Tech-savvy five-year-olds’ inability to hold pencil blamed on devices

DIGITAL generation five-year-olds are starting school unable to grip a pencil properly, cut with scissors or even hold a book up the right way because they are hooked on technology.

Eli O’Sullivan (left) and brother Beau enjoy painting, drawing with chalk and making things with playdoh at their Northern Beaches home. Picture: Toby Zerna

FIVE-year-olds are starting school unable to grip a pencil properly, cut with scissors or even hold a book up the right way because they are hooked on technology.

The techno-savvy kids can tap, swipe and pinch touch screens before they have learnt to tie their shoelaces, worrying health and education experts that they are failing to gain basic motor skills.

Children’s technology, learning and development researcher Dr Kristy Goodwin said there were “universal concerns” about “kids’ basic motor skills”.

Dee Why mum Tierney O'Sullivan with Eli and Beau enjoying painting at home. Picture: Toby Zerna

Dr Goodwin said many digital age children were reaching technological milestones before they could do more traditional tasks.

“It’s the modern reality and teachers are seeing it first hand that children do not have the fine motor skills of even five years ago. Kindergarten teachers throughout the country say kids are entering school without the necessary pencil grip and they can’t manipulate scissors,’’ she said.

“Children are spending more time tapping, sliding and pinching than what they should be doing — crumpling with paper and all the traditional things kids used to do.

“This can hang over into primary school because they don’t have the dexterity.”

From next year children as young as eight will sit national ­writing tests using a keyboard and computer instead of the traditional pen and paper.

Trials conducted by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority show Year 3 students are now so proficient at typing they no longer need to do the Naplan (National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy) tests in handwriting.

Child psychiatrist and internet addiction expert Philip Tam said there was a pushback worldwide about too much technology in classrooms: “Australia is a world leader in using digital (technology) in classrooms and gets the worst results.

Tierney O'Sullivan encourages her boys with traditional activities and pushes their artistic side. Picture: Toby Zerna

“No sensible parent would let their child go on a touch screen non-stop — the digital world does have some benefits but a balance with the physical world is needed.

“There is definite evidence that touching things, feeling and manipulating them actually stimulates healthy brain development.”

Public Schools Principals’ Forum chair Cheryl McBride said more children with problems including fine motor skill issues were being referred to occupational therapists now because schools were better at picking them up.

Ms McBride said it was still important to expose children to “cutting and crumpling” things using their hands as researchers questioned if the new generation was losing muscle development.

Mother of three Tierney O’Sullivan, who works as a graphic designer from her Dee Why home, provides opportunities wherever possible for her children to have learning experiences that do not involve a screen.

The O’Sullivan kids, aged five, three and nine months, are allowed to get messy with paint, glitter and Play-Doh and they have a “dirt patch” outside to grow vegetables.

“I push the artistic side with my children on paper. I still get my kids to do traditional activities and we make our own Play-Doh,’’ she said.