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When Should Children Be Introduced to Computers?
cjsteele asks: "When should kids be introduced to computers and the Internet? I'm torn between the prospect of giving my children a technological edge versus giving them an appreciation for more traditional ways of learning and researching (and entertainment, etc.) Though the question is open for rampant conjecture, what does Slashdot think? Early and often or slow and controlled?" Slightly tangential to an issue that was covered earlier this week, aside from the average video game, what is the ideal age for kids to begin seriously learning about computers.
"All of this comes as the result of my kids (3 & 2 years old) getting a Fisher-Price InteracTV for Christmas. This is the first step towards 'e-learning', and after watching my kids adapt to how the system works, I began to wonder in what ways this method of learning shapes later cognitive development. The big concern I have here is that the KIDS had to do the adapting, not the technology -- that means the way THEY think is being affected, which gets me a bit queezy. Any thoughts or advice?"
() first trimester
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() Cowboy Neil is my Daddy
Give them technology as soon as they can handle it without breaking it...or if the break it it's fixable, or doesn't matter.
My father sent me to work programming in basic from textbooks when I was 4. I found this a wonderful thing, as I could make the computer do what I wanted. I learned syntax and other important elements of programming, and now as I write this, the computer has stuck with me ever since. This is why I'm a computer science major.
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Support Indy Music. Buy
I don't see why the computer shouldn't be a part of their daily living environment from the beginning, like the TV or radio. But just like TV, their use should be monitored so that they don't get into trouble, and so that they spend enough time playing, reading books, socializing, and all those other critical life skills developed early in life.
I have a girlfriend whose name doesn't end in
I believe there's much better places to ask about this than Slashdot. If you think slashdot is the right place to ask this, perhaps you shouldn't have children at all...
I don't think that it's as important at when they are introduced, but how they are introduced. The only time that they ever really start to need a computer is around the fifth or sixth grade, for school projects. Before that, they should be playing outside with their friends instead of surfing the internet. But if you want to teach them before, that's fine. As long as you do it right. At least try to make it so that they don't see the computer as a chat program, and can actually type properly. Maybe you don't have to teach them how to use DOS, but at least show the different types of things that computers can do. Maybe teach some html, or something interesting
So, as long they are taught before the age of 12 or so, and taught right, it should be fine. You really can't wait more than that, or they might have problems at school. Just make sure that they don't become addicts and sit in front of the computer all day. Being a kid shouldn't be about sitting in front of a computer all day, no matter how fun it is :)
This is a no brainer. Trust your instincts; all signs indicate that young children require real human interaction to grow into healthy, well adjusted human beings and should be kept away from electronic media.
Children as young as 2 or 3 shouldn't be spending ANY time in front of a screen. Older children and teenagers shouldn't have TVs or computers in their rooms - keep the electronic media in a common area where you can monitor what's being consumed.
Once your children are a little older (say, able to read and possessing the motor skills to use a keyboard and mouse), consider introducing them to creative tools rather than merely "interactive tv" or worse, media designed to be consumed passively. Think paint programs, basic programming tools, animation programs, music programs, etc. (Of course, these tools shouldn't totally take the place of physical crayons and paint and clay and musical instruments) Let the kids find entertainment in creating rather than blasting aliens (even if it's "educational" and requires you to solve a math problem first).
As an aside, I'd keep TV out of the house entirely rather than attempt to limit what's watched - TV priveleges or loss thereof almost always end up becoming a reward, which tends to increase its allure.
Just MHO.
-Isaac
I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. For Entertainment Purposes Only.
I imagine they have TV access. Maybe video games. Radio. Books. Etc. Why would computers be any different than any of those other technologies they have to adapt to?
Kids are built to adapt. They come into the world with pretty much a blank slate and continuously discover and adapt to the world as it is. This is exactly what you want them to be doing because otherwise they won't be able to deal with reality later in life. It is their job to do the adapting at this point in life.
