Children Need Dirt, Books, Conversation, and Play 🌿📚

Lately, something interesting has been happening in education.

After years of increasing screen time, digital learning platforms, apps, and technology-centered classrooms, many schools, educators, and families are beginning to ask an important question: Have we moved too far away from how children naturally learn best?

A recent Associated Press article explored this growing shift back toward books, paper materials, handwriting, discussion-based learning, and hands-on experiences as educators notice concerns about student attention, comprehension, reading stamina, and overall engagement.

You can read the full article here:https://apnews.com/article/07958fb159c7cfbceb7bfdb37b2bb726

The article discusses how some schools are intentionally reducing screen use and returning to more traditional learning tools after seeing that excessive technology use may impact:

• Attention span

• Reading comprehension

• Memory retention

• Writing stamina

• Social interaction

• Classroom engagement

And honestly… this conversation deeply resonates with the heart behind My Learning Farm. 💛

Because children were never meant to spend their entire childhood staring at screens.

Children need:

🌿 dirt under their fingernails

📚 books in their laps

🐐 animals to care for

🗣 conversations with caring adults

✏️ pencils, paper, and creativity

☀️ sunshine and movement

💛 connection and belonging

🎨 hands-on learning and play

So much of childhood learning happens through sensory experiences, human interaction, movement, storytelling, curiosity, and exploration.

When children read a physical book, write by hand, build something with their hands, care for animals, explore outdoors, or engage in rich conversation, different parts of the brain are activated in meaningful and lasting ways.

At My Learning Farm, we intentionally create learning spaces that slow childhood down a little.

Our greenhouse classroom is filled with:

📚 read-alouds

🌾 discussion and storytelling

✏️ structured writing

🐓 hands-on projects

🌿 nature-based learning

💛 relationship-centered teaching

And perhaps one of the most important pieces:children are given space to simply be children.

Many of today’s students are overwhelmed, overstimulated, and exhausted by constant digital input. Some struggle to sustain attention for reading. Others avoid writing altogether because typing has replaced foundational handwriting practice. Many children are craving calm, connection, and meaningful engagement without even realizing it.

This does not mean technology is “bad.” Technology can absolutely be a useful tool.

But tools should support learning — not replace the deeply human experiences children need for healthy development.

Research continues to show the importance of:

• Reading physical books

• Being read to aloud

• Conversation-rich environments

• Outdoor play• Fine motor development

• Hands-on exploration

• Real-world learning experiences

At My Learning Farm, I see every week how powerful these experiences can be.

I watch children:

🌿 build vocabulary while feeding goats

📚 strengthen comprehension during read-aloud discussions

✏️ grow confidence through structured writing support

🐐 regulate their nervous systems through animal interaction

💛 rediscover joy in learning when pressure is removed

Some of the best learning moments happen far away from a screen. They happen while sitting under trees. They happen in muddy boots. They happen during conversation. They happen while reading side by side. They happen while laughing together in the greenhouse classroom.

Childhood does not need to be rushed.

Children need time to wonder, move, read, create, play, and connect.

And maybe that shift back toward books, paper, nature, and hands-on learning is not “going backward” at all.

Maybe it is remembering what children needed all along. 🌾💛

Learn more about My Learning Farm and our literacy, academic support, homeschool consultation, and farm-based learning programs here:

https://www.mylearningfarm.com