Toddlers & Technology

There is a lot of recent research that shows the negative effects of computers, specifically webpages with lots of things going on (have you seen how much stuff is on some of the pages for kids!)

What we are exposed to rewires the brain. Some of the findings include that we read more shallowly and have worse concentration.

I let my 2.5 year old do her ABCs at starfall.com.

My plan is to expose her to the least amount of stuff as possible. She doesn't watch TV, and only watches about 15 minutes of videos every few weeks.

I let me daughter begin to use the computer for educational games at age 3. She showed interested and was able to do learn how to use the mouse. I only allowed her a certain amount of time to play these games and she did learn from them. She just finished kindergarden and they used computers in her class. I think it would be good to introduce computers so they can understand how the mouse works. If you don't want them on the computer that's fine but I would show him the mouse so that when he begins school he'll understand what to do. My duaghters school used the games on starfish.com at school. I also recommend pbskids.org They have great learning games on there.

Ugh, I can't stand the sight of little zombie kids sitting motionless all day with ear-buds shutting out all the sensory data from the real world, eyes glued and little fingers tap-tapping on a screen, day-in, day-out.

Sure, everything is educational. But riding a big-wheel down the sidewalk is far more educational than steering a Mario-cart. Holding a crayon to paper is a far more valuable skill than knowing how to logon to a kidz games account.

Most of this stuff is just expensive entertainment delivery devices. They're not learning life skills They are just receiving spoon-fed entertainment.

If your son can learn how to pump his legs so he can swing by himself by the time he gets to kindergarten, he'll be way ahead of the little ipod androids sitting on the bench.

Btw, I AM a professional computer programmer, but it's not ALL I do. Your kids will find the funny videos on Youtube without your help. The more you can engage them in reality, the better.

No... he won't be behind at all. It doesn't matter if one kid in K is doing calculous, and another is reading War & Peace... schools teach to the lowest common denominator. They ALL start off with letter and number recognition and move upwards from there. Same with tech.

Should mention... I DID have a techie toddler... and thank goodness, because it was the only free hour I got all day! (Literally, not figuratively). He started using the computer on his own at 2.5. Things like starfall, ispy, pbskids, discovery. It's just a parenting choice though... tech or no tech... neither choice is better than another, they're just family choices.

I let my 4 year old play on the pc sence he was able to use a mouse... he is now reading and writing.... can spell words that an 8th grader has trouble with too. check out starfall.com, nickjr.com, pbskids.org, mickymouseclubhouse.com and see if you would like those. they are all directed on education so you won't be feeling like he's waisting his time he will be learning too..

I'm in the same boat as you... my 5, 3 and 1 year olds do not use my computer. They watch me use it... and on occasion will watch a little video or play a game... but we haven't really done that since spring hit.

My opinion is, my kids are smart and when they NEED to have those skills, they will learn them quickly. Kids that are playing games on the computer are not learning to computer programing... they are probably doing educational (or not) stuff... but all the other stuff you do with your kids should better prepare them for Kindergarten.

You also make an excellent point that if they have an IPOD or iTouch at age 4... what is next. Jeez. I hadn't even thought of that argument and will for SURE add it to my list of reasons we don't do all that stuff.

I agree with you. :)
Jessica

I hear ya! My oldest just turned 7. We didn't start getting him into "technology" until the last year or so. He just got a Wii this past Christmas when he was 6.5 yrs old and that was a very tough decision for us. All of his other relatives have had one for years, but I don't particularly care! He can only play with it when we give him permission and for as long as we allow--so no zombie-ness sets in. Technically, he has a Nintendo DS, but it was a gift from his Nana and does not enter our home--it stays at her house. Before the Wii, he would sometimes play the PS3 with my husband, but that's my hubby's system, not my boy's. He doesn't have an iPod of his own. Doesn't need it. If he wants to listen to music, he either listens to what we're listening to, or one of his own CDs in the stereo or car.