They should be exposed to as much as possible in a controlled manner while they are young. The control is there so that they can pace themselves and don't get hurt. It is your job to protect them but also to get them ready for an adult life. Contrary to what most parents want, kids will not be kids most of their lives. The worst thing you can do to them is deny them access to knowledge of key elements of their world. Bring the computers to them early just like everything else. Teach them to pace their lives. Teach them the priorities you believe would be best. Then sit back and let them adapt to the world. They will be infinitely more prepared for the future this way and will be able to adapt to the next big things that come down the line in 25 years when you're sitting on your couch in front of your old-fashioned PC connecting to the Web with all of your other elderly friends while the youngsters moves on to other things.
Hexy - a strategy game for iPhone/iPod Touch
Agreed on that. My parent forbid me to watch TV week days until I grew up ... and they were damn right.
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Give them books and make them play outside or sports. Computers/TV/Videogames will come soon enough in massive dose.
Ok, I know I got no children (yet) but still
#include "coucou.h"
... the learn to drive. Seriously, kids have better things to do - like being in the outdoors doing kid stuff - than sitting in front of a computer all day.
Read Clifford Stoll's Silicon Snake Oil. Would you rather kids going on field trips, or clicking on websites (he uses CD-ROMS as an example, the book's a few years old)? It's full of that stuff. Computers are useless, even detrimental in education, between the ages of 5 and 16.
The Western world is facing an epidemic of obesity - most likely because kids are conditioned from an early age that sitting on your ass watching virtual people on screens doing stuff - and I mean basic stuff like walking - is better than doing it themselves.
I think computers would be vastly superior to crappy Saturday-morning cartoons, with careful attention. For example, setting up your firewall such that the child's computer can access _only_ the IP address ranges you specify would go a long way to making the WWW a very positive thing. Online encyclopedias, dictionaries, kid-oriented websites, etc. could be whitelisted while everything by default is blocked. This way, no accidental trips to goatse.cx would occur, sparing your child expensive counseling later on.
With the firewall being your point of control, you can feel comfortable dual-booting your computer into Windows for games, too.
Once the kid is old enough (say 16 or 18 or 21, you pick), you can remove all the blocks for the full on-line experience. Just make sure you _ALWAYS_ knock on the door. Please, don't take this advice lightly.
-- Microsoft is the most expensive commodity operating system and office suite vendor in the marketplace.
Having a teenager, I may have some insight. I don't think computers are an advantage until the child can read, so before seven is probably too early. Sure, there are some neat games, but at that age they should be doing more physical play to develop their physical skills.
After he starts reading, then it's okay to introduce them; have him ride shotgun with you while you surf. It's sort of like watching parents when they drive. The child picks up the rules of the road. Let him guide you to surf things he's interested in.
Eventually, get him a typing tutor game and teach him to type, well before his school would.
Naturally, don't push him in any direction, but if he shows interest guide him to do better. My son is very Internet fluent, without much more than routine exposure. He's not a computer geek (yet), but he's literate.
I think that sometimes as parents we try to make our kids the best at everything, which puts a lot of pressure on them and our relationships. In general I follow two strategies. First, you don't have to be faster than the bear, just faster than the slowest camper (i.e., give him what he needs to be better than average). Second, teach him to put forth a solid effort in everything he does. If he has a natural gift, help it.
Anyway, the trash man has told me to get off the soap box because he as to toss it on the truck.
What those who want activist courts fear is rule by the people.
Just anecdotal advice (no kids yet):
:-) (To this day I still pronounce that as "L-O-A-D-quote-asterisk-quote-comma-eight-comma-on e"--it took me a long time to realise it spelt "load"!)
My wife is a kindergarten teacher, and getting to use the computer is a big motivator for kids to learn their ABC's (as simple as typing their name in Word is a big thrill).
