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Software (and Appropriate Input Device) For a Toddler?
An anonymous reader writes "I have an 18-month-old who loves bright screens (TV and computer), loves loud noises, and loves to mash buttons. He targets my laptop with the button-mashing, and I sort of hate having to tell him 'no' when he wants to explore a computer. I was wondering if anyone knows of some fun (and maybe educational) age-specific PC software that also comes with an age-appropriate input device. I've seen those big-button devices in retail stores that seem to just hook up to the TV, and I've also seen some PC software that requires keyboard/mouse input, which does not seem like the right input device for a toddler."
My 18 month old loves the iPad. Touchscreens are a great intuitive interface and there is a lot of great educational software. She's also able to get around on sesamestreet.com using the touchpad on a laptop.
Just buy, beg or borrow an old electronic keyboard. Much more fun for an 18 month old. (Was for mine)
TAC-2
A friend gave a semi useful (1.2GHz) laptop to his toddler to entice him to stay off his gaming rig, and his wife's work laptop. It worked, almost too good. He could navigate to YouTube.com, and watch his toddler vids...don't ask me how when he can't quite read! He had no problem with the touchpad after about a weeks learning curve. He even picked up techie habits, like drinking his sippie-juice while on the laptop. Long story short, I'm showing daddy how to try to dissolve grape something off the system board insides in 90% alcohol.
I don't think adult hardware is up to toddler work habits. Maybe a Toughbook? As for the software, they pretty much figure it out. Anyone would if they want to make something happen enough. PLus they don't have any hangups about bad UI design.
Check out your local Wal*Mart like store for stuff like this Fisher-Price edu-toy. My nephew has something a little less complex (and more appropriate, possibly, for your situation) but I cannot remember the name of it, only that it's from Fisher-Price. (:
This might be helpful, too.
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 16:25 (NKJV)
Wasn't it designed for toddlers initially? Like a crib with bars?
Regular Keyboard, Mouse. Normal computer, just not your "top of the line gaming rig". I come from a philosophy that if they are old enough to use something, they are old enough to use the adult version, just under close supervision, and specific direction. If you just want them to be babysat by the computer, might as well put them in front of Elmo on Sesame street on the tv.
Perhaps if you want to keep it simple, iPad.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
Your son is obviously autistic.
His actions are highly unusual, get him in to an autism specialist immediately.
With early treatment he has a chance of leading a semi-normal life. Good luck!
Try the Leapster system. My 2 year old figured out the Dora game on that pretty quickly. Needed some help to get started initially, but great for learning numbers and letters before the age of 3 and it can handle the rough treatment from a little one.
Meus subcriptio est nocens Latin quoniam bardus populus reputo is sanus callidus
The best toy for a kid that age is a good sized cardboard box. Nothing else comes close when it comes to stimulating their imagination, curiosity and social development. If you for some reason are opposed to cardboard boxes: How about some real world open ended interactive toys like blocks, teddybears, a tricycle, a pail and a shovel, some toy cars or a ... gasp... big red ball?
Both my kids started out with a great little app called Keywack.
I took an old Mac Classic sitting in my basement, ran Keywack and the kids loved it. Never trashed the computer either, which I was sure they would do.
Keywack runs on anything, Win/Mac/Lin, and helped me get my kids learning about tech at around 18 months. The fact they are both capable programmers (one a senior in high school, another im middle school) might have something to do with their early comfort level, or it might not. But give it a try...
"The pie shall be cut in half and each man shall receive.....death. I'll eat the pie."
One Laptop Per Child; http://laptop.org/en/children/
My karma is not a Chameleon.
It'll get destroyed at some point, but you can pick up some chunky old crap they'll have just as much fun on. Don't waste money on kids' laptop like fisherprice. Kids know they're crap and tend not to want to use them.
I would be interested in the same thing. My daughter is 9 months right now, but I don't want her touching my computer. I got my nephew a "my first laptop" kind of thing from the store and it has word puzzles and things, but he's also 6 and knows letters and words pretty well. What I'm going to do for my daughter is probably get her a cheap laptop and let her have at it. Online they have some pretty good games too for kids. I think one of them is Nick Jr. With just a mouse, they can interface with many games, which is doable for an 18 month old I would assume. Maybe online is your answer. http://www.nickjr.com/kids-games/
seems intuitive enough for them to mess around with ... just make sure the ipad is drool friendly! :)
I'll second this, leapster is fun and it's somewhat educational. I know 4 kids with em, they love the games and it's all math and letters.
I used AlphaBaby on an old discarded G3 Mac back in the day.
While toddler drool can eventually corrode copper fire button contacts, and food particles may become lodged in the joystck boot, the TAC-2 is easy to disassemble and clean.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
18 months is waaaaaaaaaay to early to introduce stuff like that.
Let the toddler be a toddler. All that baby Einstein-esque crap has been proven to be nothing but trouble for your child's NORMAL development.
Several years ago we had 3 or 4 different pieces of software that each came with a keyboard overlay. The overlay was a big, fancy plastic "toy" that strapped over the keyboard. Interacting with the toy would press specific keys that the software would react to.
One of them was Thomas & Friends Railway Adventures Playset. I must admit it was pretty cool. It requires a standard external PC keyboard, so it won't work on a laptop keyboard or any funky ergonomic ones. Just your plain jane keyboard.
Speaking of laptop, I have 4 kids, the youngest still being a toddler, and every single one of them loved to rip keys off of my laptops at that age. I'm an expert at reassembling those little hinges and keys now, unfortunately. Their little fingers pop those suckers off with ease.
Better known as 318230.
Do you just mean you don't want them mashing the keys on a normal keyboard?
You can get giant-key kids keyboards like this, you can also get trackballs like this. Of course, if you go for a more unusual input device you may run into the problem of not being easily able to find software that will play nice with it (unless you also want to fiddle with key mappers).
FGD 135
Check out the research on the matter then do your child a favor and Think again
I've been using BabySmash! from http://www.hanselman.com/babysmash/ with my 7 month old since she was around 2 months old.
She can press any key on the keyboard to get sounds and shapes/letters. She absolutely loves it.
I'm now looking for software that is slightly more advanced, but there seems to be a lack of games in this age range...
I was thinking about getting a used rugged laptop and putting a very simple console editor on it, since my 18-month-old does seem to like what comes out when he bashes the keyboard, and there's enough to do with ASCII.
OTOH, he also likes to play simple games, like tux racer. The main problem is that the software is designed to receive precise input. Any program that can't be quit, paused or otherwise disabled would do the job of letting him explore. I was planning to put together a couple of simple games for him in Blender but haven't got to it yet.
Morse straight key hooked up to a PC for the visual output. Maybe someone could write a cool children's game for it.
We used to let my son use the computer a lot. He seemed to enjoy it, but we noticed that that was all he did. For the past few months we have completely banned him from the computer. Since the banning (and getting over the initial withdrawal) he has been much happier most of the time. I would recommend giving your kids toys (blocks are the best thing in the WORLD no matter the age of the child) and let them play with them.
An iPod touch or an iPad aren't bad options.
The interface is about as intuitive as you can get, and there are child-friendly apps available. My 21mo daughter loves to play with the touch screen, and can figure out that she needs to touch the icons to get it to do stuff. A friend's slightly older daughter does about the same with their iPad. Both are also synced with a computer, so it's difficult for them to do irreparable damage. Purchasing music/video from the device requires you to enter your iTunes password, so it's not likely they'll be able to buy stuff either.
