This is in response to the story in the April 7 Sun Journal.

iPads for kindergarten children? Emphatically, no. Kindergarten is a time for children to learn social skills and to prepare for entry into higher grades.

Some Auburn high school students are unable to write in cursive, so why interrupt early learning in printing skills? Part of kindergarten learning is learning to print and strengthening those muscles in the hand and fingers. It’s called the tripod grip and is essential for printing and writing. Also, in kindergarten, books are essential, for that is a reading preparation time when children are connecting letters and words to meaning.

iPad use does not promote the physical skills necessary for learning, up to and including even eye tracking, which is different with computer devices.

What about electrical fields for small children? Do we know what damage may be done by frequent exposure to those created by the iPad?

Auburn gets to be “first in Maine,” but at what cost to Auburn’s young children?

Pat Malcolm, Lewiston