He rarely gets to use the home computer since he doesn't really NEED it (he gets computer skills at school). Don't get me wrong, he knows how to work the keyboard and how to go to websites and how to use the mouse. But he enjoys playing chess and checkers and boardgames in the real world instead. He may WANT to play on the computer, but it's not a necessity to his daily survival.

My opinion is that we all survived just fine and have gotten computer and technology skills without having to live and breathe it when we were kids.

Bottom line is that even if you get your boy technology devices, as the parent, you still have the right to police and control the useage of those things to ensure he remains well-rounded.

No, he won't be behind at all! It's better to get him playing outside and interacting with other kids - that's what will build a lot of the skills he'll need at school. I admit, my husband has let my daughter play games on his iPhone and I went through a week where I let her play games on PlayhouseDisney.com but then she was asking to play on the computer instead of going outside to play and that's when I put an end to that! I think you're right - our kids will have plenty of time to learn about and engage with technology. Let them be kids for as long as they can :) Best of luck!

My son is 4 and he is allowed 1 hour to play educational computer games a week. He had a 1 hour class in preschool once a week so I figure that I can keep that up at home now that it is summer. I agree that I don't want a child that is glued to the tv or computer and won't go outside, but I also think using the computer in moderation is good for them. We do live in an electronic world after all. Besides, it is a new fun activity. I usually try to save it for rainy days or when he just needs some down time, but I do stick to 1 hour a week (meaning 1 time a week for an hour). We also have a Wii, but again, he is allowed one hour a week on that too (although I usually don't even let him do that). For the Wii, I really only let him play it on a rainy day because I figure it gets some of his energy out since he can't get outside to play. It doesn't have to turn into a necessity or bad habit if you don't let it. You need rules - although I only let him do it once a week, he definitely asks for it more often than that! Good luck!

They certainly don't need adult devices of their own, but some limited exposure to it would be good. Kids are using computers as early as kindergarten, so it would be good for him to at least be familiar with using a mouse and keyboard. Not that he won't learn it at school, but if he goes in knowing how then that's one less thing he has to learn there. Some supervised limited game time on the computer does not hurt. Just like everything else, everything in moderation. My older son started being interested around 3 and my 2 year old now wants to since his big brother gets too, but I am waiting for him to be able to understand the concept a little better first. PBS kids and Nick jr online are our favorite place for games.

one of the skills that us early childhood experts are supposed to teach is parts of the computer and use of the mouse. So, if he knows those two things and the basics of keyboards (hitting enter for instance) then he is good to go. You may want to get him the Jumpstart Kindergarten computer program as it works on many good skills or do http://www.Starfall.com with him for the same reason both are perfect for his age. As far as the other gadgets, don't worry, not needed skills for school.

Hello T.,

I agree with you in that he will have the rest of his life for all that. He will learn about all of the techno stuff in time. Time with you and family/friends by playing with "old fashioned" toys, reading books together,spending time outdoors, using their own imagination etc. is so important for the children. Growing brains are physically shaped by experience. There are probably not a lot programs out there that have information you could not teach him yourself (some things might take a little more effort in doing) and the interaction is what is important.

I know it is probably difficult to get away from it once he enters school because it is introduced at such a young age. Then I am in agreement with the ones who limit their exposure to it. I thought I read that even the AAP suggests limitations.

My husband and my backgrounds are in computer science/electrical engineering so I have nothing against technology. Our lives depend on so much of it nowadays. I am not saying "never" to technology...I am just saying "later". I have children that are a little older than your son and are doing just fine with such limitations. Their schooling also supports this philosophy so it is probably a little easier for us to hold off on exposing them to all the techno stuff. Some of their friends/cousins are all into it but they just understand.

There is a book out there called "Endangered Minds" by Jane Healy -- her bio says she has been an educational psychologist, professional educator with experience as a classroom teacher, university professor, reading and learning specialist and elem school administrator. I am not trying to offend anyone out there who might disagree but trying to offer a different perspective.

"What's right is not always popular...what's popular is not always right" -- Albert Einstein

Take care...

It is just a matter of preference. Moderation is the key to most things like this. We have many of the techno things and the kids are allowed to use them with permission and in limited quantities of time. I think being able to use the devices, especially a computer will only serve them better in the future. While others may be just learning to use the device, kids that have already been exposed can concentrate on the content. As for what will they get in the future if they already have all this stuff? There will always be something new and improved out there, how else will all of those businesses make money? For the record though, my line is drawn at personal devices for the kids. No ipods, cell phones, etc. until they're a bit older (junior high maybe?).

Most elementary schools start teaching computer skills to kindergartners. I think it is a very, very good thing for them to know how to use the computer and you will only be giving him a head start teaching him to use the mouse, how to open and close things, etc. My daughter began playing "educational" games when she was 2 years old. She is now 5 and only plays games like sesame street, starfall.com, etc. We don't own a video game system and probably never will. They can have a lot of fun learning computer and kindergarten readiness skills at the same time. Check out
http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/index/play.htm?f,
this is the site we used because it is very forgiving. As an example, they don't have to click, hold and drag. As long as they have clicked on the item, they can drag it across the screen and put it where it goes.

All of my kids are exposed to computers and technology. My 3 year old can use my cell phone better than my husband who has the same phone. He likes to look at the pictures and video's I have on there of himself and his siblings. I think by my kids using the computer and other devices at a younger age, it helped them with math and reading. They are by no means on them all day, or even every day...but they do enjoy to spend their quiet time sometimes playing games. They tend to go on sites like Disney.com or Nickjr.com, a favorite is Starfall.com. These are all educational sites. So I think as long as you limit the time like you would with TV, it's great to teach them!

I don't have an itouch (?) or ipod or Apple anything. My kids are not behind at all since they get exposed at school. However, when they were 4, we did have Reader Rabbit games that they played. I let them go on for half hour per day. The games were more preschool age with sorting, colors, grouping, etc. I kind of felt bad at the time because kids in their pre-k class already knew how to use the computer for basic key knowledge. Other than that, I don't worry too much about tech stuff. They will pick it up and if they express an interest in knowing more, I will definitely look into getting them more (though they still are not getting a cell phone until high school)

i agree that maybe an itouch is too much of a gift for a 4 yr old...however, my daughter has been attending preschool and they have allready introduced computers to their curriculum. so it may be wise to introduce some computer skills now. I'm not sure how much is ok, but I could suggest you with your child could go onto child friendly websites like pbskids, or starfall.com, and then they could learn while on the computer. I limit my daughter to at most 1 hr a week on the computer.

My son is the same age and we don't have any electronic things for him - I figure he has plenty of time. Occasionally (and I mean rarely) he gets on our computer and practice with the mouse and navigate kid-friendly websites. My husband and I both want a Wii, but we are waiting till our son is much older -I would rather have him play with toys that uses his own imagination right now.

My 4 year old enjoys the online jigsaw puzzles at thekidzpage.com. He loves puzzles but I wanted to get him acclimated to the computer so I started him about a month ago. I figured that at least he'll go into Kindergarten knowing the basics of the keyboard and stuff since they do have a computer center in class. He picked up on it really quick and now he doesn't show much interest in the computer anymore. He would rather do his "real" puzzles.

By the way, neither of my kids have all that tech stuff. They would rather be outside playing sports or reading a book. Then again I don't have any of that stuff either =-)

yes, I believe he will. My son is 5.5 and will be attending kindergarten this year and will have computer time. There are lots of educational games for kids, so I'm not sure why you don't want him to learn. Just limit the time he spends on it, and he'll be fine. My son and daughter has a DS game and I truly think it teaches them eye and hand coordination, as well as teaches them while they play.

We love computer games. There are GREAT educational computer games out there.
This is a great one to start with:
Dr. Suess Preschool

Here is a wonderful website that has everything and anything you could ever want to order:
www.ChildrensSoftwareOnline.com

We do not do any other electonic games- no nintendo, no Wii, no Gameboys, etc... But I do think there is legitimacy to the eductional computer games that children do truly enjoy.

Just my two cents,
R.