Computer use linked to literacy for four-year-olds

Pre-schoolers who spend more time on the computer have better knowledge of the alphabet than others, a new study has revealed.

The Murdoch Children's Research Institute surveyed 1500 four-year-olds and found that more than half used a computer at least once a week, News.com.au reported.

The researchers found that this was closely tied to letter recognition, which is linked to reading and spelling ability.

Researcher Professor Sheena Reilly said greater use of computers among four-year-olds appeared to have a positive association with emerging literacy development and was better than watching TV.

She said that these days lots of kids plays games on iPads and iPhones and even read books on them.

Reilly asserted that the link between literacy and computers remained significant even when researchers controlled factors like socioeconomic status and parental reading ability.

She said that it is possible that the kinds of activities pre-school kids engage in when using a computer, including interacting with the letters on the keyboard, stimulate letter knowledge.

She added that it was also possible that pre-schoolers with strong literacy skills and good letter knowledge are likely to engage in computer-based activities than those with weaker skills.

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