Toddler Interested in Using Keyboard and mouse-What to Do?

Dear K.,
Though a lot of mom's are letting their kids play with technology early, evidence in neuroscience and psychology reveals that it is better to keep your child away from or strictly limit TV, computer use or video games until after 3 years old, and even some agree that it is better to wait until after 5 or 6 years before exposing their brains to it. Since our primary relationship with the world comes through relating - to PEOPLE - we learn to be much smarter about the REAL world through real life. Anything else is going to lead to problems one way or another. THis is not just my opinion, but many other 'experts' as well. Though all kids love it, the harmful effects of TV and Video games too much and too early in life are well documented. (Candy is fun, too, but you have to control it with kids, or it will turn them into monsters and give no real nutritional value). Sorry moms out there who love the TV. Look up "harmful effects of TV on young children" on google.
Best, R.

1 mom found this helpful

Here are a couple my son loved at that age...

http://www.readysetlearn.com
http://www.starfall.com
http://www.pbskids.org
http://atv.disney.go.com/playhouse/index.html

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

I downloaded a free game called Baby Smash. It locks your keyboard so your child can't mess up your computer, but when keys are pressed or the mouse is moved, shapes and colors appear. There are vocals, too, saying the letters and such. The child can't accidently unlock it, the instructions how to unlock it for you are always shown. You can download it at www.babysmash.com. My 2 YO daughter loves it.

K., I agree with Ruth E. The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a strong recommendation to parents to AVOID all screen time before age 2 (age 3+ would be better!)

You can do your own reading to make up your own mind. But you owe it to yourself and your child's developing brain to learn more... not just follow what computer/TV marketers are trying to sell you.

EINSTEIN NEVER USED FLASHCARDS: How Our Children Really Learn --and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less by Roberta Michnik Golinkoff, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, and Diane Eyer
http://www.udel.edu/ILP/einstein/book.html

THE SCIENTIST IN THE CRIB: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind by Allison Gopnik, Andrew N. Meltzoff, and Patricia K. Kuhl

ENDANGERED MINDS: Why Children Don't Think and What We Can do About it by Jane Healy
http://www.amazon.com/Endangered-Minds-Children-Think-Abo...

Healy's book opened my eyes and really made me rethink the whole TV/Computer issue. She has a whole chapter on WHY Sesame Street (yes Sesame Street) is bad for the developing brain (fast moving images and segments that are not connected to each other, prime the brain to expect action and entertainment during learning, among other things).

Is it really good for the brain? Is it really good for the child? That's what you have to ask yourself.

Many brain researchers and child development researchers say no. Children need to explore and experience the real multi-dimensional world (seeing, hearing, feeling, touching, smelling, bumping, deep pressure, moving in all directions, swinging, playing, exploring, singing, pretending, etc...) Even adults get eye fatigue when staring at a computer screen. How can that be good for toddlers to stare at a screen?

(And if you don't have a LCD/flat screen and still have an old clunky computer monitor, there is lead and radiation coming from the screen. Most parents don't realize that.)

My toddler may get excited when she sees traffic, buses and trains and may want to make a dash for it, but it's my responsibility to hold her back in certain regards.

Good luck.

I have an 8 yr old son and 4 year old daughter. I don't have "educational" software at home because it's a slippery slope. (My 4 year old knows colors, her letters, can write her last name, can spell her first... simply by experiencing and learning through other means, me, books, just being exposed to things....) My son uses these things at school (and that is a whole topic...) Healy has a book on that
FAILURE TO CONNECT: How Computers Affect our Children's Minds -- and what We can Do about it
http://www.amazon.com/FAILURE-CONNECT-Computers-Affect-Ch...

I'm reading a great book now called BOYS AND GIRLS LEARN DIFFERENTLY! By Michael Gurian (His partner will be speaking in Thousand Oaks in a few weeks if you are interested.)
http://www.gurianinstitute.com/

The authors argue that boys typically get addicted to computer/video games and it triggers their "fight or flight" response in the brain. When that happens, they are more likely to focus on the "here and now" and avoid planning for the future. That is what the brain is being molded to and that is scary.

