Parent Corner
Young children and computers - Helping families make smart decisions
A look at the Sunday advertising
flyers or a stroll down the aisles of the local toy store shows
a tempting selection of brightly colored electronic toys and
“first” computers—some aimed at children as young as six months.
Manufacturers and news reports claim that early practice with
computers and computerized toys can help young children get a
leg up on reading and math—skills they’ll need once they are
school-age—and will help prepare them for the increasingly
technological world outside their homes.
Without a doubt, computers—from voice mail to the Internet—play
a large and often important role in our adult lives. However,
early childhood experts question how much time very young
children should spend computing. At the least, many feel
computer use eats up time when children could be active playing
and exploring. At their worst, many fear computer use might
negatively affect young children’s growth and development.
In this issue of Seeds of Learning, we’ll look at the topic of
computers with a goal of helping families make smart choices
about the role they want them to play in their children’s lives.
Computers and young children—how young is too young?
To master crawling, walking,
talking and making friends, babies and young children need to
move, stretch, pull, push, taste and play with other children.
All of this “active” activity helps stimulate their brains for
future learning. It is also vital to their healthy physical
growth and development.
As young children exercise their bodies, they build their
muscles—those they will need to sit upright, pull up to stand
and eventually run and play. As these “gross motor” skills
develop over the course of early childhood, so do the fine motor
skills—like pinching, pointing and grasping that allow children
to hold crayons, cut with scissors and use their fingers to eat
small foods like O-shaped cereal.
Without plenty active free play, young children will lag behind
in developing these vital motor skills—skills they need now and
once they become school age. For this reason, many early
childhood researchers and teachers believe that computers are
not good for children under age three since they involve sitting
still for lengths of time and engage only a couple of the senses
(sight, primarily.)
In fact, occupational therapists who work with young children
say that up until age seven, children’s bodies and brains grow
best if they have lots of space and time to move, stretch and
actively explore their worlds—experiences that sitting at the
computer simply doesn’t provide.
Much of the computer software aimed at babies and toddlers
includes games like peek-a-boo, simple songs and stories. Doing
these types of activities along with your children teaches them
much more than they’ll learn from a machine.
If you’d like to introduce your children to the family computer,
consider waiting until the preschool years (ages three to five)
when most children are more developmentally ready to explore
them. Interactive computer books (like those from Living Books
and the Magic School Bus series) and creative software like Kid
Pix can compliment the imaginative play, building and hands-on
crafting they already do.
Families should avoid using software with young children that is
simply skill and drill (i.e., “Here are four apples. Here are
two. Click on the number of apples there are all together.”)
Software that encourages children to click on various objects to
see what comes next, think creatively and solve problems to the
best of their ability are better choices for the preschool set
(see below for more tips on choosing quality software for young
children.)
In addition, parents should sit with children or be close by to
help them through a program. Spending time with children as they
play at the computer can make computer time a social activity,
similar to reading a book or coloring with your children.
What if my young child doesn’t like computers?
If your children aren’t interested
in computers, if your family doesn’t have a home computer or if
you just don’t want to introduce your young children to
computers, rest assured—they will not be at a loss later on.
Though many argue that computers are good for teaching young
children skills like hand/eye coordination, reading and
mathematics, they do so in limited ways. Occupational therapists
and preschool teachers believe that hands-on activities like
playing catch, winding through tunnels on the playground or
stringing beads, to name a few, can be more beneficial when it
comes to learning coordination. And reading and talking with
your children are still the best ways for children to learn
important early literacy skills.
As to the argument that children need to learn from a young age
about computers so that they’ll know how to use them later on,
consider this: In all likelihood, the computers and games your
children explore in your home or at the public library are
probably not the machines or software they will be asked to use
during their school years. When they need computers to perform a
certain task in school—whether writing, research or
presentations—your children will be taught about how to make
computers work for them.
How much is too much?
Many recommend that preschoolers
have no more than 15 to 30 minutes of computer use daily—and
computers should be just one of many activities available.
Ideally, young children’s days—whether in day care, preschool or
at home—should include a mixture of activities and materials,
like art, blocks, sand, water, books, exploration with writing
materials and free play.
Managing computer time
When allotting computer time, some parents use the same type of
time limits they use with TV time (1/2 hour TV show = 1/2 hour
computer time). Some even place an egg timer by the computer to
signal when computer time is up. When children are working
through a new computer game, you might relax your time limits,
but this doesn’t mean they should spend hours in front of the
computer. Giving children notice five minutes before you plan to
shut down the machine and having another activity to move on to
can help make the transition from the computer a smooth one.
Choosing quality software for
your children
Quality software can offer young children the opportunity to
learn basic computer skills and provides new ways for them to be
creative. Some helps reinforce simple math and reading skills.
Following are some ideas to keep in mind and some resources to
help you choose the best software and games for your family:
• More isn’t necessarily better. Three or four carefully chosen
CD-ROMs are really all you need to supply your young child with
a variety of computer-based learning experiences.
• Check for the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)
rating on the box. ESRB has five ratings: EC (Early Childhood,
ages three and up), E (Everyone, ages six and up), T (Teen, for
ages 13 and older), M (Mature, ages 17 and up), and AO (Adults
Only, ages 18 and up). Also, check on the back of the box for
the ESRB content descriptor. For more information on the ESRB
software rating system, go to
www.esrb.org.
• Make sure that the software you chose for your children is
challenging without being too difficult.
• When you introduce children to the computer, offer a varied
software selection including creative software (like Kid Pix),
software on single subjects (reading, math, science), software
on multiple subjects (such as the Jump Start series),
interactive storybooks (like the Living Books series) and
problem-solving adventures.
• Make sure software for young children uses pictures or spoken
instructions, allows children to explore a number of topics on
different levels, lets children control the level of difficulty,
the pace and direction of the program and provides quick,
positive feedback so they stay interested.
• Before you buy, read software reviews and, if possible,
preview the software. Many stores will allow you to try out
software before you purchase. You can also borrow software that
friends recommend or check out copies from the public library to
preview. Parenting magazines, Family PC Magazine and websites
like The Children’s Software Review,
www.childrenssoftware.com, are good resources for software
reviews and information.
• Carefully preview software to make sure it is non-sexist,
non-racist, non-stereotypical and non-violent.
Compiled from the National Association for the Education of
Young Children, www.naeyc.org, and
www.pc-kids.net
Safe surfing with young children
The Internet can be a wonderful
resource for all sorts of information specifically suited to
young children. With a click of the mouse, you and your children
can learn to tell the difference between a male and female
Monarch butterfly, access free educational games and learn how
to bake pretzels. But there is also a lot of inappropriate
information that you will want to avoid.
When it comes to young children and the Internet, the best
advice is to take the time to preview any new Web site that you
might want to use together. Bookmark the sites that you would
like to visit frequently and have a site up before you invite
your child to the computer. These simple steps will ensure that
you don’t happen onto inappropriate information while your
children watch and that they won’t lose interest waiting.
For a list of family-friendly sites, check out the American Library Association web site at www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/
Computers and children with special needs
Computers can help level the playing field for children with special challenges. With a click of a mouse, kids of different abilities can explore new worlds and direct what happens on the screen. Specially designed speech software can read Web pages to the blind and special devices can assist children who can’t use a standard mouse or keyboard. For more information about computer products for children with disabilities, call The Alliance for Technology Access at (415) 455-4575 or visit www.ataccess.org.