3 Benefits Kids Get from Using Paper Notebooks

There are many benefits for kids using technology in school, but traditional school supplies have a lot to offer versus their digital counterparts. After all, doesn’t everyone remember the rush of using a brand-new pen to write in a fresh notebook on the first day of school? These simple pleasures are worth hanging on to — and they offer several hidden benefits that parents will love.

Here are three benefits kids get from using paper notebooks in school and at home.

Handwriting Supports Fine Motor Skills

As a child, you may have noticed how impeccable your grandparents’ handwriting was. They practiced day after day, partly because there were no computers to speak of, but also because penmanship was considered an art. Your own handwriting may be decent, but kids today may default to typing over printing and often don’t learn cursive. While this isn’t necessarily a problem, it’s important that children still get the practice required to develop strong motor skills and improve dexterity.

Many academic studies have shown a direct connection between handwriting and fine motor skills — an important part of every child’s development. Fine motor skills are needed to master handwriting and writing by hand helps further develop those same fine motor skills. This practice is particularly critical in younger kids including preschoolers and kindergarten students but continues to be important as children grow. Consider using handwriting paper or tracing paper to help young kids learn how to form uppercase and lowercase letters, or even a small, erasable white board with helpful lines.

blog_1

It Can Improve Your Child’s Literacy

Writing by hand is a multisensory activity that uses different parts of your brain, and it’s been linked to stronger literacy in children. In fact, consistent handwriting practice can help kids learn how to read as these skills are connected. That knowledge alone is great motivation to hand your kids a paper notebook.

Worried that your kid is spending too much time on a screen and may fall behind? Don’t panic and don’t throw away the Chromebook. Studies have also shown that regularly typing on a computer keyboard may also improve reading skills, though spelling skills are specifically linked to handwriting practice.

It Gives Students More Choice

We know that individuals may have a variety of different learning styles, and finding the right tech for your kids can help them succeed at home and in the classroom. The same theory applies to non-tech learning materials. While some kids may do their best taking notes on a laptop or tablet, others prefer to work with a paper notebook and pen. Consider giving your kids both options so they can use what feels right in any given situation. You may find that your kids’ teachers are doing the same.

“I think it’s important as an educator to give kids a choice,” one elementary school teacher in Waterloo, Ontario shares, noting that her students will sometimes request paper notebooks instead of electronic devices. Essentially, whatever allows them to thrive is what they should be using. Here’s a durable and affordable notebook option from Five Star and a teen approved notebook by TRU RED. Or help them feel inspired with this IDEAS notebook by Gry Mattr. Now all they need is a great pen (don’t worry — we have those, too).

blog_2

By Staples Canada

August 12, 2021