Children don't know how to read books: They try to swipe them like tablets!

A report has revealed that one-quarter of students starting primary school cannot use books correctly because they try to swipe them like a tablet. Teachers told researchers from the education charity Kindred Squared that they spend one-third of their school days "babysitting" four- and five-year-olds who lack basic skills.

According to the report, one in four children starts primary school without knowing how to use a book correctly; many also try to swipe or tap the pages as if they were using a phone or tablet.

A survey of 1,000 staff members also revealed that one-quarter of first-graders have not been properly toilet trained, and one-third cannot put on a jacket, hold a pencil, or count to ten.

However, only 16 percent of parents surveyed believe that they alone are responsible for teaching their children how to use books, and only half think that toilet training is entirely up to them.

Felicity Gillespie from Kindred Squared said, "These shocking findings should be a turning point for schools and parents because we know that children who fall behind before starting primary school are more likely to struggle throughout their lives.

If teachers are still having to spend an average of 2.5 hours a day helping children who are developmentally behind, every child misses out on that opportunity."

One teacher also stated, "Our children starting first grade can show you how to use a mobile phone, how to use a tablet... I'm not sure if some of them know which way to hold a book, which way up. But they can certainly show you how to use a phone and a tablet."