The downside is that they're fairly expensive, so if your kid is big on jelly-fingers or throwing things, it might require keeping a very close on them.
Just buy him a copy of Duke Nukem Forever. It'll be age appropriate.
I had the same problem with my kids. I contributed to the OLPC and got my daughter one. She loved dragging it around and danced in front of the webcam. But what is really a hit is when I use the PC with my kids. We search youtube for some things they are interested in such as bears or dragons. My older kid (5) likes to see videos on how things work. About 30mins a week is all they seem to want and it is something we do together. They now know the computer is off limits unless dad is with them.
Numerous studies indicate that is is best to keep children under 3 away from all tv's, including dvd's, normal tv programming, movies, video games,etc... and to limit video exposure only increasing allowed hours per day gradually as the child gets older.
No tv under 2, limit to under 2 hours for 3 year
No tv under 2
Anarchists never rule
He sounds like he's ready for a Fortune 500 CEO position...
First, as a couple people have said: A cardboard box. Maybe 3 or 4 of different sizes. And some wood blocks.
Second, I'll stop insulting your intelligence and assume you already have that covered. An iPad. I don't have children (I hate them), but my cousin has 1, another on the way, and he's mormon so he's got 2 dozen nephews and nieces. He's also way more tech-savvy than I am, and the iPad serves him great for this. Load it up with educational cartoons (Barney, Sesame Street, Bob the Builder) and 2 or 3 educational games that involve some button mashing, and you're golden. Maybe throw on some soothing music or one of those white-noise generators to help him nap, and just keep it in the diaper bag (do they still wear diapers at 18 months?) and anytime you need a down moment or to distract him or whatever, pull it out, give it to him, and take five. Also, a heavy-, heavy-duty case. Maybe waterproof. Just in case...
No trespassing. Violators will be shot. Survivors will be shot again.
While I agree with your philosophy in general, a computer isn't one thing, there is no specific 'adult version.' It (and input devices for it) are infinitely adaptable. We have input devices and software for special needs adults, we have input devices and software that adapts to the user, we have educational software for all ages, and we know a great deal, thanks to science, about early childhood development. Toddlers are all little scientists, making and testing hypothesis about the world. Giving them adult equipment to test and hypothesize about is certainly a good idea, but with computers, we can do so much more.
I would think that an ideal keyboard for a toddler might be arranged like a simplified adult keyboard, with as many keys, but larger and laid out in a rectangular grid, not offset. They would be color coded with perhaps six colors. Groups of adjacent keys would have the same color. There should also be flexible overlays with pictures on them, again, perhaps six per overlay. When the kid was young, you'd use simple software and the colors on the keys or the pictures on the overlays. Have little game like what's the same, what's different, match the picture or color on the screen, stuff like that. As they got older, you'd introduce them to letters and numbers using the keyboard as an actual keyboard. The whole thing would have to be sturdy and dishwasher safe. Are there such things out there? A quick Google search says, yeah, there are.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
There are a bunch of sesame street flash games that I let my kids use. Just get them a cheap / resurrected desktop with a sacrificial lcd screen. You would be surprised at how fast they pick up 3d games. My middle child was playing ddo online at 30 months, pretty well. Best thing to do is let them use a real computer you don't care about.
starting age 2½, it was an expensive machine when I was young, but under supervision. What matters most is spending time with your child ad teach him/her LOVE, and yes, he should learn the meaning of "no", it's important, you know better than him/her, electronics (tv, computers) can wait a couple of years.
Tomorrow is another day...
It's called "Microsoft Windows" and was designed for retards
Yeah, this from someone who owns a Mac.
lol, OK five years ago, my daughter was the same way. Took an old keyboard, removed the "guts" and cable - presto! Worked well with both girls. Now they have my old Asus W2VC laptop (locked down and parental supervision!) to play their flash games on. Leapster is also a huge hit with them.
That should be about the limit of technology your toddler should be exposed to. The American Academy of Piedeatricts actually discourages parents from letting kids under 2 watch television. I'm sure computers are the same.
Monstar L
Why not just get him an antique? Kiddo can't hose the OS install on a Apple II or a Commodore 64, and they're pretty indestructible.
At $20-40 on eBay, they're cheap too.
.sig: Now legally binding!
VIdeo games and pinball fit loud noises and mash buttons!
just teach him visual basic
A touch screen is probably your best bet -- a good option would be a back-illuminated multi-touch setup so you can use thick acrylic or glass (unlikely to be broken or damaged by your toddler). If you want to go even younger, research with infants often make use to two that can be readily measures by machines: eye-gaze and suckling (on a pacifier with a sensor). Short of putting together some kind of home-brew eye-tracker, I'd suggesting hacking a pressure sensor into a pacifier. Even with that, I bet you could easily train different patterns of suckling (e.g., one pattern produces skips to the next song on the playlist, another pattern skips to the next artist).
http://melarky.com/images/wells_mini_arcade.jpg
It's probably not a computer he's excited about, just the bright light and the feel of the keyboard. Some have said "my son has always been interested in harvesters", while all the boy saw was just a nice big, colorful object.
No one has recommended gcompris?
Free software is made of win.
The iPad is pretty much toddler safe. They can bang away on the screen, touch it and get a response, and play around in apps pretty easily. What's more, it wipes clean pretty easily after they get their drool infested hands all over it. The only thing you need to be careful of is the home screen... They will definitely hold their fingers down and put your icons into "jiggle mode," and if you're not careful they can easily delete apps. Just supervise them while they use it and make sure they don't do anything really crazy, like email your boss or delete an expensive app.
I wish Apple had a "safe mode" where you couldn't delete any apps, move any icons, or change any settings. It would be nice to hand it over to the kids and not worry about them doing anything to it.
"When the president does it, that means it's not illegal." - Richard M. Nixon
I have a 2 year old that has been on a computer about 6 months now ( and an 18 year old daughter that was the same way) The best thing I have found is old hardware. Spill proof keyboard and a wireless mouse and educational web sites most games dont hold their attention for that long (fwiw nickjr is pretty amazingly put together for kids of your child's age) Don't think that the 18 mo wont be able to use a mouse its amazing at how quick they pick up double click. click and drag, Etc FWIW let them start early the results will amaze you My eldest, at the age of 12 was coding java and comfortable with command line UNIX
no matter how good it is, it is human nature always wants to make things better
Perhaps not 100% what you are looking for, but it amuses my 2 year old:
http://www.syntap.com/products_babysplat.htm
No special input devices needed, as all of the buttons on the keyboard will create a random swatch of color along with one of several sound effects. Pretty basic. Just beware of installing on a laptop, my kid began to pick the keys off!
In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.
That wasn't the question wasn't it? Keep your opinions to yourself, and help the poor dad out.
Your evaluation period for Productivity 1.0 has ended. Please purchase more coffee to continue using this product.
0. Buy a sacrificial computer. Keyboard and optical mouse can be $10 each.
1. Take a mouse and wire all buttons so they all are "left buttons".
2. Now open a browser to pbskids.org by default.
3. Also set your desktop up to accept a single click to "open" icons on desktop
4. And go from there
Your toddler will first have fun for days on pbskids. Will discover the desktop after that. You can sprinkle it with some icons of interest.
don't cut it off www.mgmbill.org
WARNING
...you may get this result.
If you leave this unattended...
Increase the font size a bit. Kids love typing and seeing the letters they press scroll across the screen. If you help them out a bit, they'll learn the letter names and sounds pretty young.
