Little Kids Better at Mobile Apps than Shoe-Tying

I don't remember how old I was when I learned to tie my shoes. And I still don't really know how to use a mobile app (I'm one of the very few people who still doesn't have a smart phone.) But still-- this new study is most definitely a sign of the times.

A new study has found that more young children know how to play a smartphone app than tie their shoes.

The study polled 1,000 mothers of children aged from two to five from several countries and found that 19 percent of the children could naviagate a mobile app while only 9 percent knew how to tie their shoes.

It doesn't stop there. The study also found that more children knew how to play a computer game than ride a bike.

And more knew how to open a web browser (25 percent) than swim unaided (20 percent).

Essentially, the study points out that young children today learn computer skills first, life skills second.

Some may look at this new study as inevitable-- it has long been known that kids are starting to outpace their parents in the online world.

I remember when I was in elementary school, the one computer we had in the classroom was a huge, ancient relic that only allowed us to play The Oregon Trail.

These days, most kids don't even know what The Oregon Trail is! (How sad-- I loved that game!)

However, while some look at it as inevitable, others may look at it as one more reason why we need to get back to basics. Instead of computer games, kids should be playing outside, making mud pies, riding their bikes, and, at the very least, learning to tie their shoes.

What do you think? How important is it or children to learn computer skills? Do you think those should come before basic life skills? Is this the parents fault, or simply just a sign of the times?

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