When I was that age we had a Commodore 64 at home, and needing to be able to type LOAD"*",8,1 and RUN to play a game was a big motivator for me to learn my ABCs
My dad started teaching me BASIC a couple years later--which was a relevant thing to do since being able to copy games into the computer or write my own basic stuff was one of the only ways to pass time with that computer. But I believe that learning programming along with reading was a huge advantage in latter life, one I'm still benefitting from compared to kids who didn't grow up with computers at home in the 80s.
Nowadays though things are different. Programming has become esoteric whereas back then it was pretty much synonomous with "using a computer" (at school we did LOGO programming so dad teaching me BASIC wasn't a big deal at the time). Back then I was getting a huge advantage over other kids by learning to use a computer, now it's more like your duty as a parent not to let your kids get behind (in North America; in Europe it isn't that way yet but it will be soon enough.)
I'll try to get my future kids interested in Scheme programming at that age (probably best for kids IMO), but I'm worried it won't hold their interest since they can just pop their Disney interactive DVD in there and do "cooler stuff" without any effort...
"My father sent me to work programming in basic from textbooks when I was 4. I found this a wonderful thing, as I could make the computer do what I wanted. I learned syntax and other important elements of programming, and now as I write this, the computer has stuck with me ever since. This is why I'm a computer science major."
DrScheme. Yes, young people can pick it up easily.
Oh for those who like LaTex? Try the Scheme version
Just stick 'em in the basement with a computer and a broadband connection and see what happens, it's the American way.
my daughter is 7 now, and since she was 6, and even a little when she was 5, she has been interested in my computer. i have bought a learning-english program for her (i live in germany with a german girlfriend), and allow her to play it in small doses, ie. about 1 hour at a time, max. she doesn't notice herself when she gets grumpy from too much time in front of the computer, so it has to be supervised. i also allow her to have fun on certain fixed websites, from time to time, but less so. she loves all this, and i don't detect any problems with respect to setting priorities in life, or dealing with other people. the key point is moderation, and supervision. the computer is not a babysitter, but i believe that kids who are comfortable with computers will have less problems later on. she also likes the paint program, but just for 30 minutes at a time. finally, we also do some two-with-computer work, with me doing 3d modeling and her making the calls, and occasionally helping out, so she can get a glimpse at the larger picture.
All I needed when I was 5 was a computer with BASIC. I couldn't read much, but I could program by copying lines from the instruction book.
There are certain aspects of technology and programming that are akin to natural languages, and a person's ability to pick up languages is at its peak around at around 4 years of age. I'd say teach them as much about controlling / programming computers as you can.
While I would love to emphasize the printed word for research purposes, let's be honest: they're never going to use the dewey decimal card box system. Yes, give them books. Even more important than that, read to them and with them. Take them to the theater, the park, the zoo, the library, and on trips. Teach them to assemble and dissasemble electronics, wood, etc. Teach them to sew. But definitely teach them to program. We would be living in a far more advanced world if everyone knew how to script with the same intimacy that everyone knows how to talk. While they may not have the background in mathematics to create a program which calculates PI to arbitrary precision, it isn't hard to code up something that makes a star dance under the pointer. Or to make a birthday announce website for their friends. Or a script which runs when they login that blows up the screen. Use external librarys for the difficult stuff.
Keep them the hell away from television. They'll get enough of that through other sources anyway. As for games, be very choosey. If you aren't a gaming guru, try to find one with an background in educational gaming. Might I suggest MindRover? Sim City is also great, and will pay for itself a thousand times over when your kids go to college and get credit cards.
The ______ Agenda
As a father of a six monther, my wife and I have discussed this question. Really it is up to you as parents to decide what's right for you, but here are our ideas and logic.
Our opinion is basically that our computer is part of our everyday life. Our son should learn to use it as soon as he is technically able. However having said that, I would expect his learning to be slow and over many years as he matures. We want to teach sensible and safe use of a tool.