Saw one of these at our state fair and looked pretty cool. Pricey though.
http://www.littletikes.com/toys/toys-detail.aspx?product_id=7520&CMP=CSE-GP-601491X1&utm_source=GoogleProductSearch&utm_medium=CSEs&utm_term=201-601491X1
http://www.adoption.org/adopt/putting-your-child-up-for-adoption.php
I bought this right here for my kiddo when he was around 14 months.
It has different sections, based on what you want the kid to do. So for example, you can enter the "Keyboard" activities section, and the adult would drive the mouse and control the activity while the kid would be able to mash the keyboard and make things happen on the screen. To give you a taste of what it's like, imagine hearing the song "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" and each key press causes a star to appear on the screen.
My kid loved it. And it's PC & Mac! (Sorry no Linux, I did spend five minutes trying to get it to work in WINE and gave up.)
Never confuse feeling with thinking.
Yawn! Isn't it past your bedtime Mr Ballmer? Surely you need all the sleep you can get if you want to keep up with your "copy Apple... badly" schedule?
I agree on the block thing:
"When children play with blocks, they are practicing mathematical skills. In selecting blocks of different sizes and shapes and comparing surface volumes and areas, for example, they are unwittingly using classification and seriation (Hirsch, 1996). Cleaning up involves math too: sorting identical and dissimilar shapes, and organizing by size (Henniger, 1987)."
(from http://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/blocks/blockessay.html)
but in a year or two look at this:
http://www.kiddix-computing.com
I looked at it about two years ago but my kids were getting just out of range. Interface seemed good and they were thinking about a content subscription so you'd always get new interactive articles/activities. Don't know if that panned out or not.
Baby Smash!
It doesn't perform too well and it isn't exactly the most scintillating app in the word, but it prevents* your kiddo from deleting all your files with a random mash of the keys.
* Sometimes, despite the claims of the author, smashing the keyboard will minimize the app, leaving your computer vulnerable to infant shenanigans. Does not happen very often, though.
At 18 months, my son was still mostly doing blocks and whatnot, but by 2 or 2.5 I was amazed how quickly he picked up the control for the Wii. We got him a Diego platformer game that is very simple, yet had a relatively engaging story line and includes a number of Wii motion controls to move the character, and he did great. Total play time in the story was only about 3 hours, so he even got to "beat" the game before he lost interest. We only let him play occasionally. He also likes to type on my laptop, which I use as a spelling and phonics exercise. We fire up Keynote and make a slide with big text where I help him hunt-and-peck to spell names, favorite toys, etc.
I've also found that any child over 2 seems to figure out how to unlock and operate an iPhone/iTouch in record time. A testament to UI design, I guess.
A project for a computer science class of mine was to make an educational toy using a micro-controller and some sensors and then programming their controls and functions to display on the screen. The teacher had us use phidgets which is somewhat pricy($80 for the board and $5-10 for each sensor) but it's completely modular and only limited by what you can design. I wound up mounting mine in a plastic case and then form fitting rubber to it so that it would be water(and mess) proof because it was for kids. Doing it this way would allow you to custom-tailor the interface for your kid, modify any parts of it that he has issues with or add functionality if it's too simplistic.
Orwell was an optimist.
Are you guys on crack? The iPad is like a gift from the gods for toddlers. It removes the abstraction of an input device entirely. They touch what they want to interact with. Check out the video of my 22 month old playing with an iPad: http://www.gonzoparents.com/2010/08/app-review-animal-hide-and-seek.html It's not spam, it's on topic!
I hate to be a negative nelly, however, the best input device for an 18 month old is none at all. Many studies have demonstrated increased rates of ADD and ADHD in infants exposed to television prior to the age of two. Speaking as a physician, my recommendation would be to turn off the television and computer, and either read to your child or involve your child in other play activities which do not involve electronics.
As a child, I had an old electric calculator. It didn't work but I still enjoyed mashing the buttons. When my parents threw it out in the trash I was really sad.
Leisure Suit Larry and a Joystick.
I've found that a trackball works very well for my toddler's hands. The larger the ball and buttons, the better. I found that the ability to hold a mouse still while clicking buttons was frustrating for my son. Also, it was not intuitive for him to pick up the mouse when it got to the edge of the mouse pad. The concept of a trackball works very well for him. He's 3-1/2 now and knows how to log in to Windows (clicks his picture, no password), click on an icon on the desktop to play his games and close the game when he's done.
Software:
We've had good luck with the JumpStart series of games. We have three of them, starting with JumpStart Toddler, which is mostly button mashing, mouse clicking. The other two have games where a picture is obscured with bubbles, for example, and he has to roll the mouse over them to 'pop' them and display the picture. We also have some Edmark Software games, like Bailey's Book House which he's starting to get into more, and Millie's Math House, which he's starting to get into more with counting and basic addition/subtraction. The software is not very well coded -- it tends to crash a lot and the clickable area on certain objects are too specific for a toddler's hands (like clicking on the fishing pole), but the things that it teaches are very age appropriate and keeps my boy interested.
Hardware:
I have a built-in desk in a common area of the house. Under the cabinets, I have a laptop on a shelf with a LCD monitor bolted to the wall. I have a Logitech Trackman Marble and an old keyboard that is easily replaced for $15.
My 2yr old LOVES his ipad.
And the rate of which I've seen him learn new skills with it then further refine those skills is amazing.
There are heaps of good free and pay for games and learning tools for them.
The thing is marketed wrong, it should be aimed at toddlers and preschoolers.
"Consider how lucky you are that life has been good to you so far. Alternatively, if life hasn't been good to you so far
I had a G3 iBook that no one was using. I loaded this program that draws shapes, letters, and sounds whenever my year and a half granddaughter hits a key. She loves it. She especially loves it when I set her up at the table next to me while I'm working on my laptop.
When my son was around 2 or so he was very interested in using the computer. There was a great piece of software, Mickey Mouse and the alphabet. While the program ran it locked out everything else and would only respond to letters of the alphabet being pressed. When a key was pressed, say A, Mickey would perform some action, say the letter and the word. For A, he would go to the refrigerator and get an apple to eat. When using the software my son learned his alphabet and had great fun having Mickey perform different actions. There are some older versions of the software still available, I also noticed some suggestions for other similar software.
I used to be an adult but then I grew up.
A lot of fun:
http://www.pixelwhimsy.com/
Windows-only though. It is built for keyboard mashing. From the same guy who made Eittris.
http://www.ohgizmo.com/2010/04/09/little-tikes-apparently-makes-kid-friendly-pc-workstations-now/
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
I agree with the above posts that 18mo might be a little young for computer exposure, but between 3-5, as reading skills start building, using the per-letter TuxType can be a fun game occasionally, and will introduce the computer keyboard to your child. Also, many web apps are there on places like starfall.com, nickjr.com and pbskids.org that have good games for kids that involve reading, math, and comprehension skills I was surprised to find out that at my daughters Kindergarten last year, their "rediness" assessment was done on a PC. Because my daughter had been exposed to the computer mouse and keyboard earlier, she was able to handle the challenge with less help, and her scores were more accurate to her real skills. She now also uses the iphone with more skill than either my wife or I, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. ;-)
18 months? Are you serious?
Why my daughter was that age, I gave her an old PC keyboard that wasn't connected to anything else. She loved banging on it and pretending to work with Dad.
Give your kids something simple that will make them use their imagination. You don't want to kill off appreciation of simple toys by the time they're 4.
