Children swiping books to turn the page

[wondering7777]

I just watched a news report on Channel 4 where a primary school teacher was saying she’s come across children who use a swipe motion (as you would with an iPhone/tablet) to try to turn pages in a book.

It was part of a wider report saying that there’s been an increase in children who aren’t ready for school on their first day - they’re still using bottles and dummies and wearing nappies.

AIBU to be shocked and saddened by this, particularly the book thing?

The book thing is a non-issue, DS school uses an online reading scheme so all of their reading books are on tablets/e-readers.

A large number of children starting school still in nappies will have additional needs of some sort which are not always diagnosed by the age of 4.

Aa for dummies, so long as they aren't sucking it in class, who gives a shit?

I try to pinch zoom on paper photos all the time. All. The. Time.

Well when the child is sucking a dummy so long it impacts their speech sounds then it will have an impact on their education. It's not something to be minimised. There's no reason for a school age child to have a dummy.

I've worked with young children and I volunteer at youngest DS' school. I haven't encountered any school age children with dummies or nappies or didn't also have other issues going on, it is not as prevalent amongst NT children as headlines would have you think.

I’ve caught myself pinching recipes in cook books trying to zoom in. If they’re reading on a tablet or reading in a paper book..:who cares as long as they’re reading? You could say, lovely as they are, that print books aren’t as environmental friendly as a kindle for example. The world is changing. Doesn’t make it wrong

YANBU op.

it is not as prevalent amongst NT children as headlines would have you think.

Channel 4 surveyed 100 primary school teachers who said that it is a rising issue.

My 6yo has been using an iPad since he was 2. He’s been read to since birth. He’s never done this.

However he taught himself to read using the iPad.

The other day he was recording himself pretending he was a ‘streamer’ and he was having a great time.

I remembered back to when I used to record radio shows on my cassette deck. Exactly the same thing.

Change isn’t bad by default.

I've tapped magazine pages to try to turn them before...

I think the book thing and the dummy/ bottles situation are separate issues although both are a bit sad. If children are swiping a book I think it shows that they either spend too much time on screens or very little or no experience looking at books - although it is possible that some have been reading books on tablets. That’s easily fixed after a few days at school though as there’s plenty of physical books. Dummies and bottles is a sign that children aren’t being treated appropriately for their age and that is not so easily fixed at school and it shouldn’t be their job either.

100 teachers? There are more than 20 000 primary schools in the UK, so it is hardly representative.

Dummies impact on communication skills and dental health. How much varies from child to child but you want tell how much a child will be affected until its (possibly) too late.

Toilet training is definitely shifting later.

There are definitely more children who don't have additional needs starting school delayed. I get referrals from schools to assess children to determine if it is an underlying developmental condition or lack of exposure and for an increasing minority the social circumstances and they are taught skills at school.

When I’m reading a book I often find myself glancing at the top of the page for the time

Cuts to health visitors hasnt helped either as many people cant access advice and support with weaning/toilet training

I saw that report and can't help thinking it was exagerated. It was based on the experiences of 100 teachers so not a big sample and hardly statistically sound. Also I don't think it said where those 100 teachers were based.
Of course some of the things the head teacher was saying were shocking and I do think schools need more resources but I don't think it is fair to say that there are many children in nappies, with dummies, unable to talk in schools.

I often do this and I read a lot of paper books.
I also try and enlarge the font sometimes.

Yanbu.

There's a funny video on YouTube where a medieval monk is trying to explain a book to another monk who is only used to scrolls. The screen /book issue is a bit like that.

There are more NT children starting school still in nappies and sucking dummies than there used to be though and that is a problem.

100 teachers is not indicative of the whole education system. Are they all from different schools? Because 100 teachers could easily be from as few as 4-5 infant schools in which case I'd be wondering what sort of catchment area they're in, is it an area with a high degree of social deprivation, are they a school particularly adept at supporting children with SEN and therefore more likely to receive applications from parents who suspect this of their children, etc etc. Ita not a clear enough sample to be able to extrapolate the data.

So long as it's because they've been reading, does it matter? Kindle or actual book, who cares?

DS has the amazon fire content thingy so he has absolutely loads of books on his tablet so I can imagine he'd do something like this. However that doesn't mean we don't have physical books or don't go to the library.

I dunno. I'm v snobby about dummies I recognise that so I won't pass comment on that.

Children using tablets - doesn't mean they arnt reading or being read to. It's a bit of a non issue really

I don't see why this matters - those children are doing what they're used to doing, presumably because they normally read on tablets - and they'll get used to books in due course. As long as they are reading, does it matter what form it takes?

When I first encountered a tablet, I didn't have a clue what to do with it, how to navigate it and so forth - I learnt through using one. That's because I grew up with books, whereas these children are growing up in the digital age - this type of thing is to be expected.

I tried to pause and rewind the radio the other day when Dh started talking over an item I was listening to.

I think people might sometimes misinterpret the clumsy way that small children sometimes turn book pages as ‘swiping’. A lot of very young kids put their hand or fingers on the page and sort of push it back rather than taking the page between thumb and forefinger and turning it. I remember my dad showing me how to turn the pages of my picture books ‘properly’ when I was little and after that I remember thinking other kids who tuned the page like that were ‘babies’. And I was born in the 70s.