Hi, K.!

It's so great that you have a little one so interested. My daughters (9 and 5 years)have always been interested in computers, too (hubby is an I.T. manager and computer expert). We had them on NickJr.com and Noggin.com. Also, there are great games on disc to buy like Mickey Mouse Toddler. Ones like that teach colors, shapes, numbers, letters, etc.. with the familiar characters to keep them engaged. I personally have stayed away from those made-for- toddler-keyboards/baby-computers because there are just so many programs and websites to utilize. My daughter is 5 and knows so much more than many of her friends because of the sites and games we have used.

Have fun and let him discover at his own pace. He will amaze you, I am sure.

There is a wonderful website called uptoten.com! My daughter has been exposed to it since she was one and now at two and a half she will sit at the computer and go through the website herself using the mouse. The is a free section that we started with and she loved it so much we joined which just exposes more songs and games to use. Every month there is a new subject uploaded for them to discover. I HIGHLY recommend it!

Enjoy!

A. R

Both of my kids started playing on the computer before they were 2 years old...it can get a little frustrating in the beginning when they are learning how to use the mouse but mine picked it up so quickly and we have always gone on Noggin.com or sproutonline.com they love these two sites. Mine are 3 & 4 and now they get on there and no how to go to the favorites and open noggin or sprout all by themselves it's pretty amazing how fast they learn...Good Luck
ps I never had any problems with them deleting anything.

My son was the same way at that age. My hubby had an old keyboard so we just let our son play with that one and pretended that it was hooked up to the computer. Then when he turned 2 we got him a kids laptop/game made by Chicco for like $15 at Target.

We like to go to the Disney channel site for free games, video clips, coloring print outs.

My kids' favorites:
www.pbskids.org
www.nickjr.com
www.mynoggin.com
http://atv.disney.go.com/playhouse

These all are good for preschoolers and younger. As you can see my kids LOVE the computer! We've had to set some ground rules, too. e.g. no food or drinks near the computer, you can only use it when mommy or daddy are in the room, only use 1/2 an hour a day, etc.

HI,

Sears has a "laptop" for little ones. Runs about $20...it is a guess because I got it last year for Christmas. Anyway, it is really good for their learning and just playing. It has an attached mouse and a handle. All plastic too. So, it isn't something you have to worry about him breaking. My friends son LOVES it. Anyway, it is a great toy with some learning activities right for his age.

When he is three, I would suggest the Leapster L-Max. My older daughter really learned a lot with it and it kept her busy while I was trying to get stuff done around the house.

Hi K.,

I believe that for every study you can find another one from a reputable group or person claiming just the opposite. For example, I read of recent studies that have found that there are some programs that are actually beneficial to our kids (they specifically mentioned Dora the Explorer and shows of that nature). TV is so different from when we were growing up, there are so many more educational programs and they are so much better now.

My daughter learned to read through a fantastic show called "Between the Lions". I thought she was just imitating how the characters break down words to read, but it turns out that she was actually reading - she was 4 years old. Of course, as we all know, we can't just let our kids watch shows all day - they are only to supplement their real world experiences.

As far as the computer goes, we are HUGE fans of starfall.com. Both of my children have learned so much with Starfall. In my opinion, Starfall and other sites like it have helped us to create a more well-rounded learning environment for our kids. It sounds like you have a very bright boy who will flourish in our age of technology. Good luck!

My kids have played around with the computer since ? I can't recall exactly, but before 2. I always wondered if they could delete or hurt anything. Honestly, I didn't take any measures to protect but to my knowledge, nothing has been lost.

At the beginning, I'd go to www.pbskids.org or www.noggin.com . Now they have a few games that they play but they are older than yours. For now, just visit sites like I mentioned, even Disney has a site. Lot's of fun stuff you can do together. You can also print coloring pages of your childs favorite characters.

www.starfall.com. My son loves it. ABC. Learn to read. Educational games. Its great!