Chech out Pixel Whimsy
http://www.pixelwhimsy.com/
It's a sort of paint program but that's a poor description. Once you run it each key on the keyboard does something different. (you have to do something like crtl-q Q to quit). So your toddler can hammer on the keyboard and play with the mouse with zero chance of messing anything up. It's fun for kids and grownups. It unfortunately only runs on PCs.
-- QED
The best devices I've found have been both input and output. To wit:
https://launchpad.net/bambam keyboard mashing game for babies for linux :)
I've heard the button-smashing technique is a killer in fighting games. He could do what he loves while at the same time beat the crap out of you; that ought to give him some confidence too.
My wife thought it was cute when the kids (44 months and 8 months) were on opposites sides of the laptop screen pulling it in opposite directions. Then she got a physics lesson in torque, and I paid for $200 a non-warranty repair.
Why don't you work on teaching him discipline?
Setup a cheap DDR (dance dance revolution) system.
As babies smash on the keyboard, colored shapes, letters and numbers appear on the screen. Baby Smash will lock out the Windows Key, as well as Ctrl-Esc and Alt-Tab so your baby can't get out of the application. Pressing ALT-F4 will exit the application and Shift-Ctrl-Alt-O brings up the options dialog.
Depending on your finances, I recently bought an MSI WindTop for my toddler (2) and special needs 5 year old.
This is a touch screen all-in-one computer, and after seeing one setup in the local library, and how easily my 2 year old interacted with it without having mouse skills, it was a no-brainer.
And having set the computer up in the kitchen (it has built in wifi), I can use it as a kitchen computer when I need it, and sit the kids in front of it when they want to use it. And from there you can just get any regular kids software, and they just touch the screen instead of use the mouse.
If you want to take it one step further, try http://www.awe-net.com/ - they have fully pre-built WindTop PCs, loaded with a bunch of software for kids from 2 - 10, so it will be useful for years to come. This is what my local library has, and it's great.
For hardcore frustrated button smashing, I recommend HP-UX or AIX.
A book and a parent to read to them.
I second the above suggestion to use http://www.starfall.com/ and just hand over the mouse (but not the keyboard). Get a cheapo computer off of craigslist for this. By the time your kid is four you're going to have to drag him away from the computer and all of the games he'll then be able to find on his own. Seriously, the first word my 3-4 year old learned to type completely on his own was "games". Google is amazing when it comes to instant feedback and gratification. Now, almost five, he'll ask us how to spell "iron" and then type "ironman games" into google on his own. I don't know whether this is good or not. But if it's what you want, you're asking the right questions.
The "toy" my toddler loves the most is another toddler. Socialize the heck out of them as early and often as possible so they don't end up like me (and probably like you.)
That said, my kid has all the physical toys she wants and she plays with them all of the time. But she also loves her iPod touch. Not kidding. The little touch screen is perfect for her. She only plays with it about 10 minutes a day or so, but it fascinates her to no end for those minutes. I'm amazed at how well she can navigate the menus and whatnot (13 mos old.) She'll play with one app for a few minutes then go to the home screen and start another one up. Peekaboo Barn is her favorite.
And this is coming from a die hard apple hater. I tried to find some good toddler apps for my android phone but there just weren't many good ones out there.
But like everyone else is saying, the tech should be reserved for the times when she's sick of playing with you and with other kids and her physical toys. Don't promote the gadget addiction just because you think it's cute.
My son started enjoying Minisebran at about that age. At first he would enjoyed mashing the buttons and seeing different shapes come up. At the age of about 2 he started being able to press the key corresponding to the letter on the screen. And later still as he got the hang of the mouse he enjoyed colouring and drawing (at which point we introduced him to TuxPaint and Poisson Rouge). We've never bought any special input devices for him though.
Nothing wrong with setting limits. Don't feel guilty about telling the lil' tyke "no" once in a while. It might turn out handy in other contexts.
My toddler LOVES hammering on the keyboard running Baby Type:
http://www.raize.com/cproducts/babytype/default.asp
He was trying to help the dad out. Just because it's not the kind of help he wanted doesn't mean it's not the kind of help he needs. If you're expressing a kid's age in months still, they sure as fuck shouldn't be on the computer.
Canada: The US's more awesome sibling.
From the number of people recommending iPads, I'd say you're clearly fucked in the head, as it's Jobs who has cornered the retard market. Couldn't let anything like "intelligence" or "reality" get in the way of hatin' on MS... sorry, "M$," though could you?
Canada: The US's more awesome sibling.
http://www.keybashing.com
Student: Is it true that the foundation of the universe is paradox?
Master: Well, yes and no.
This is basically what I did except that I left it with the basic log in, click icon experience. The keyboards and mice are going to die, weekly. Get over it. Go to the computer surplus store and buy them by the 24-pack and save yourself some stress. Headphones from the dollar store. I get the PCs at surplus too, and fix them up - you can get a 3Ghz P4 for $20 now on Ebay, and it's right as rain with a couple 1GB DIMMS. They get their own PC at two. At five I expect them to maintain it. By seven or eight, simple repairs like replacing a drive or video card should be in their skillset. The older kids don't have any trouble installing an OS or building out a home network while they're still in Middle School. Usually by High School we're comparing code.
For the first few weeks or so the kids had to have help to log in and launch their websites and apps. They figured out how to do it because they didn't want to wait for mom & dad to get up on Saturday mornings. We didn't teach them how - they figured it out from watching and doing. My youngest daughter just turned four and she now navigates the web about as well as some experienced office workers I've known. Her reading skills are about par for a fourth grader. Not everybody is going to get these results - my kids are, well, precocious. They're also self-centered greedy little monsters with poor interpersonal skills - but I can live with that. They take after their dad.
The ipod is, as no doubt has been mentioned above, also cool for the younger set if you must buy today. My six year old son played with it for five minutes, then summoned his mom so he could teach her how to use it. As I type this he's right next to me teaching his little sister how to browse YouTube. It's awesome to watch him figure out ways to work the thing that I don't know about - and I've had it for months. It took my daughter about five seconds to figure out how to roll back a video. She just said "I wish we had another one of those." I'll probably be buying tablets for Christmas. It's pretty much the same with everybody I show this iPad to. They get it intuitively and want it immediately. I wish I had a deal to sell the things - that would be easy money.
Before anybody bashes me for being an Apple fanboi, I'm not. I don't have Apples at home. This thing is from work, and from my point of view the iPad is about work. Its real purpose is remote management of my servers and as a thin client for VDI demos with Citrix. I also use it to pull up reference docs, do slideshows, show network diagrams and web management interfaces and other stuff for work. That it does Hi-Def Netflix and streams videos over the network effortlessly is just bonus. We like it, but I'm probably holding out for Android tablets under my tree. I like the Samsung Galaxy Tab, but it's only available in the 3G version through mobile carriers and there's no way I'm splurging on the mobile contracts. That would be too much money. We don't need that anyway - all of our phones do Wi-fi tethering so we would have Internet on the go with a wi-fi tablet and don't need the extra bill. For some of us I'd like 10 inch displays and for some 7 inch, but I'm OK with widescreen for all. For gifts for the Fam, Webcam chat is a must-have but cellular contracts are a no-go. Any display pixel technology is ok if the rez is nice and high, but we're going capacitive multitouch rather than resistive touch on the screens - the responsiveness is more important than the resolution, and multitouch is awesome. If the right Android tablets don't come out in time at the right price point, well, I guess we'll have to settle for iPads but I won't be happy about it.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
Giggity giggity giggity... Alll riiight!