We use our computer as our "digital" hub. We have been doing this for many years. It sits in the lounge with all our music (mp3) and photos (6000+ scanned negatives going back 30yrs for both of us), and occationally dvd/video. The photos are on the screen saver. We are the kind of family that only watches TV 1-2hrs per week. We get outside and are active.
Here are our ideas
1) When my son is able and wants to I'll teach him how to put on music. Judging by my niece that could be when he's quite young, 2-3 yrs.
2) I'm happy to give him an email account when he is able to write to friends. I suspect this will be around the time he goes to school.
3) Web etc. will ALWAYS be done on the family computer under supervision until he's at least 15yrs.
4) He might get a computer in his room at around age 10-12 for music, homework, photos etc. This machine won't have general internet access.
5) I'd like to teach him to program like my father did for me. Logo, basic, and games with programmable parts.
I'm sure every one has their own ideas about what's right for their child, but I think the most important principals are:
1) your child must want to learn
2) it should be staged to what is useful for them at that age
3) it must be "safe"
Remember computers are a normal part of life, just like TV, radio, alcohol, stoves/ovens/cooking, cars. It's your job as parent to teach them when to use them, how to use them, and how to be safe/healthy.
Elivs
well said!
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One is born into aristocracy, but mediocrity can only be achieved through hard work.
i think it has to do with the math. theres something fundamentally balanced that i see in a lot of art, and my exposure to computers (especially programming) gave me a fine tuned sense of that kind of balance. not to mention the exposure to the precepts of logic, something some people don't get until high school (damn the man!).
computers are a tool, not an end. i think that's key. otherwise, computers are good for kids!
oh, and disregard my sig in relation to computers, as its an allusion to lotringer/baudrillard and not explicitly refering to internet porn. lol.
When you're afraid to download music illegally in your own home, then the terrorists have won!
My oldest girl is now 4 1/2 years old. She has been using a computer for about a year now.
s /map/inde x.html
She goes to playhousedisney.com, nickjr.com, pbskids.org and a few others. These web sites are very educational as well as entertaining. She knows how to use bookmarks. She's sent me some email postcards from the these sites. (we have a list of family emails taped onto the monitor.)
She groks the whole WIMP interface. She plays Pototo Guy and Tux Paint.
We have a number of age-appropriate educational software titles that we have to boot into Windows for her to use.
Now that our family computer primarily runs Linux, I see that children's educational software is a giant hole in the Linux offerings. Even the basic stuff you buy in the discount bins at Office Depot is many times better than any of the open source "educational" software packages. I wouldn't mind so much if I could get *any* of the commercial Win packages to run under WINE, but none have worked so far. (I've only tried a few). The lack of a shockwave/director player/plugin for Linux really hurts as well.
She plays this game a lot lately:
http://www.freeworldgroup.com/onlinegame
And now she recognizes most of the states.
On the hardware side, I've taken the computer apart a couple of times (when upgrading hardware) and she was right there with me, looking inside at the guts of the system. I pointed out the ram, processor, hard drive, etc. She enjoyed that.
And it's not as if she spends an inordinate of time on the computer. She still plays with dolls. She still plays in the dirt in the back yard. Our refrigerator is still covered in crayon drawings.
<proud daddy>
I firmly believe this exposure, and a child's natural curiosity, has gone a long way toward helping her read at a 2nd grade level at 4 1/2 years old. She got several Captain Underpants and Magic Treehouse books for Christmas, and she's already read those to herself!
</proud daddy>
Kids take to computers like a fish takes to water. My second child is just now 7 months. One of her toys is an old keyboard with the cord removed. I don't see a "minimum' age at all.
Software Wars
Having a teenager, I may have some insight. I don't think computers are an advantage until the child can read, so before seven is probably too early.
