To be shocked that not even one y4 child knew the meaning of the word velvet?

[Utterlybananas333]

My sister is a teacher in a South London primary school, she is a year four teacher of around 30 8 to 9-year-olds. She was recently describing her disbelief over the fact that not a single child knew what velvet meant? There were some crazy guesses, and lots of children who thought it was cake (probably relating to red velvet). Is it just the fact that children and adults don't talk anymore? That nobody reads anymore? Or even watches educational TV programs? Would your child know?

That was just ONE example it is used in many, many books and programmes as a descriptor

Again with the comprehension of concepts

I suspect it’s at least partly to do with the fact most people buy the majority of their clothes and textiles online nowadays.

When children regularly accompanied their parents to clothes shops and haberdasheries, velvet would come up in conversation as they would be able to touch it and feel the difference between different fabrics, whereas nowadays, it will only be if the parent ends up choosing the velvet option that a child comes into contact with it.

I’ve just checked with the nieces and nephews in my house

Nephew 17 - it’s a colour
Niece 13 - it’s material
Niece 12 - it’s material
Niece 9 - don’t know, never heard of it

Oh no. Their parents must be fabric savages. I think a letter to an MP is necessary. Did this happen in Croydon?

Yes but it may be described as having a velvety feel

It’s not the 1970’s, so realistically no it doesn’t surprise me.

To be fair they'd be wrong in the OPS sisters scenario if they used it in this sense as presumably she asked what velvet was meaning it's a material and if they'd used it in terms of a description for something e.g it's something that feels soft or silky like a dogs ears they wouldn't have given the right answer...

But that's the whole point, isn't it? It's just one word. We don't judge anyone's vocab solely on whether they know the meaning of one specific word.

Particularly if, as in this case, there are lots of reasons why they'd be less familiar with it compared to their parents' generation.

I find it so weird that people are saying it's a fabric no one wears or uses nowadays. This is one of those Mumsnet alternate universe things I think. I am sitting on the floor of our playroom and can see 5 velvet cushions, a velvet footstool, 2 velvet hair bobble bows and about ten velvet tree bows.

Yes but they would have some concept of it

I bet many people don't know what a candlewick bedspread is.

And I am ‘shocked’ at the hyperbole to describe a very mundane thing…..

I know its so weird
It's also so so common

There are literally books, songs, poems, online articles as well as magazines that reference it

It's weird gaslighting on here sometimes

And maybe some of them did know it as a description but they didn't know what it actually was in terms of a material.

Knowing it's a way of describing something e.g that feels velvety doesn't mean they know velvet is also a material. They are two separate words.

Correct

I think my DS7 has a pretty good vocabulary. (Two teachers for parents) But the other day I said "Go and hang your towel on the landing" and he was dumbfounded! Apparently hasn't picked up the word landing yet!

It’s hardly something a child that age and in these times would ever come across. It’s like acting surprised that an English child doesn’t know what bara brith is.

Definitely not comparable

I’ve just asked 14 yo DS if he knows what velvet is. He immediately and confidently replied that it is a colour. I blame red velvet cake for this 😆. I own absolutely nothing velvet and it’s just not crossed his radar. I don’t think it’s odd that year 4’s don’t know.

But they are increasingly called hand rails

But knowing it was a description for something soft wouldn't have helped them get the answer of it's a material any more than knowing about red velvet cake would? So just because they might have read lots of books with the word velvety in it wouldn't actually have given them much more context when asked directly what velvet meant.

I find it really interesting that cake has become the first reference point for many children, rather than the material. Makes perfect sense if that's the context they are more familiar with

The only time I really come across velvet is when it comes back in fashion as it has this year. M&S have stocked some velvet over the festive season. For me it’s a festive fabric. I don’t know why. In the 90’s I had a superb velvet trouser suit that I loved. I don’t own any velvet now so wouldn’t expect my son to know what it was.

Yes I agree and somebody upthread asked her nephew and he said the same. I’m 56. It was a pretty common fabric when I was a child, think clothes and soft furnishings but I don’t have anything velvet in my house. My eldest daughter studied fashion and specialised in Victorian and Edwardian fabrics. Lots of velvet there!

Yeah. I'm not very interested in fashion or textiles but there's a heap of articles about how velvet clothing has started to become fashionable again as of 2025 - so surely it must have been unpopular for a while?