My wife and I have a Nintendo DS each. My daughter wanted to play it from about six months old, just watching us play something. By perhaps 1.5, we got her a Crayola coloring game. She loved being able to scratch around the screen and wildly color the animals. It turns out she was closely watching us press Start, select a couple menu options, etc to change the picture all the time, and had those motions down pat quickly. No more crying, "I want the dinosaur now" and such. Now she is 4 and can maneuver just about any DS game, figure out what menu options do, etc., without being able to read a single word. It's funny how many very-young kid games require a lot of reading. Game makers are goofy that way. As annoying as Dora sounds, those games are pretty well built, telling the kid what to do rather than writing "Find the red circle."
Also, she loved watching me play World of Warcraft. Just make up your own games, What animal is this, etc. She loved watching scenery, bunnies, castles, etc. Just before her 3rd birthday, I got up to go the bathroom to come back to her figuring out maneuvering in a 3-D world. Within 15 minutes she knew how to time holding left/right to turn where she wanted and go anywhere. Within a couple play sessions she knew Ironforge extensively, riding the Tram, finding all the staircases (who knows why, but she loves stairs...), falling long distances, etc. Once she got outside, she had a huge panic moment when a level 3 wolf attacked my level 80 character... Good times.
Naturally, anything is fine in moderation.
There are several kiddie games that employ devices that you attach to your keyboard. I remember seeing a bob the builder one that had crane controls you clamped onto the keyboard. When the kid moves the crane controls, the device presses the proper keys on the keyboard underneath. I thought it was pretty ingenious. I know there are several games that use this system, but the only one I could find was Thomas & Friends.
Seconded. Especially a virtual analog synth that has friendly knobs which will immediately affect the sound being produced when tweaked.
Or, you could go for a real analogue synth like the Korg Monotron, a tiny, simple true analog synth able to create all kinds of neat sounds.
None of these things will have the bright screen to draw his eye, but they are far more intuitive and engaging for a young mind: pushing different keys and twisting different knobs will effect a definite and immediate change in the sound he hears, whereas pounding on the keyboard of a laptop will generally result in little onscreen action. Synth programming is real programming, too, without the complexity of dealing with language. This will foster his creativity more greatly than any other electronic device, especially if he plays with it as he begins to understand the structure of music.
Korg Monotrons can be bought new for under $80. The only problems I foresee are that Dad might be having too much fun with it to let his son have a try, that adults have a low tolerance for atonal, high-pitched sounds, and that nobody wants their kid to be a starving artist when they grow up =)
Your brain is not a computer.
I'm in my 40s, and my son is rapidly approaching 3.
Get him a pretend laptop - Something like this. (although maybe not in lurid pink.)
Honestly though, keep him away from real computers. At that age, they basically amount to TVs with (mashable) buttons. The interaction is no more significant than you'd get with a Fisher Price toy, and they don't need to be glued to the computer (or TV) that early. The less time in front of a computer or TV, the better.
"People who do stupid things with hazardous materials often die." -- Jim Davidson on alt.folklore.urban
He will do as many useful things as other ipad users
Toddler Keys worked great for my kids. It locks down your machine (including CD ROM drives and power button) with a password which you can optionally display in one of the corners so adults don't have to remember what the password is. You then point it at a directory full of images and another directory of sounds. Every time a key is hit it displays a random image and plays a random sound. It's fun if you point it at family photos as you can see your toddler begin to recognize family and relatives.
Faith is a willingness to accept something w/o complete proof and to act on it. Reason allows you to correct that faith.
Wait till they are 5 - 6 before introducing them to a computer. In the meantime why not at least give them a chance and introduce them to the outside so they don't become a fat couch potato after only 18 months of life.
My 22 month old mostly plays with physical toys, but after seeing her love banging on a piano, I decided to let her play with my midi controllers (supervised, no liquids). I will load up a virtual synth, put on an arpeggiator sometimes so she can make more structured sounds, or put on a drum kit, and then she'll go wild on the keyboards/drumpads. You can find used midi gear dirt cheap, especially if a few keys are broken (toddler won't mind). She also has figured out the controls for VLC (video player) on her own. If you have gear that you don't mind breaking, you'll be amazed what they figure out so young. Just be sure to spend way more time outside than inside and they should be fine. She also likes to play with touchscreen drawing apps on my droid, but she has even dialed 911 by accident so I can't recommend it without constant supervision.
Employ him to test hardware. You could apply for the job yourself, insist on telecommuting, and then let your son test the things instead. He'll find bugs nobody else would, and your electronic devices will be spared from things like oatmeal abuse.
on the bottle or on the mom. Kid will get lots of input.
... the DVD drive with the PB&J sandwich option.
Have gnu, will travel.
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/144/a-is-for-app.html When the Singer sisters were just 6 months old, they already preferred cell phones to almost any other toy, recalls their mom, Fiona Aboud Singer: "They loved to push the buttons and see it light up." The girls knew most of the alphabet by 18 months and are now starting to read, partly thanks to an iPhone app called First Words, which lets them move tiles along the screen to spell c-o-w and d-o-g. They sing along with the Old MacDonald app too, where they can move a bug-eyed cartoon sheep or rooster inside a corral, and they borrow Mom's tablet computer and photo-editing software for a 21st-century version of finger painting. "They just don't have that barrier that technology is hard or that they can't figure it out," Singer says.
In response to those quoting studies recommending complete tech abstinence, I respect your goals and welcome your information. However, as with many things, while fools should abstain, some can use wisely. My 1 year old spends most of her time playing with peers, playing with toys, and acting silly. In small doses we count, write, play music, read, use laptops, stargaze, philosophize (yesterday she suggested that wild animals might move into barns if we offered them noodles), and I am constantly amazed at her. Her IQ is off the charts, she is already in age 3 classes, and while we can debate whether technology helped or hindered, my deep opinion is that everything I expose her to increases her sense of wonder, and that is what is giving her this wonderful momentum. If you just shove a computer in a kid's face and walk away, you're likely doing it wrong.
My impression of some of the pretend computers they sell at places like Toys'r'Expensive is that they are very limited (even to the kids - Fisher Price et al make this crap for dumb kids) and really not the great educational aids they claim to be.
If my older son is average in terms of being ready for doing stuff on a computer - I suggest that about age 3- 4 is a good time to let the kids have a go at a real hand-me-down computer. One you don't care about too much.
My 2-3/4 years of age boy is happily enjoying his toy animals and acting out parts of his favourite films - Madagascar / Ice Age etc. Under 3-1/2 is a time for learning how to interact with people (anthropomorphic animals seem to have been great for helping with that for centuries!) and getting to know the world.
All kids are different. My two are radically different. The older one has always been really gentle and careful and almost all of his toys are undamaged. The younger one is a lovely little monster and stuff just gets broken due to his rambunctious enthusiasm, manic energy and superhuman strength (and perhaps dad not living in the same house(?). Causes quite a bit of trouble of course. By saying that I'm suggesting that I could be completely wrong and your 18 month old may be ready to start living in the basement! Just don't introduce him to Cheetos and Mountain Dew until much later. Mkay? Just my two and sixpence guv.
http://www.acetonestudio.com
Man a lot of know it alls on here. I like the guy's keywack advice, thinking about that myself. Funny thing about kids, with supervision they is quite a bit they can handle at that age. Some of you underestimate your kids. My 19 month son gets a few minutes occasionally on sesame street's website with careful supervision. This is on our $3000 computer. He started by using a midi controller hooked to the computer to make sounds. Now he's into the mouse, and as long as I stay on top of things he does well.
