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The role of digital media in children's literacy

University of Delaware professor creates website to inspire reading in young children

Sep 18, 2024

1 min

Roberta Golinkoff

From tablets and smartphones to computers and smart TVs, kids have more access to digital content than ever before. But what does this mean for their literacy skills? One University of Delaware professor is embracing the use of digital media to improve children's literacy. 


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Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, chair and professor in the School of Education UD, created Stories with Clever Hedgehog last year to offer books to children, specifically those who have been displaced or impacted by the Russo-Ukrainian War. 


This website allows families all over the world to engage in shared reading with their children, facilitate early literacy development and promote children’s well-being. 


Much research in early childhood education has underscored the importance of reading early and often with children, beginning during a child’s infancy and continuing throughout the elementary years. Reading during this critical point in children’s development fosters language acquisition, early literacy skills, socioemotional growth and comprehension of the world around them.


Golinkoff's research partners and many others have demonstrated that shared book reading — when a child reads with a caregiver — encourages children to ask questions and draw connections to their own experiences, promotes story comprehension, increases children’s vocabulary and provides opportunities for emotional bonding.


She is available to discuss even more benefits of reading, especially in this digital format. To connect, click her profile. She has been featured 

Connect with:
Roberta Golinkoff

Roberta Golinkoff

Unidel H. Rodney Sharp Chair and Professor

Prof. Golinkoff studies language development, playful learning, effects of media on children, spatial development, and applying her science.

Early Childhood Education Early Spatial DevelopmentPlayful LearningBenefits of PlayEffects of Media on Children
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