Parents, “What if the smartest thing your child does today… that is not on a screen?” We know your answer already.
No wonder why kids cannot leave their screens even for 10 minutes! They play games, watch movies and shows, listen to music, and chat with friends on social media, reels, and video-making. Even if they get homework and projects on mobile. Even if they try to keep the phone aside, they unwillingly have to stay close to it. This can make your kid smart and digitally fluent, but are their brains also getting smart?
Think of a time when they were sitting away from the phone, reading a book. This is a rare moment now. For most parents all around the world, including Gurgaon, this is an old-fashioned concept. They haven’t seen their kids without screens for so long. In a way, they are learning, but on the other hand, this is impacting their health as well.
Those days are gone when you snatch phones from your kids. Avoiding screens completely is not an option anymore, especially in this digital age. So what can be an option where children can find a balance between screens and without screens?
Many schools started coming up with programmes and Ideas that can help this. Through this article, today we will see how Lions Public School, one of the top schools of Gurgaon, came up with their DEAR Programme, a unique, innovative idea that is successfully impacting thousands of students by minimizing screen time and helping them maintain a balance between screens and not screen time.
Also Read | The Three-Decade Journey of Lions Public School, Gurgaon
What Is the DEAR Programme and Why Does It Matter?
DEAR- Drop Everything and Read, as the name suggests, is a designated time at school where everything stops. Teachers stop writing on boards, students close their textbooks, and the entire school just leaves everything and picks up a book and reads. And there is no compulsion that students have to read only reports, case studies, or any other syllabus-based book. They can pick and choose whatever they like.
This concept looks simple yet very impactful. The reason behind it is its scientific benefits. The DEAR concept was born from a passage in Beverly Cleary's beloved children's novel Ramona Quimby, Age 8, and has since been adopted by schools and libraries across the world. Through this concept, the school tries to make reading a habit instead of an obligation. When something becomes a habit, it starts transforming one's life.
What do studies say about this concept?
Throughout these years, when technologies were blooming, and digital space was extending in the lives of students, one thing everything ignored was keeping the balance of their screen time. But such a DEAR programme can actually help students retain better.
As per a 2024 study published in Advanced Science found that, based on data from nearly 12,000 children in the ABCD project, higher screen use was associated with poorer cognitive and language outcomes, partly by reducing reading time, while reading showed positive associations with language ability and brain volume in regions linked to language and executive function. Here is the summarized version of it
- Higher screen use was linked to poorer language ability and certain behavioral issues in early adolescents.
- Reading showed positive effects on language ability and was linked with increased brain volume in regions related to language and executive function.
- Part of screen time’s negative impact occurs indirectly by reducing time spent reading, which affects cognitive and brain development.
How can deep reading actually build a child’s brain?
There are certain benefits of mindful reading. It enhances the attention and focus of the kids. It makes them creative by boosting their imagination skills, and it builds the empathy and emotional intelligence of the students. Apart from this, while a student reads, it makes them aware of different vocabulary, communication, and language, along with strong critical thinking.
Also Read | Your Child will learn to serve, grow to Lead at Lions Public School
How is Lions Public School making it happen?
Now that we have understood the importance of building a reading habit and its impact on our brains. It is time to know how the top schools in Gurgaon are building such habits through innovative ideas like the DEAR programme.
Lions Public School, Sector 102, Gurugram, initiated this DEAR programme very strategically. In the dedicated time frame, children have to stop everything they are doing and have to pick a book of their choice to read and understand about the topic.
Reading looks like just a hobby, but it can bring impact that can change the whole learning process for your kid in a healthy way. The skills developed through reading like
- Enhancing the attention and focus of the kids.
- Boosting their imagination skills, polishing their artistic side.
- Empathy and emotional intelligence improve
- Better vocabulary, communication, and language-based skills
- Strong critical thinking.
All these skills that are built by reading cannot be replaced by AI, and hence, these skills will help you gain success in other areas of life as well. This realisation led the school to start this initiative. Also, not just this, there are many schools in Gurgaon that are using different approaches to improve skills that AI can never replace.
While programmes like DEAR show promising results, challenges like digital dependency, consistency, and student engagement still remain. The way ahead lies in making reading a daily, pressure-free habit by integrating short, dedicated reading time into school routines and encouraging choice-based reading. Initiatives like the DEAR programme at Lions Public School highlight how simple, structured efforts can be implemented effectively, helping schools create a balanced learning environment where reading becomes a natural part of every child’s day.
To know more about this and other schools in Gurgaon, check out our list here.
as a preferred source on