It sounds like you want to engage your kid with something universally appealling - colour and movement -
Any tuff tech would do... an old portable phone, a torch, an LED bike light. If you are really keen you could make a box with some on/off switches and some lights that go on and off.
Remember, this is mostly about you, and your child is responding you what you are giving attention to (your laptop) and if you give attention to other stuff they will follow that too.
Don't be embarrased to admit child raising is (partly) selfish activity.
Waiting for the other shoe to...
Rusty gave a talk titled FOSS Fun With A Wiimote at Linux.Conf.Au in Wellington at the beginning of the year.
Videos at http://2009.r2.co.nz/20100118/50062.htm
Backups are for wimps. Real men post their data in comments and have slashdot mirror it
If a child sees their parents on laptops a fair bit then they're naturally going to want to have a go too. My son is three now, but has been occasionally playing with a computer since he was 18 months or so. I set him up with a text editor and let him bang away. At first keys would occasionally be removed (hence old laptop) but recently that hasn't been a problem. One of his favorite games is to type in a string of letters, move the cursor to the front of them, press the space bar, and watch them move along the screen pretending they're a train. I've been saving all the text files as well just for posterities sake.
This is probably what you have in mind, and what you should keep your eye out for. I do not believe they are in mass production yet, but they are the only thing I know of coming that is likely the exactly type of thing you want to give children as their first technological toys.
http://www.ted.org/talks/david_merrill_demos_siftables_the_smart_blocks.html
http://sifteo.com/
We tried a variety of kid-friendly gaming/computing toys with both of our children. Basically, at 18 months, if it wasn't something they've seen mommy and daddy use, it wasn't interesting. I suggest an old laptop. Attempt to teach them how to use it properly, but understand that they'll probably just mash the hell out of it at first. By the time they're 3 years old they'll be little computer wizards, trust me. My three year old daughter can navigate her gaming websites (Nick Jr. and PBS Kids) just fine. My five year old son, now in Kindergarten, can sound out words and type them on the keyboard better than he can write them by hand (I'm still not sure if this is a good or bad thing).
...suggested Predator drone pilot?
Orwell: "In a Time of Universal Deceit, telling the Truth is a Revolutionary Act"
I had twins. As toddlers I gave one vi and the other emacs.
My 27 month old has been using an iPhone (supervised of course) since he was around 14 months old. We did make sure that the radio was off out of paranoia. It was hilarious watching him try to use the unlock slider, but he eventually got it.
He also took quite a shine to the iPad. At any rate, there are some great learning apps for toddlers available. I would name some, but they were on my wife's phone, which was hit by a car earlier today.
Our 2 yr old has been using our iphone and ipods since he was about 13 months old. At first it was just the slide and opening of applications. Within weeks though he knew how to open apps and close them with the home button, slide between panels. A few months later he was opening his kids aged apps and playing them. Nothing to write home about, but he liked the colors and sounds. Now that I have a touch screen laptop, I've had to create his own user account (which he knows how to access), and he uses the touch paint application that comes with it. He's also gotten to the point where he knows how to plug in the power chord to the side of the laptop just in case the battery starts dying. He also knows how to turn on the TV and access his kid shows on demand. Kind of scary. :P
http://www.babysmash.com/
Have to check this out!
"I sort of hate having to tell him 'no'"
Learning when to say 'no', and actually doing so, is a very important parenting skill. If you can't say it, you shouldn't be a parent.
Kinda off-topic, but i think exposing him to classical music on a daily basis will do more wonders for his developing intelligence.
Kids don't give a poo about this stuff. They want blocks, books and crayons. Put away the electronics and give them some time to develop these basic skills. Let them use their imagination before it gets sucked away. I got some legos for my 2 year old, her favorite toy thus far.
www.winzki.de (multi-language) My kids love these apps, and they are a real live-saver when you're not at home and your kids get bored. These apps are specifically made for small children, because when they hold the iPhone or iPod touch with one hand on the display, the apps still work. Most other apps for kids don't, which results in a big pile of frustration. You just can't tell a kid how to hold the thing 'right'.
-- You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do
The real issue here is whose device the kid wants to play with. He doesn't want to play with *his* fisher-price (or other) Toy, he wants to play with *your* laptop, because he sees *you* using your laptop. The kid wants attention, not the toy. Put the laptop (or whatever) away, and get him involved with something you can both do together.
Having two boys, ages 2 and 4, I know that they do not want their daddy to pay attention to his toys, rather, they want daddy to pay attention to *them*.
Get an Ipad!
Learn to say no right now. It will be better for both you and you son.
Like a TI-99/4A. That was my first machine that I can remember. Sturdy and near bulletproof.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
try the v-tech v.smile baby learning system. i have it and you can buy little cartridge games for it
You must be extremely poor. To some people $600 is not too much to risk losing.
I got my first computer for my second birthday. At the time, sound cards were the shit, and new SoundBlasters came with this demo software of a brightly colored parrot who would repeat anything you say with a parrot voice. It also came with a free copy of Lemmings, which became my favorite game as soon as I could actually play it.
Anyway, my point is that you're never too young for an actual computer, especially considering how cheap the can be these day.
My 26 month old has been using an iTouch since she was 6 months old and an iPad since April. She carries them around without problem. The worst she's done was peel off the screen protector on the iPad. Both devices have survived with no damage at all. I can't say the same for the $100+ kid tough portable DVD player from Fischer Price. THAT was a piece of junk from the start and minor bumps give it problems.
Have you even priced kids toys? A doll can easily be $50. A decent Lego set can easily reach hundreds of dollars. One of the Leap Pad type machines is $50+ and the games are $10 - $20 each and aren't as kid friendly and the games aren't as good as the $5 iOS games. And none of them can store days worth of Dora the Explorer, Kai-Lan, etc in an easy to browse video library.
Certainly an iPad is cheaper and tougher than ANY other decent computing device. What laptop is essentially entirely a solid state device? Haven't seen any of them nearly as easy or fun to use either.
What is your time and money for if not to spend with your children helping them learn and enjoy life?
At what price learning? At what cost wisdom? The price is a man's peace of mind, and the cost is his life.
some software for babies and a kick-proof keyboard could do the trick? add a 200$ pc and some screen.
arkanoid-like may be funny. pong-like. puzzle-bubble. and music? wow a toddle version of frets on fire could ...rock.
for the keyboard
http://www1.shopping.com/-toddler+computer+keyboard
for the guitar i did not find anything but if it exists you should have success asking 6 persons.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation
hey i'm 80% serious.
when he master his feet you can buy a steering wheel and pedals and play grand turismo tests. believe this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SBUC3ets5g
when he starts counter-steerings i crazy go nuts.
As a professional programmer, I naturally have a keen affinity for various computer models including those that we put in our pockets.
However as a father of two, I firmly believe that computerised or televised entertainment is harmful to childrens development, and must be restricted as much as possible during formative years.
Its much too easy leave it to barney the baby-sitter to entertain the children.
I have seen how children get mesmerised my the screens and stop interacting with the rest of their under-developed senses.
So for now let him copy your behavior with preferably a wooden non-toxic imitation.
Let him develop the skills and senses that you can now take for granted.
At 18 months he's barely mastered the tactile sense, and should be experimenting with surfaces of different textures, especially with his mouth.
In years to come when the basic skills and senses are developed, he can start attaining specialised computer skills if so desired.
Baby-hacker might be a cute idea, but seeing as so many adult hackers have imbalanced development, typically below average in either social or physical development, try to lead the kid towards a balanced development.
RTFM is not a radio station.
With the basic logitech trackman, both my kids were able to navigate youtube and kids web sites by 2 years old. Yesterday I saw my son (he's 2 and a half now) doing a drag and drop with same device. Blows my mind. =)
It is generally not suggested that children under 2 to have any time in front of computer or television screens. Having something that takes their interest away from the natural world is counter productive and can be detrimental to their development. They need time out in the real world, with pots and spoons, boxes and shovels. Neither gross or fine motor skills are significantly acquired by allowing your child to interact through buttons. I'm sure it's important for all children, at an appropriate age, to become familiar with the technology around them, but If you ever want to raise a ninja, the best thing you can do is give him pots and spoons (gross motor skills), crayons (fine motor skills), action figures/dolls (symbolic play, the beginning of symbolic/abstract thinking), encouragement by parent(s) and room to allow their imaginations to roam!
Your child needs to be playing in ways that encourage motor development, primarily. This means typical toys moreso than electronics. Please don't teach your child to park themselves in front of a screen before the age of 2. Early exposure is fine, but that's more like the age of 5.
Around here Comfy is pretty popular.
Alternatively you can always lock your child in a room with a computer until they learn to use the CLI.
Yes, a nintendo Wii with a nice jacketed Wii remote should solve your problems. Dozens of engaging games as well as educational ones. Heck, the game that comes with the system, Wii Sports, has fun even for a toddler. I never saw a happier kid than one playing Wii Boxing and beating an adult.
All kids should have such an input device. If you don't have one you should be reported to social services.
The most age appropriate devices for kids to use with computers and TVs are probably a nice set of hammers to smash and bang the things. They really are as detrimental to early mental development as anything known. Hammers are much better for them. You probably don't want to try to give them a head start with sharp knives or loaded guns, either. Read up a bit abut child development before you have one. Winging it with what seems right is often just the opposite of what is most 'age appropriate'.
QIMO (http://www.qimo4kids.com/) is a great operating system you can throw on an old PC. My son absolutely loves to play the various learning games as well as draw with the built in paint program. I love it since I can sit with him and guide him through the activities (plus the geek in me feels somewhat righteous about exposing my son to Linux at an early age).
I agree with some of the other posters on limiting exposure to TV, DVDs, and the like for young children. Studies have shown that young children do not retain much, if any, of the language or other skills presented to children in videos. The PC differs in that it requires the child to engage with the device to operate it and thus limits some of the passive learning problems associated with videos, and it also assists with developing fine motor skills through use of the mouse and keyboard.
Ultimately, while the PC is no substitute for your love and attention, I think it is a great supplement to other activities that also engage the child's creativity and curiosity and allow the parent to be an active participant in the child's development.
As others have stated, we've found iPhone/iPad to be one of the kids (one is now 18 months and the other almost 3 year) favorite things to play with - from about 14 months or so they were able to unlock it and find their favorite apps or videos. We load it up with Sesame Street videos and some toddler games. They also love to look at photos and movies of themselves and the family. They also like drawing apps, music apps (Piano, Bloom, etc) The older one likes matching games - its helped them learn shapes, color, animals and animal sounds and now letters and words. The older one knows how to find videos on YouTube and Netflix already. (sigh)
Its saved us from numerous meltdowns when waiting in long lines or on long car rides. They also have to share it with each other.
A downside is that when the little one sees ANYTHING that resembles and icon, she taps on it as if it were an iThing -- she's done this on cereal boxes, books, TV screens etc.
Talk is cheap. Supply exceeds demand.
you can afford, go for size over spec. You don't need a keyboard, mouse, monitor or other accessories. When you get it home take it out of the box, check the box for plastic or styrofoam and dispose of this safely. Then give the empty box to the child. Disposal of the big, expensive computer is at the user's discretion.
Breakfast cereal cartons are better and bigger.
Posts, MyBio or Sig, may contain satire, sarcasm, bolded nouns be sardonic or even witty & be Church of SD
the maximum pc magazine ran a "57 projects" edition for spring 2010 and they linked pages to create a 4 player arcade unit with misc pc parts inside. they suggested installing MAME(game emulator) and MaLa(rom organizer), then install whatever games you can find. here's the link-
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/how_build_kickass_mame_arcade_rig_old_pc_pics
you can buy the cabinet/monitor/glass here-
www.arcadeshop.com
joysticks/keyboard encoder/videocard/wiring kit here-
www.ultimarc.com
buttons here-
happcontrols.com
i'm guessing you're worried your kid will pull the keys off the laptop keyboard as a choking hazard possibly? these panels seem pretty child proof but you'd have to test, and you could load more than just games if you wanted since it's just a pc.hope this helps!
Here's what I recommend:
* Desktop-style computer, not a laptop.
* A "kid" keyboard with fewer keys and no repeater for under $20. Slashdot non-parents would tell you to hack one yourself, but they have a lot more time on their hands than the parent of an 18-month-old.
* Large trackball
* Printer with the cheapest color ink you can find, because you'll be asked to print page after page of squiggles.
* Simple flash games with no dragging, just clicking. Nick Jr. has lots of them, free. Sample apps include:
- stories (click to turn the page, mouseover to get a character animation)
- guessing games
- catch/shoot the object (put squirrel under falling acorn, aim the hose at the flower, etc)
For software, our children's favorite was JumpStart Toddler - an order of magnitude above its competition at the time.
That's the way most linebackers handle things.
Best input device for a toddler is a touch device. They just skip right over the mental leaps about mice, touchpads, etc, and touch the things they want. There are some fun PBS apps and one I like called Toddler Teasers Quizzing.
I let my kids play with TuxPaint, a free paint app that is geared for kids. It doesn't require a keyboard so I put that out of reach. I also have a gamming optical mouse that let's you change the speed of the mouse with a small button on the mouse. I turn the mouse speed way down before I hand it over to them. Might need to wait until he/she's a little older.
OK, in a slightly less comical vein, the first thing toddlers need to learn is cause & effect. Just moving a mouse pointer on a screen of fish is a good start.
Stay away from MS-Windoze, it is not predictable enough (except a BSoD will happen) :)
Heheh, I set up an account for my daughter in the UID 700k range. She's 4 now...
What makes you think that she will want it by the time she's old enough to make use of it?
And what makes you think slashdot will still be relevant (or even existent) at that time?
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
It's not an electronic whatsit he wants to play with, it's you! There is not a substitute for a person teaching him and loving him at that age. As for toys, the simple things work best. I was given 2 x $60 'activity sets' on the birth of my first. I put him down with them one night, and watched him crawl past them as if they didn't exist to an old wine bottle, which he played with for 2 hours.. Biggest reaction is in having a human talk to him.
Around that age I plugged in a microphone, and installed gtkguitune. My son loved screaming into the mic and banging on our cheap casio keyboard and watching the waveforms. I know it's not quite what you're asking for, but it was good for a few (for me and him) afternoons of fun together experimenting with different things that make sound and seeing what they looked like.
Oscilloscopes, screensavers with beat detection like milkdrop, etc, seem like they'd be also fun to try, but I never really got around to it.
Skip the iAnything devices. Kids are rough and inquisitive. That's how we all learn at that age. Plan for it.
What you want to do is scour your basement/closets and ask friends/neighbors if anyone has a 5-10 year old pc they didn't know what to do with it. Or garage sale or craigslist for something under $35-$50. No computer will be durable enough for the 1.5 - 6 year olds, you want a low cost replacement program.