If your kid didn't start to read until they were seven then I don't think I'm not going to give your parental "insight" very much consideration in how I raise my kid.
computers. There has been a computer in my house as long as I can remember. The difference between myself and my peers that did not grow up with computers is night and day. I was born in 78 and my age group is part of the group where few grew up with computers as compared with teens now who all grew up with computers. I consider myself fortunate to have had a head start and would not be where I am today without that head start. Technology changes rapidly, if you are not there to keep up it is hard to jump in and understand the current technology and keep up with the rapid succession of changes.
piss off
At its vaguest, I'd say old enough that their brains have been able to learn via other stimuli (not TV, not computers) and young enough that that by the time they need it in school (grade 3?) they'll be able to at least be able to get around enough to write a document in Word or whatever.
:)
:)
Take it for what you like, but people I know who've been raised with a large focus being TV or computers at very young ages tend to be less empathetic than others I've known.
Now that I've offended about 99% of the people looking at this, let me further explain why
It could be a coincidence that out of the people I've gotten to know well enough that those that were heavy TV watchers and computer users lost their sense of empathy, but my theory about it is this: both mediums put you in an unerring position of power.
Computers can be programmed and, assuming you entered the program correctly, do most anything you want within the limitations of that medium. I can't help but wonder how that type of heavy reinforcement daily for hours at a time affects future social interactions with other kids who will not behave the way that computer-raised child wants them to.
TV is much of the same deal. If something offends the child, they can change channels instantly. If something bores the child, they can change channels instantly. Again, it makes me wonder what kind of internal stress is created when a child who channel surfs all day gets when dealing with another child who's not exciting as TV.
Not all children will suffer from this. I'm not saying that at all. But in my case this is why I would raise my kids w/o TV and computers till at least grade 3ish and my reasoning behind it.
If you're concerned about them maybe not getting a degree in Comp. Sci. if they're not thrown headfirst in front of a CRT/LCD junior kindergarten, it's possible at pretty much any age. One of my best friends now has a masters degree in Comp. Sci. and had not used a computer until grade 9 and didn't own one of his own until the second year of university. Again, more anecdotal evidence but maybe someone else can back me up here with stories of their own
my only tidbit- are you prepared to give the kid their own computer- or to give yours up? the tivo in my home hangs over my computer, and for some reason, my son loves watching barney standing between me and my keyboard. sometimes he will allow me to sit him on my shoulders and type
there are a lot of 'keyboard banger' games out there, try baby keys from here in full screen
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
I'm the grandparent poster. He answered my questions well. He should be rewarded.
I bet your kids have fun.
Computer cases have this flame retardant in them that causes autism in younger children (Slashdot had a story about this). You shouldn't even allow children in the same room with a computer until they're old enough to be unaffected.
When I was in kindergarten, they began to try and teach us about computers. It was a nightmare, because the computers didn't have Windows and very buggy. Keep in mind this was about 8 years ago. That summer, my dad went out and got a PC for us. I started out just playing educational games, but gradually began to move into new things. Throughout middle school, I have begun to start learning much more advanced things. I have started programming, learned how to build PCs, etc. I think they should get on to a computer early. Computers are already a part of our normal lives, they should learn to use them as soon as they can.
Scott Simontis
For example: A friend of mine whose son is Down Syndrome always had Macs around and his son saw others playing with them and using them. When the child was only 2 1/2 years old (and noone was watching) he went over, got out a game he wanted to play, inserted into the Mac drive, and began playing.
Just my $.02 inflation unadjusted.
I
Oh, about the same age you give them thier first shotgun, so 5 or 6 oughta do it. Yee-haw!
"OH SHIT, THERE'S A HORSE IN THE HOSPITAL!"
As much as you would like, you won't be able to mold your children into the ideal human beings you imagine. Just let it be - give them access to any technology feasible, and if they're interested, great. If not, great as well. Also, it's now the year 2005. Really, there is no such thing as "introducing children to computers" anymore. Computers are part of their lives in all sorts of forms from the day they are born. Denying or forcing computer usage will only make them maladjusted compared to the rest of the children in today's society.
