar when I began homeschooling, but I homeschooled anyway, and I learned grammar along the way.

The Key to Reading Is Enjoyment

With a physical book, your child will touch, see, and smell it. He will experience a three-dimensional world that engages all of his senses, not the brain-dimming, one-dimensional world of technology.

The more of his senses that are involved, the more he will enjoy the experience of reading. The more he enjoys the experience, the more he will love to read.

Education psychologist and author, Dr. Jane Healy said:

“Time on the computer might interfere with development of everything from the young child’s motor skills to his or her ability to think logically and distinguish between reality and fantasy.”

“Development of everything,” which would include the skill of reading.

Note that Dr. Healy said, “might.” That’s because her book was written in 2004. Studies now prove that her predictions were correct.

E-Readers

We know that children who read on e-readers have less comprehension than children who read books in print. The children using e-readers get distracted by the gadget itself and don't focus as well on what they're reading, which leads to poor comprehension and focus.

Poor focus then leads to a weaker memory which leads to lower intelligence.

It’s a slippery slope.

If you have the choice to read from a real book vs. an e-reader, why read on a device that lowers your comprehension, and therefore intelligence? Sometimes travel might warrant it, but never for a child.

There is no reason a child would ever need an e-reader.

The Propaganda

I saw this quote on a blog post recommending a phonics software programs, and it perfectly summed up the problem with phonics apps.

"In fact, students whose parents played an active role in their literacy education were more likely to read at least 10 books per year."

Such a claim is misleading because it assumes that reading 10 books a year makes a good reader.

But, the problem with that assumption is that any competent homeschooling parent will tell you their child reads a lot more than ten books per year!

Inadvertently, the software company is revealing its deceptive marketing tactics, because a child who only reads ten books per year is not a child who loves to read.

Ten books a year is what a lousy reader will read. Your goal for raising a competent reader will be far greater than ten books a year.

DITCH THE APPS

You don't need ABC Mouse or any other dubious software programs to teach your child to read.

If you have a child who has reached the reading-readiness age, you can experience the joy of teaching him or her to read in no time at all with a simple phonics book.

I've done it myself, and I've spoken to hundreds of mothers who have done the same, and these are mothers whose children read a lot more than 10 books per year!

The parents I teach would laugh at such a paltry number.

No Computer Can Replace You!

When you teach your child to read,, you share in that great moment of joy when he first unlocks the code to phonics and reads his first word alone.

Would you want a computer to rob you of that priceless moment?

So tell me, which will you choose: a phonics app or a phonics book?

Not sure what kind of books to buy your children? Get Liz’s list of Ten Books Every Well-Educated Child Should Read.

Teach your child to read before sending him to school! Learn more about Elizabeth's unique course, How to Teach Your Child to Read and Raise a Child Who Loves to Read.

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Do you have Liz’s “could not live without” book, Education’s Not the Point: How Schools Fail to Train Children’s Minds and Nurture Their Characters with gripping essays by John Taylor Gatto and Dorothy Sayers?

Elizabeth Y. Hanson helps parents raise and educate , creative, resourceful, and respectful children by combining timeless wisdom with modern research.

As an educator, writer, and Love and Leadership Certified Parenting Coach, she specializes in guiding families through their children’s early years and homeschooling journey.

Liz is a homeschooling thought-leader, as well as the creator of three unique online courses:

Whether you're navigating early childhood, considering homeschooling, or wanting to nurture a genuine love of learning in your child, Liz offers practical guidance rooted in proven principles.

Elizabeth is available for one-on-one consultations as needed.

"I know Elizabeth Y. Hanson as a remarkably intelligent, highly sensitive woman with a moral nature and deep insight into differences between schooling and education. Elizabeth's mastery of current educational difficulties is a testimony to her comprehensive understanding of the competing worlds of schooling and education. She has a good heart and a good head. What more can I say?”

—John Taylor Gatto Distinguished educator, public speaker, and best-selling author of Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling