Well protections of course. We have math, spelling, typing and just fun games. Our grandkids have been using computers since they were about two. It is amazing what they can do. Even have some netflix movies set up that they can watch.
They have to play (active) 30 min for every 15 min on the computer.
Good luck have fun and don’t worry to much.
Computer games and programs for learning skills such as graphical design and math programs are fine. I don’t see any reason for someone that young to be on the internet.
Putting them on the computer is fine, just don’t let them have internet until they are 30. lol. So, its like TV then.
When I got a new computer I let my grandchildren use the old one...
I dont have it plugged into the internet...
I have educational CDs for them to use JumpStart etc and they can use Word to write etc...
Plus Paint etc is in my accessories..
Theres lots of ways a child can learn the computer without the danger of the Internet..
Until they move out of the house, all computers are to be in the living room (or similar shared space). No computers in the bedroom.
Also, cell phones are to be able to call ONLY — no texting, no Internet until they move out after age 18.
If you don’t follow these simple rules disaster is bound to follow.
Computers are great tools for learning so any age is appropriate, imo. Monitoring what they use if for essential however. I’d set it up in a family room where you can more easily stay on top of what they are viewing.
Next, comes the bugging for Facebook because all her friends who also aren't 18 want to say LOL back and forth on it. Make sure the email notifications go to your email so you can see what she is up to. No checking, no Facebook.
Finally, if it is a laptop in the evenings she can't be in her room. She has to be with the family even if they are watching T.V. It will keep her connected and sometimes even though the computer is fun, they actually turn them off on their own and spend time with you.
That's about all advice I can think of. Good luck.
Kim Kommandos site is good place to look for nannyware ....
She has a child about same age.
Safe site to search.
My son is 7 too and he has been using the computer for several years now, but never alone! One of us always has an eye on what he does on it (usually plays a couple of free flash games). Also we have a set time limit for how long he can play. During school he gets to play every other day. Of course the time limit doesn’t count towards educational use but again one of us is with him.
So I say go for it as long as there is supervision and a healthy time limit.
Set up at least 3 accounts.
One for the administrator - password protected (for you).
One that does not connect to the internet (she can use the computer when you are not able to monitor).
One account that connects to the internet, but with sign on password you have to enter first. (She can only use when you are around.)
I’m with Kirkwood on Internet connection. Basic skills programs and some simple games, adding more as she progresses in skill level. When my friend’s daughters reached ten, he supervised their use of the Internet. He wouldn’t allow them use of computers in their own rooms until they went to college. When they protested, he said, “He who giveth can taketh away.”
The best age is when the kid is old enough to get a job and buy his/her own computer.
Amazon has a decent software selection tool to narrow down educational software titles by appropriate age and skill level,
http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Software/b/ref=dp_brlad_entry?ie=UTF8&node=229548
Otherwise, if music lessons are on the plate, the quality and variety of music education software has really picked up in the last 4 years. It makes practicing a less begrudged task for the kids. A bit of money upfront for a MIDI keyboard though.
I agree with posts that specify that she be given her own logon with set times and no internet; I have a friend who’s daughter would, at the age of 7, get up at 3:00am and play online computer games.
Then have a separate login that requires you to type in a password (she can’t enter alone) with internet access and use the internet browser tools to bar violence, profanity etc. At 7, she needs you to be there monitoring while she’s on the computer.
FWIW. I took computer classes in college. One professor advocated giving very young children a beatup computer and letting them basically do what they wanted to the settings, software etc. (no internet) because a goal of his in raising his grandchildren was to remove the timidity that he sees in students - the fear that they will ‘break’ something or ‘ruin’ something or get in trouble etc. He wanted them to be bold and adventurous in setting up software or changing monitor settings etc. If your granddaughter has her own logon, you can allow experimentation without damage to your own files and software - but according to him, you’d keep a calm cheerful manner if she crashed her partition or damaged her software installation or set the monitor to tiny or giant font in order to encourage her to be confident that with a little patience, she can ‘get’ computers - that was his take anyway.
my now nine yr old grandson got one last Christmas.Doing ok with it,too
Children who start using computers at a young age have been found to have poor handwriting skills at least in terms of legibility.
Our kids love neopets.com, a free game site that has instructions for drawing cartoons.
Our limits:
our computers are in the common area. We have to check what they are doing. The kids have innocent intentions but some searches turn up very unintended results.
The kids do not know the password to log on.
If I’ve left it logged in and they get on when they are not supposed to, (as in they should be studying), my low-tech solution is to confiscate the mouse.
If a kid is giving too much “attitude”, the computer access is the first privilege lost, and that lasts until the weekend.
Our kids are 8 and 11 and, as a family, we have learned so much and have had a lot of good laughs when we look up things we are curious about.
Don’t assume your kid will learn to type correctly, though, absent a disciplined effort. Despite lots of use of the keyboard, my kids still don’t type efficiently enough when it’s time to crank out a report. My generation actually learned it better on the old IBM selectric. Despite computer training since kindergarten, my kids can do only a little better than modified hunting and pecking.
Yeah no internet access unless supervised.. We have a 10 yr old son that has been using an iMac since age 4 with no internet access. If he wants internet access we supervise him while he’s on it.