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?

If kids are reading then I don't think it matters at all whether it's electronic or paper formats.

I’m one of those who swipes and pinch zooms on paper books and magazines

This post reminds me of a book that my DCs used to have.

It's a Book

It’s A Book

most children take their whole hand to swipe a book page over to begin with. So that may not mean anything.Also some children may have learning difficulties or perhaps their parents have.

Teacher in a nursery class in a school....

Book thing - not very common here but I have had children hand me a book & ask me to “put it on”. You can easily tell who isn’t used to books & stories - yes it does matter. Not so much the getting mixed up with tablets & books, but use of tablets & phones tends to be a solitary activity & if they’re not used to being read to then they’re missing out on all the essential talking & listening skills, which does hinder their development & is crucial at this age, they tend to not catch up.

In my experience & anecdotally across the country, many more NT children are in nappies with dummies, bottles etc much older than they used to be (including going to school and needing nappies changed - not just the odd accident or not being dry at night - 5/6 year olds). I’m absolutely not about pushing children academically before they’re ready either, I think we start formal schooling too early, but it really is a growing problem & unfortunately nurseries & schools are not set up to deal with it.

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

From a statistical point of view, a survey using a sample of 100 is an utterly pointless sample. The margin of error in such a small sample group is enormous. There are thousands, possibly tens of thousands of teacher in this country, how can 100 be said to be representative. And who were these teachers? Where do they teach - which areas, what kind of schools? Small schools with majoritively NT pupils, or big schools with a high percentage of children with SN (who would have been excluded from mainstream schools until very recently)? Private or state? Are they even still teaching?

I'm astonished at C4 News, I thought they were above tabloid journalism.

I try and pinch zoom the page all the time. What's wrong with them knowing how to use the technology? Doesn't mean they're plugged into it all the time.

It's not an issue at all.

Isleepinahedgefund there is nothing wrong with children knowing how to use technology, in fact it's a good thing because it's a skill they are going to need. The kind of people who clutch their pearls about it are the same kind who were horrified when young people were reading books back in the 18h century - reading, especially amongst women was thought to be a corrupting influence.

I also used to lie about being Ill to get out of school and other activities so I could stay at home and read

I used to bunk off school and hang out reading in the town library - I told the librarians I was doing a project, and they believed me, I assume

I’ve been reading books since age 4 , I’m now 38 and swipe as if on my kindle . Still means I read books .

A while ago I spent a relaxing week on holiday with my nose in my kindle in its cover, that makes it feel like a book. I then came home and tried to read my new book. Was struggling to make sense of it a few pages in. Then realised I’d been missing out all the left sided pages, as if they were my kindle cover. It’s a habit thing.

If a child is swiping because they have never seen a book then obviously that is very sad and very concerning. However I find it difficult to believe that there are masses of children starting school with no idea how to use a book. More likely they have been reading on iPads more recently than a book (and that’s because of advances in technology and not necessarily an issue) or as a PP suggested is just their attempt at turning the pages rather than a genuine ‘swipe’.

Nappies, dummies and bottles - DD is 2. Would never take a dummy, bottles are long gone and she’s only in nappies at night. However, that’s because of the child she is and it’s all been easy. I think parenting styles have changed and we are more inclined to wait until a child is ready these days. Again, not great if it’s down to lazy parenting but if the parent wants to let the child grow out of such things in their own time then I’m ok with that. They know their child best.

This thread reminds of when DS was little in the early 90s and playing dominoes with his granny. He was shaking the double blank and saying 'this one isn't working'.

Thanks for the video sigmaalphamu.

When I started teaching in the early 80s there were children who had never experienced looking at books but none who started school in nappies. Children with SEN tended to be in Special schools then (not saying that was a good thing).

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

Of course it's a rising issue - when you spend years under several governments absolutely decimating specialist school provisions then it's an obvious result that mainstream school teachers will see increasing numbers of issues in much higher numbers than they've seen before

I’m astonished at all these posters who say they swipe or try to zoom in when reading a book. I use my phone all the time and also read books/magazines, and I can safely say I’ve never done that!

Of course it's a rising issue - when you spend years under several governments absolutely decimating specialist school provisions then it's an obvious result that mainstream school teachers will see increasing numbers of issues in much higher numbers than they've seen before

And yet a lot of posters on here seem very keen to dismiss it as anecdotal and not a representative sample...

And yet a lot of posters on here seem very keen to dismiss it as anecdotal and not a representative sample...

To be fair 100 is a really shit sample and not really representative.

I should have added the caveat of years of having worked in schools.

My point was more about it not being a suggestion of increasingly shitting parenting.

I wander if some of the being later at stuff (potty training, keeping dummies, putting clothes on) is because DC are learning 'academic' stuff like phonics or writing earlier and their little minds/bodies can only cope with learning one new skill at a time.

As an EYP I used to have a group of lovely 4 year old girls who could all write their names and draw recognisable pictures but struggled with doing coats and shoes by themselves. We didn't push the name writing! They all just liked being 'big girls' and playing schools etc.

To be fair 100 is a really shit sample and not really representative.

True I suppose, but does that mean we should entirely dismiss what these 100 teachers are saying?

One poster on the first page said something along the lines of “who gives a shit”, which I found a very odd response.