If you are struggling to engage your homeschooler or to limit screentime when all of your child’s schoolwork is online, you are not alone, and you are not out of options! In fact, many families and educators facing these same problems are turning back to something refreshingly simple: paper-based learning.
Paper-based learning is making a comeback, and for good reason. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Academy of Pediatrics, children spend almost five hours a day on screens just for entertainment. Add in online learning, and it’s no wonder so many children are facing screen fatigue.
The consequences of prolonged screen time are well-documented. Too much screen time can cause:
- Eye strain and worsened vision
- Increased anxiety and behavior issues
- Shortened attention spans
- Decreased academic performance
The answer for many homeschool families is to take intentional breaks from screens and return to traditional, tried, and true methods of learning.
Benefits of Paper-Based Learning
While modern teachers know that digital learning is important for our 21st-century learners, the biggest benefits come when students learn with paper. According to Naomi S. Baron, linguistics professor and author of How We Read Now, when students read on paper, they remember and comprehend more than when they read the same text on a screen, or even listen to or view the material. Students are also far more likely to feel engaged and interested in learning when they learn on paper.
Why such a contrast? A computer screen thinly veils a vast digital world of entertainment and distractions. Even the association that computers and tablets have with entertainment can draw away focus. Paper learning materials, on the other hand, are simple and focused. They help students concentrate, make deeper learning connections, and get into the right mindset for learning.
Paper materials also uniquely make learning tangible and real. The physical geography of paper has memory-linking effects that help students connect what they read with where they saw it on the page. These benefits are compounded when students use their senses to annotate, write, and draw. When we use our senses, learning sticks!
Studies Weekly’s Print Materials
No homeschool curriculum can help you “do print” like Studies Weekly! With more than 40 years of experience innovating on print curriculum, there isn’t another publisher that understands how to do paper-based learning like Studies Weekly.
Studies Weekly’s Social Studies, Science, and Health materials are presented in a fun, colorful, newspaper or magazine-style format that doesn’t feel big, heavy, or intimidating like a textbook. Each issue is light, portable, and designed to be manipulated by a child. Packed with vibrant illustrations, interactive activities, and engaging articles, the print publications help students discover a real love for learning. Plus, an accompanying online learning platform allows you the flexibility to incorporate digital learning while getting all the benefits of learning on paper.
Studies Weekly is a consumable program that is interactive by design. Students are encouraged to annotate, highlight, write on, and even cut, fold, and paste their publications to be not only a participant, but a driver of the learning process. With Studies Weekly, students can:
- Highlight and underline key facts or vocabulary
- Annotate margins with thoughts and reactions
- Fold and cut sections for crafts or displays
- Use whole pages or articles for projects
These hands-on activities turn passive clicking and scrolling into active exploration.
Learning Artifacts
A unique feature of Studies Weekly is the ability to create Learning Artifacts: creative projects made from the printed materials.
Making Learning Artifacts engages a child’s natural sense of creativity. With just a few pieces of paper, glue, scissors, and their Studies Weekly publications, they can create anything from flipbooks and timelines to graphic organizers and concept charts.
Artifacts turn content into conversation pieces and help students review, make deeper connections, and show what they know.
Watch this example of how to make a flipbook Artifact using Studies Weekly Science.
In this example, learn how to make a timeline using Studies Weekly Social Studies.
Watch this fun example of how to create a graphic organizer using Studies Weekly Social Studies
Interactive Notebooks
Interactive Notebooks are a simple yet powerful way to organize a student’s learning! A dedicated notebook to house your students’ writings, drawings, and Learning Artifacts is not only a great review tool but also an excellent way for students to connect ideas as they see how their learning has progressed and come together throughout the year.
Additionally, any opportunity for a child to write, draw, cut, or paste is a huge win for their motor skills, engagement, and even overall cognitive development.
See an example of an Interactive Notebook using Studies Weekly’s Health and Wellness curriculum
One of the things that makes Interactive Notebooks so powerful is how they engage multiple senses. Students are reading and writing while also creating and doing. Students can also really make their Interactive Notebooks their own and add anything that supports their learning, like:
- Vocabulary words with corresponding pictures, drawings, or definitions
- Information about people, events, dates, timelines, or concepts
- Steps to an experiment or activity
- Writing or drawing prompt responses
- Studies Weekly’s graphic organizers, charts, and other printables
Need to learn more about how to use an interactive notebook?
Don’t Count Paper Out
As we adapt our homeschools to the digital age, it can be easy to default to screens. However, the research and results are clear: paper still matters.
While technology can be an excellent learning companion, be sure to give your student opportunities to learn away from a screen for a more grounded, present, and effective learning experience. Your students are likely to focus better, perform higher, and learn more when they engage with tangible, print learning materials.
Whether you’re just starting your homeschool journey or looking for a refresher, try adding paper-based learning to your routine. You may be surprised at how much your student enjoys reading off the screen.
View Studies Weekly’s preK–5 Homeschool Social Studies, Science, and Health curricula at store.studiesweekly.com/#homeschool