My daughter's favorite site is www.noggin.com

Hi K.,

My suggestion is to get the fisher price launch pad. It is a launch pad that connects to the internet for a child to play games and color and all sort of stuff. The launch pad comes with two characters like the fisher price dog and elmo. You can then add characters like thomas, bob the builder and cliffard. The best part is when they are linked to the launch pad he can not explore the rest of your computer. You can set parental controls like how much time he can be on it and if he can print items. When it is time to get off you have to put in a password in order to close the screen. I love the one we bought for our son because he is able to play with the computer and learn more about them without getting into any of my files or changing anything accidentally by continueing to click. You can buy the launch pad at walmart or target in their technology section of the toys. It is usually with the leap frog items.

Good luck and have fun.

noggin.com

nick.com

disney has one and so does pbs...they are all free!

Jumpstart has programs for kids of all ages. My son loved the toddlers one. they may have some freebies on their website.

There are also a lot of 'play laptops' that are essentially kid sized computers with just a few games on them. Vtech makes one that uses cartridges, and there are a ton of others out there.

There are a lot of websites for kids. Try sesame street, disney, pbs kids, etc. If he has a favorite toy or show, chances are they have a website too.

You can also purchase keyboards and mice specifically made for little kids, but I don't know if you want to go that far.

If you still want to let him use your computer, but are worried he might delete something, you can always create his own account on the computer (in the control panel) that doesn't allow access to your files.

V-tech makes a number of great technology based toys for kids. I believe they even have a "my first computer" type toy. I think Toys R Us sells them and you should also be able to find them on Amazone and eBay.

Hi,
I am brandi, mother of a 3 year old girl, who is very intelligent and curious. She was about 15 months when I started letting her play on the computer. We went to sesamestreet.org and there are a list of games on the site. Peekaboo Elmo was the one that allowed them to press any key to find the character that was hiding. She loved that game.
Hope that helps
Brandi

Hello, Here are 2 sites that have been lots of fun for my 2 boys. This one is if he is into Thomas the Tank Engine (Oh if he's not now he will be!!) :-)
http://www.thomasandfriends.com/usa/thomas.asp

The second is Highlights magazine's website. The site itself is not that easy to navigate so you'll have to get him to the right pages, but the thing that my kids love is "Make you own snowman" (They drag and drop the snowman's eyes, hat, etc) "Decorate your own Gingerbread house" "Design your own Birthday cake" "Make a fireworks show" etc. There are lots to choose from. It might be for when he's a little older, I'm not sure when we started using this website. But it really is fun! Check it out yourself first and see what you think. I'm sending you to the page that has the archives of all these games I just told you about. To find it from the home page, click on "Fun Finder" then "Game of the Month"
http://www.highlightskids.com/Magazine/magArchive/h8thisM...

Have fun! Janet

There are site, but research shows having little ones on computers too early is not good. http://www.acei.org/inf.vol.13.4.htm and http://www.parents.com/toddlers/development/intellectual/... are only two online ones. Try to do your computer work when he is not around and keep him interested in manipulative toys,books, outdoor activities,lots of personal interaction and talking etc. You are not limiting his mental growth, just developing it properly. He will not develop eye problems and will not become addicted to the computer and need it for everything...interaction with people is far more important. He will learn to surf too soon:)
H.

my 17mo. old loves starfall.com. Hes even learned a few new words along the way! I also have for him a fisher price computer learning game that comes with a toddler keyboard that you put over your keyboard. Good luck!

Hi K.,

My almost 4 yo also loves computers. What we have done, is bought her a little computer of her own. You can get them at Target inexpensive. I know your son is only 20 months, but they do have some that are geared towards younger children. We bought ours when my daughter was 2 1/2. She has learned quite a bit just exploring on her own with it.

Good luck!!

L.

Hi K.,
I think someone else already responded with the same site, but I have had tons of success with BabySmash (www.hanselman.com/babysmash/). Your kiddo gets all sorts of feedback from pressing ANY key on the keyboard, or multiple keys at once. There is different feedback if they move or click the mouse. There is no way for them to navigate away from the program, so you don't have to worry about files getting deleted, etc. But, yes, it is easy for YOU to get out of the program. It is a free, quick, simple download.