My instincts disagree with yours, so whose should be trusted?
all signs indicate that young children require real human interaction to grow into healthy, well adjusted human beings
of course
and should be kept away from electronic media.
Whoah there, cowboy. That's pretty extreme. Got any documentation for this?
Children as young as 2 or 3 shouldn't be spending ANY time in front of a screen.
Well, my instinct is that kids of any age at all shouldn't be spending more than, say, 1-2 hours/week in front of a TV. My instinct is also that that using a computer is fine, because it's not so passive. But maybe that's where my instincts disagree with yours. What makes me question other parents' choices is not when they let their 3-year-old try a computer game, it's when they let their 8-year-old watch 40 hours of TV a week, in his own room.
When my own kids were 3-4, they liked computer games, but they needed a lot of help from me, and the total amount of time they wanted to spend wasn't very much. It wasn't a "plug-in drug," because I was there with them. And they integrated it into their whole world of imagination, too, e.g., there was a parrot called "Pongalo Pete" in the Fischer-Price Pirates game, so my daughter decided that was the name of her rubber ducky.
I really liked some of the kids' games too -- Freddi Fish, Spy Fox, Pajama Sam...very cool! It's too bad there's nothing like that that runs on Linux. Now we're maintaining an old iMac for the sole purpose of running our collection of kids' games (most of which don't run on MacOS X, either).
Find free books.
Now, actually. Children can even point and click before they can read, so the question is "when should they be given books", not the other way round.
I introduced my daughter to computers at age 4--on a Data General Nova III minicomputer. She knew how to bootstrap it (from a 14-inch platter) and call up/run some simple programs I wrote for her (BASIC, FORTRAN). She later started programming in BASIC. June 2003, she graduated medical school--not that that is in any way related.
Ignorance is curable, stupid is forever.
Give them access to the computer within reasonable limits (no you can't spend all your time on it), answer any questions they have intelligently and clearly, show them about programming (Logo still rocks) if they have an interest in it. Share your skills in such video games as you feel are appropriate for them.
But don't do this at the expense of all the other things you have to offer them as a geek. Expose them to science fiction. Teach them the names of the stars and show them how to build a copy scope. Take them for a walk in the woods and teach them about the different kinds of trees that are there. Build a crystal radio set with them. Hang with them at the library and show them your favorite books. Teach them to play a musical instrument if you play one, or try to interest them in your music collection. Get them involved in making costumes for the sci-fi convention.
The only problem with computers I see is that they become the cheap and convenient babysitter of choice -- although there is nothing wrong with giving yourself a break now and then. If you are involved with your kids, why you may make mistakes, by in large you will make the right decisions. If computers become a limiting factor in your involvement with kids, then they're bad and if there is danger of this, don't be afraid to chuck them. The skills they would uniquely learn on computers today would be useless in the future of mind-brain interfaces or whatever they dream up.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Personally, I grew up on DOS and wouldn't have had it any other way. If you want your children to have a deeper appreciation for computers, how they work, and what to use them for, please consider starting them off on the command prompt. If you do, they will get a better idea of how the filesystem works (this is more important than most people know) and they will see the computer as more than a pretty toy (well maybe, but it's better than a pastel UI with the filesystem as abstracted as possible and wizard-type interfaces that hide the true workings of things). If I had waited until Windows 95 to start using computers, I'm not really sure where I'd be right now, but the idea is not a pleasant one.
Based on the other comments in this thread, I have a feeling I'm going to be flamed to death, but here goes:
I'm a professional educator, who teaches Design & Technology at a secondary level (before this I was a web designer for almost a decade), and I'm fairly strongly of the opinion that students really have no business being given any significant exposure to computers before high school.
Some have made the argument about "computers are part of the world" and "get them used to them as early as possible". The first statement is true, but in no way justifies the second.
