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[Editorial published 4/17/08]
Hi Everyone,
Before I started GreatIdeasForKids.com, I used to think that I would become a computer teacher when my kids were both in elementary school. My desire is to teach bots and programming. (It still might happen down the road, but first I need to develop the patience, insight and intuition that all good teachers have -- being a parent is certainly helping.) My kids both enjoy computers but my daughter is hooked. I'll share their journey with you in this week's editorial on Software for Kids.
Every activity choice has different pros and cons. On the positive side, when my little girl plays on the computer, I hear again and again, "I did it!". She is very proud of her achievements and it seems that every few minutes she accomplishes something new. When at first she doesn't succeed, most of her games will provide advice and she diligently tries again. On the other hand, although she is learning a lot and having fun, it's just a machine and the pursuit of more "I did it!" achievements can be addicting. In our home, we allow the kids to play on the computers but that decision is not right for every family - only you know what's right for your kids.
Karyn Cassio (Kids Computer Corner LLC) says the experts advise:
1. Software use by children should be limited to 30 minutes, no more than 3 times per week.
2. The software should offer multi-faceted learning, not just a strict arcade experience or a limited educational focus (e.g., only teaching shapes and colors).
3. Most importantly, a parent should be involved with the child and the computer should not be used as a babysitter.
Furthermore, in his book Raise a Smarter Child by Kindergarten Dr. David Perlmutter (a neurologist and physician) says that when children 3-5 use computers [under the guidelines specified
in his book] studies have shown that kids score significantly higher on school readiness exams.
Learning to use the mouse and/or keyboard is the hurdle to unlocking the world of kids software. We downloaded an Australian program called MyABCD to get our kids started. My daughter was [comparatively] younger than my son when she first tried to use the mouse, and struggled to grasp the relationship between the mouse and the cursor. The breakthru was when my husband moved her hand+mouse in circles and she connected that to the cursor doing circles on the screen. [CONTINUED FROM NEWSLETTER]
For a more sure-fire approach, look into kiddie classes that introduce computer skills. There are a variety available locally, most use story-driven software with a mix of fun and educational content.
After MyABCD the next game we introduced was Sesame Street Toddler (review). There are some neat aspects to this software including colors, categorization, and drawing. It's a great transitional game because it still offers some help with mouse targeting.
Here are my kids' (ages 2 & 5) favorites:
• Jump Start Artist
This software is simply excellent. There's a lot of fun and educational activities, plus everyone in our family enjoys the songs. My favorite part is when the kids draw pictures that are later integrated into an animated movie. Yesterday my daughter was mixing colors and having a ball.
• Bailey's Book House
My husband and I like how kids contribute to a story and then can print it like a book -- just fold the paper and you have a customized book! This game focuses on early literacy. (More details.) There are other Bailey games that have the book-folding feature too.
• Arthur's Computer Adventure (review)
The interactive read-along is very well done. Each page of the story is on a complex background with lots of hidden animations to discover. My son's favorite is the mini-game where advancing your character requires matching pictures to words.
My daughter likes to follow the recipes to earn coins for dressing up the dolls. (There is also a paperback book that relates to this game.)
Last week my son began playing The Incredible Machine, an introduction to Rube Goldberg-style challenges. I would have predicted it was too advanced for him, but he's been very successful with the early puzzles. Soon I plan to introduce him to Line Runner (a favorite with the boy down the street) and my husband is looking forward to showing him Crayon Physics Deluxe (devote 3 minutes to watch the demo movie). These 2 titles are simple drawing games that use gravity and other scientific principles. Neither was designed for kids, but both would be a delightful and educational experience for parents and kids to share.
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Once my kids master those physics-puzzle games, I'm looking forward to sharing one of my old favorite's Rocky's Boots with them. They may be ready for it in a few years or maybe just a few months. We've already learned by experience that once they understand the mouse and keyboard, there is no limit to what kids can achieve with educational software.
I also have good things to say about Alphabet Express Preschool and KidPix but they aren't frequently requested by our kids. This summer I plan to introduce Freddi Fish and Zoombinis, I'll let you know how that goes.
I hope your week is filled with laughter,
Jill
Game Services
GameTap is a service featuring more than 100 software titles for kids. The titles are usually older games, many of which are educationally excellent with great production values. We create playlists of games we approve, then allow our kids to use the fun user interface to choose which game they want to launch. The GameTap service has free and subscription options. (Heads up: Since the GameTap service covers the full range of video games including those with violent content, sometimes when a kiddie game is loading for the first time, there is a promo for a game which is not family-friendly. Just click to close the promo, so far it's been a non-issue. Parental controls are available to block objectionable downloads.) Many of the kiddie titles mentioned in this editorial are on gametap, you can see the whole list by browsing the GameTap web site. While children are using GameTap, they do not have (or need) access to the computer desktop.
GameFly is the Netflix-style service for console and handheld games. If there is a non-PC, game-playing device (e.g., Game Boy Advance, XBox, Wii, etc.) in your home, this is a very affordable way to try to many different titles: family-friendly and otherwise. If you really like the game, it is available for purchase at a reduced price.
Nick Jr Arcade is an online service for the 3-5 year old audience. Most of the games don't have an educational focus, but kids can hone their mouse and arrow-key skills.
Protect Your Desktop
To protect your desktop from very little kids, consider a Keyboard Banger (just search online). These are simple programs that allow kids to whack on the keys and/or mouse for some type of fun result. Before you launch one, learn the exit sequence for that particular game - because the ESC key is usually disabled.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 23 April 2008 )
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