Hi K.,
I haven't used this software, but I just found out about it through Parent Magazine. The sotware is called Giggles Computer Funtime for Baby. It is for babies 6-36 months. My nine month old loves the computer also and I plan on buying it for her. I can let you know how it goes. The website is giggles.net.
Best,
S. G

At walmart.com they have a "toy" from fisherprise that you hook up to your computer and it has it's own mouse. there are games that are educational like counting and color matching and also it's completely safe no one can try to contact your child while they're on it and it puts a lock on all your files so he can't delete any of them

I bought my daughter a child's computer. I got it at walmart for about $20-$30. It is blue and orange and it looks like a laptop and has a mouse that is attached and doesnt come off. It has a bunch of kids games on it. My toddler is only two and isnt ready for the games, but she loves having her very own computer, and she just plays with the buttons and the mouse and makes noises. This way, when I sit down at my computer, she sits down at hers. It was the tote and go laptop plus by vtech. Good luck. It has saved my computer!

starfall.com is free, my daughter loves nickjr.com. playhouse disney has a preschool section but you have to pay a monthly fee for that one.

My all time favorite website is www.starfall.com

I absolutely love that site...very educational and FUN!

Hope that helps!

A.

KPBS kids is a good site to explore together. there is a vtech computer for kids that my daughter rec'd when she was ~2 and it is fun, but no screen to light up. it has cards they can put in and pooh bear asks questions that they answer on the keyboard. she didn't get too excited about "her computer" until closer to 30mos. good luck!

Hi K.,
I hear ya, these todlers are of hi-tech generation...so don't be surprised! My daughters on is almost 4 and one is 10 mos old is very "into" computer. My daughter enjoys the link
www.starfall.com
you can try website of crayola as well.

You can add another user just for you child, if you would like. It can have games that you can buy at the store only.

A few websites I let my children on are: nickjr.com, and disneychannel.com. They have plenty of learning games for you child.

He can get hands-on experience on how a computer works, and have fun too. There are also games and such on those sites that you can play with your son on, and pictures that he can print and color.

J.

I like the Jump Start programs. I have Jump Start Baby and Jump Start Toddler that both of my kids used to learn how to use a mouse, enjoy the computer, and learn at the same time.

Toddlers using computers is a hot-button issue (if you can't tell from the various responses you have received). As an educator and one who is her master's program, I believe that all things in moderation are good for our children. While some researchers believe that "screen time" is bad for little ones there is other research that suggests that our children are developing new pathways in their brains as a result of their access to technology that those of us over 30 didn't have. Some have referred to these children as "digital natives" while the rest of us are "digital immigrants" only hopeful of learning the language but having a strange accent. A search of the web can get you information on these changes in our children, and I suggest you make your own decisions based on your research.

Personally, I love starfall.com. The program is great for early literacy, teaching preschoolers/toddlers their letters and the sounds those letters make. Then kids can start "reading" short stories and the program takes them through early elementary. I also like PBS and Playhouse Disney sites. There are easy games that kids can play, video clips to watch, and they link to characters that our children love. As for products that don't require these kiddos to use our computers, there are numerous "laptops" out there for kids to use that look like Mommy's and Daddy's that teach letters, colors, numbers, mouse control, etc. I have two for my kiddos, one that is pretty basic for my 2 year old and one that is more advanced for my 3 year old. The 3 yr old has a Thomas the Train laptop that will grow with him until he is 5 and has 32 different games on it. I fully believe that my son has many of the skills and knowledge base that he does because of this toy. I use the laptops with the kids most of the time, and then others they "work" on their laptops while Mommy does her school work on her laptop. Either starfall.com or their own laptops usually doesn't last more than 30-45 minutes a day, but that all depends on the kids attention spans.

Hope this information helps you make your decision!