Firstly, learning in the primary years has a very strong social component, where students are not primarily learning facts and "how-to's", but are fundamentally learning how to interact and communicate with others and the natural environment. Computers can impair this in subtle ways, since they are not fundamentally interactive, but only give the illusion of being so - no matter how many choices a computer program gives you, they are still finite in number, and have been decided upon by someone else (i.e. a program designer). A bucket of sand is more interactive and valuable for a child than a computer. Even interpersonal interaction via computer (i.e. IM, email, etc.) have been stripped of key interpersonal cues (facial expression, voice tone, gesture, etc.) vital to a mature understanding of meaning in communication. Once children become more mature in the fundamentals of social interaction, then we can consider introducing them to computers, as they are in a better position to be aware of their limitations.
Secondly, unexposed children's computer knowledge appears to catch up quite quickly with those who were exposed early if they are exposed in adolescence, with the added benefit that they are more likely not to have had any social skills compromised through excessive computer use (and less face it, children's computer use is far more likely to have been relatively uncontrolled by parents, rather than carefully monitored).
I could also talk about the role of handwriting in effective language formation (as opposed to keyboard use), but what I've written is a good preliminary argument - I may expand in reply to the reponses of others if it seems to need it.
In summary - computers are a tool, not a way of life. They have good applications and bad ones. Adolescents are better equipped than young children to be able to distinguish the benign from the harmful.
Cars are a part of life too, but we don't teach young children how to drive - we wait until they have the necessary maturity to be able to use that tool effectively, and even then we are frequently disappointed.
Computers are not as physically dangerous as cars, granted, but there should be a recognition that they are a powerful tool nonetheless, that can shape people in important ways. As with cars and any other powerful tool, we should attempt to impart the maturity to deal with and use them effectively before handing over the keys.
SofaMan -- Occasionally Battling Evil With His Mighty Powers Of Indolence.
My daughter had a Mac before she turned 2 and is on her 4th PC (a laptop) now that she's 5. She's a little rough on downloading spyware and junk, but she's as proficient as my boss. She can download a game or put in a CD and install it, send email, send IMs, go to websites that she knows the URL for, knows her email address, types messages in a friend's CaringBridge guestbook, etc.
Start with some simple software. Maisy's Playhouse was the winner for us. The one-button mouse of a Mac is easier on little kids. And give them their own PC to mess up.
... DUPE!!!!!
I am already introducing my son into the world of computers with my PlayStation. His time is limited, and we spend the time together. But he is learning how harsh a mistress computers are. He is also learning the general rules about computers. One, don't do things at random. If you don't know what it is, don't touch it. Two, computers are sensitive. Scratch that disk, and you're never playing that game again. Three, computers crash every once in a while. The reason why Ratchet isn't moving anymore is because it crashed, son.
I am teaching him the alphabet (caps first). He is only 3 and he knows 80% of the alphabet already. I'll move him into lowercase before he reaches four. He'll be reading before he is five.
Once he can read and write, I am going to show him the real world of computers. He'll be writing programs before 6. He'll be doing it on his own by 8. By the time he graduates from high school, he'll know almost everything there is to know about modern computers and the internet.
I've decided that understanding computers can be what farming was a long time ago. I have a responsibility to hand down my knowledge and understanding before he becomes an adult. He may not choose to be a computer expert (or farmer) but understanding this one niche will help him wherever he goes.
The radical sect of Islam would either see you dead or "reverted" to Islam.
Being 14 years old, I may have some insight into this. I was 9 when my dad showed me C, only after I showed an interest in computers. I suggest you take a passive approach and continue to use computers around them, and let them decide on their own interests. Please do not restrict use of technology bluntly without reason; If you feel your teenager is spending excessive time indoors, talk to him/her - restriction depends on whether your child is rebuilding a linux kernel or playing on the xbox. Above all, support. Just be thankful they're not doing drugs. Respect our interests and understand that we may or may not share yours.
garble
No later than 1-2 weeks after burn in.