My 2 and a half year old son loves pbskids.org and Disney.com has a preschool section too. Fisherprice.com has some awesome games too that teach numbers and colors and shapes and letters(and just require pressing a key on the keyboard to work). My son has been on the computer for some time now and has gotten really good at navigating around his favorite sites. Your son will need lots of supervision at first and help. It may take awhile before he can do some of the games on his own but it is a fun activity for you to do together. It's amazing how fast they pick it up. I have sacrificed some of the keys on my keyboard to him using my laptop (they still work but they are a little tricky). And now I need to put a limit to the time on the laptop and enforce mommy only time on it too. He is learning lot from the games though and enjoying himself too. Have fun!

Oh also there is a free painting/drawing program called Tux paint that is very cool and you can make it so your child can't navigate away form the program so he can't click on weird things.

My husband built our then 2.5 year old his own computer. He took to it like crazy. By 3, he was teaching the neighbor kids to "double-click here", etc. He's now almost 6 and is totally computer and tech saavy.

We loved www.kneebouncer.com for when my daughters were babies. All they have to do is push a button on the keyboard and something happens. It's fun to do!

Our favorite toddler sites are noggin, www.pbskids.org and www.starfall.com. My daughter learned her letters and sounds by playing on starfall. I use it in my classroom with my second graders too!

Enjoy!

for my daughter to learn the skills i bought her the click start. It's all about using the mouse, and typing.. It's also skill building click and drag and she doesn't touch our comp. though i know soon enough i'll let her on... but they also sell a kid site lock toy i've seen it at toys r us you plug it into the comp and it keeps them from going to sites that aren't part of its program but i think it may be limited to a few sites.

Try www.kneebouncers.com, www.nickjr.com, www.playhousedisney.com, www.starfall.com
I know that there are some toy companies that make computer keyboards for kids. There's a really cute one by Leap Frog (I think) that you hook up the the T.V. There are also toy laptops that you can buy.
Have fun! :)

Hi K.,
I have seem keyboard attachments you can use that are made specifically for little ones...I believe they even come with programs for them. I'm not sure on the age range, but something worth checking into! Also, as far as websites, a great one is www.starfall.com. Also, www.pbskids.com. These are geared more toward preschool age, so you would have to do it with him. Good luck!

There is a wonderful program called ALPHA BABY. Download it for free and watch your toddler have a blast on your computer without damaging any information. When any key is hit, numbers, letters, symbols and photos pop up!

Have fun!

Andrea

My two toddlers, and I, love the website: www.uptoten.com
We've only used the free option and it's been great. My kids started on our laptop as young as two-ish. At 20 months, I don't know how able your child would be. There are activities for as young as 1 year old, but I'm assuming that's with the help of an adult.
good luck

sesamestreet.com is awesome. my preschool daughter loves it. there are short videos, interactive games etc. i never really found any toddler sites but this is a good start. we have one of those v-tech toy computer thingys, but she much prefers the computer. she is 3 1/2 and started learning computer stuff at 18 mos(daddys a nerd), and shes yet to delete anything important.

my son loves pbskids.org! i started with having him sit on my lap while i play some simple games with him, like shape recognition and letter (alphabet) recognition. after only a little while, he figured out how to use the mouse and the touch pad just by watching me use it! it was crazy! so now he can play the games all by himself, and i never really had to teach him how to do anything. he can click, double click, even drag and drop. and he was only 2 years old when he figured out how to do this. i do have to watch him while he's playing though, because there is the chance that he might accidentally mess with my files on my laptop. so i suggest not leaving him on his own on the computer at this age.

hi,

my grandaughter is 3 and was using the comp before she was two. it amazes me & even makes me feel stupid. she knows a lot & even tries to repair it if something goes wrong. she can do some minor troubleshooting & even has gameboy mastered. i was trying to adjust the contrast on her new one the other day & i was not fast enough for her...she grabbed it from my hand & fixed it herself. it is freaky to me to see such tiny bodies using the comp & knowing what she's doing! she got this from watching her parents. they spend too much time on the comp. she should be comunicating better than she does & i think it is from too much comp time. she used leapfrog now. when on the comp she will go on nick jr. they have some good games for free & some are educational. good luck...it wasnt like this when my kids were that age.