I got introduced to computers when I was 4 or something. It's a good thing, I liked it and still do.
My father introduced me to Basic because he thought it might interrest me (this was later, not when I was 4..), he DID NOT introduce me because it would give me an 'edge' or whatever.
The only thing that's important to kids is to have fun, not to learn 'things about the computer'.
Learning things about the world is more important than learning to program.
I'm guessing you know a fair amount about computing and how to use a computer, and that you use a computer at home?
Most children will show an interest in what their parents are doing, simply answer their question truthfully, and show them what you're doing and why. This should be enough to interest them. Perhaps find a simple game they can play. I remember when I was a child of that sort of age (not too long ago), my mum owned a BBC Micro, she showed me how to turn it on, and play some games. We were also introduced to them at school. Playing games like the letter drop (a typing test type program, I'm sure you remember it) and POD (a game which involved a rather bizarre circular creature, who you could instruct to do certain things, typing "POD can run" would cause POD to run across the screen. Rather disturbingly there was also the "POD can explode" command, the people who programmed that for small children were fairly sick!!)
After a while I became more interested, and my mum showed me how to write simple BASIC programs:
10 CLS
20 PRINT "Matthew smells of POO"
30 GOTO 20
(Matthew was my brother, and still being in nappies at the time, it was quite an accurate statement)
She showed me how to run different programs, etc. I was about 5 at the time.
The important thing, was that I enjoyed it, had I not shown an interest, she wouldn't have shown me these things.
The best advice I can give (as someone who was recently a child, not someone who has their own!) is:
Wait until they are interested
Otherwise you will just bore them, and they will have no drive to learn about computing.
Harry
.sigs are for losers
If you want your kids to be l33t hax0r dudez put a BBC Micro/Sinclair Spectrum/Commodore 64 in their bedroom ASAP.
;-).
Seing that coding properly on modern pcs is difficult to learn (visual basic/PHP are NOT real programming languages) your best bet is to get them an old school computer. Just getting games to run requires some BASIC knowledge (run "elite".....memories).
This way you know that if your kids use them, they're really interested in computers, and not in using computers (ie MSN). When they're older you can always get them a linux/bsd compatible PC
While I agree it's important for kids to play outside and be kids, if your kid has a skill it's really a waste not for him to use it for the best of his ability.
In short, let your kid decide when as nature has it's own funny way of sorting this out on a per person basis.
I received the following book for Christmas: Failure to Connect: How Computes Affect Our Children's Minds -- and What We Can Do About It by Jane M. Healy (ISBN 0-684-85539-9). I put it on my "Books to Get" list a long time ago for reasons that escape me now, apart from general interest.
I haven't read it yet, so I can't tell you what I think of it. Still, you might have a look.
The United States of America: We mean well.
I am 13. You should not have a computer until at the earliest 10, nor have access to it. Video games are a permanent no-no, and so is any computer game, pornography, or unlimited or non-dialup internet access. You should not have a new computer until you buy it. You may have a at least 3 year old computer for your own free. Also, up to 1 GB for free programs. The dialup is so you know when your child is on. No parental filter, blocks too many websites that are totally fine. Remember I am under these restrictions!
I don't mean to be too harsh or anything, but about a third of the comments from real parents are shit. I won't claim to be some kind of authority on children (despite the fact that I was one not too long ago) but this sort of thing can vary wildly. At 6 I was a proficient BASIC programmer. Could every kid do this? No. Could some kids do it faster? Sure. Would *every* kid want to. Absolutely not. The child defines their own pace and interests and you can't do anything to speed them up. All you, as a parent, should be worried about it providing your child with enough material to (almost literally) absorb and enough topics to help them find an interest. Would a child that is introduced to computers too early or too late going to be crippled for life? No. A child that runs out of things to learn might just be.