Either install a fresh copy of Windows (Reader Rabbit CDs are good on Windows) or get Linux (Qimo or Edubuntu are good - as they include Gcompris and tux games) and install that. I find Linux will be easier to install than Windows, fewer special drivers to track down.
Even 'supervised play' will find you get a momentary phone call you have to take, or the UPS/Fedex guy shows up for a signature, and soon that kid is drawing with pens/markers on the computer, bashing it, popping something off it, dropping it, putting stickers on it, etc.
With Linux you will have a better time of using the latest web sites (disney, nicjr, etc) that can have some educational content. Older Windows will have older browsers that can't get all the web content ('I can't play Dora') yet be susceptible to virus problems; newer 'Windows 7' will require a machine with parts less than 2-3 years old that get expensive to acquire and replace.
Definitely worthwhile to get the kids on the computers. Yes there are games, but they begin to recognize letters and words they need to navigate around the software.
Hi, Being myself a geek parent with some education background (grad in Social Sciences), I wrote a software that my toddler (now almost 2yo) got fascinated with. Basically, it doesn't require any coordinated input but instead give audiovisual response to any keyboard or mouse interaction. My kid can stand in the computer for around 20 minutes, which, something those with a toddler at home knows, is a very good time frame. It is free software and is hosted at my github account (you just need the latest SDL perl module installed for it to work).
They're great for little hands.
Ibid.
I think my favorite thing about asking parenting questions on the internet is the number of "holier than thou" answers you'll get in response. Actually, scratch that - if you ask a straightforward, scope-limited parenting question specific to your needs and situation anywhere in the world and you'll get an answer that basically boils down to "you're doing it wrong." It's all part of the experience, so I've learned to chuckle at the cognitive disconnect that comes from asking about the right age to introduce popcorn and getting a lecture on the best way to wring out dirty rags in return.
Anyway, to actually answer your question, I believe you're looking for this:
http://www.amazon.com/Crayola-Keyboard-Mouse-Pad-Bundle/dp/B001KVNRXU
As for software, I've found that creating a password-protected guest account on the machine with a limited number of pre-screened options to be best. Individual hyperlinks to YouTube videos on subjects your child enjoys (for us, it's Pocoyo videos, parrots, and babies laughing) on the desktop largely do the trick, along with links to kid-friendly sites ( http://pbskids.org/ , http://www.nickjr.com/kids-games/ being two examples, depending on your tolerance for advertising ). Others have mentioned games like minesweeper, solitaire (even if they don't grasp the actual game itself), or even Portal. These are all good choices. I'm sure you'll know of some more options based on what your child enjoys.
Best of luck!
That green slime had it coming.
This is a very tricky question. I think the real major question is: is it in the best interest of the child to get such a device?
Sure kids (even 30+ year old kids!) consider computers and electronic games great fun, but it comes at a price. A child needs to sit around and play and sometimes run around. Young children tend to switch quite a lot because their attention span and body can't handle doing the same for extended periods of time. Electronic entertainment starts over every time they return which means they will not leave it. (cleaning up the room for toys whenever they leave it causes the same issue btw!)
Personally I got my first computer at the age of 5. Sure I didn't use it every day because it was connected to the TV in the living room (typical 80'ties solution... monitors were poor and expensive). However I did watch that screen for hours at a time once in a while and today I suffer from a lazy eye, which gives me a headache every time I read. My thoughts here are: I had fun at the time. Today I wonder if I sacrificed my adult life quality with headaches because I liked to play games back then? It's impossible to say either way for sure.
I have seen modern kids with a Wii controller. They are jumping around at a rate, which I find disturbing. They do not rest while playing and if you tell them to take a break, they refuse and starts crying if it is inforced anyway. Clearly this isn't in the interest of the child to get conflicts with their parents, nor is it in the interest of the parents. Still it's my impression that it's quite common.
I witnessed another clear example of the issue regarding what a child wants/does vs what is best for a child. A boy aged 3 wants to watch a DVD so he goes to pick up the one he wants to watch, takes it out and gives the DVD to the nearest parent. One time he manages to scratch his favorite and it fails to play. The boy was unaware that this could happen and now he is told it's his own fault but all he sees is "I'm not allowed to watch my favorite ever again". As an adult people should know this could happen and act on it. It doesn't matter to the child if they bring the DVD or the DVD in the cover, but it does matter if it breaks or not. Here it would be the job of the parent to tell the kid how to act (not take the DVD out) because the parent knows it's better in the long run even if the reason could be unexplainable to the kid.
To answer the original question short: sure you may find something suiting your request, but is it the child or you, who prefers it? and is it in the best interest of the child?
As for which input device. Kids copies grownups and they prefer to copy their tool usage too. I learned that a normal keyboard seemed to be quite interesting. Sadly this happened while I had left my computer for a moment and all the inputs ended up in a serious software development chat, which had gone off topic because people wondered if I were feeling ill and needed help. They were about to call me to make sure when I returned.
"All that baby Einstein-esque crap has been proven to be nothing but trouble "
Another fact that people seem to forget about Einstein... He did not achieve any degree of greatness until he was well into adulthood. He certainly had an average childhood.
We once babysat a kid little older than that when I had Epic Games' "Tyrian" on my computer, and "mash the keys" is what he loved to do, so I let him use the arrow keys to "fly" the craft, and then fire the plasma weapon. Simple mind, simple pleasure.
Cranky educator.
I've learned to read at 3-4. Pitfalls? At 5ish when I could read well enough, one thing I stumbled upon was a popular science magazine for 12-15 year olds that included an article about the evolution and future of the Solar System, that ends with Earth and other planets as frozen dead rocks.
I had nightmares about this for a couple of years. "We're all doomed!". Freaking astronomy...!
The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
Microsoft used to make the EasyBall, which was a giant trackball for small kids. But the button design was poor. The current successor is the Big Track. The button design is somewhat better but still not wonderful.
When my son started to talk, we played IL-2 Sturmovik, a flight simulator switched into external above-behind view, and a joystick. First he learned to use some keyboard keys, like gears and flaps up/down and motor ignition. Eventually he progressed to doing take off alone, etc. We played half an hour each day for a few months. He cried when he crashed the plane first time. I don't remember how this started, maybe he saw me when I played the game and he was interested in it.
all my kids loved jumpstart baby/preschool/kindergarten/1st/etc. jumpstart baby is a simple as it gets. there's this little bear and the kid can make him do things by clicking [virtually] any keyboard or mouse button. so the bear will be like "can you help me put on my shoes" and any action works and the bear is like "wow thanks so much". http://www.amazon.com/Vivendi-Universal-3549-JumpStart-Baby/dp/B000028F4I
Jeremy Kister
http://jeremy.kister.net./
Thanks to those who actually answered the question. I have a similar situation and needed something to let my toddler have fun on my laptop without having to grab her hands everytime she accidentally tried to change the settings or delete something. She really likes the baby smash game so far.
By the way, can someone tell me how to only show the "Informative" comments and filter out all the hysterical luddite responses marked as "Insightful" and "Interesting"?
I don't know nuttin about no babies, cuz I don't have none myself, but I just know that if you let your toddler near one of them infernal computing devices that they gonna end up retarded, autistic, and impotent. You be best to give your kids traditional toys like wooden blocks and chicken bones and set them to play in the backyard with the dogs. God bless.
You could buy 2nd hand console for ~10-30 USD, on a good deal you could get a few games in that price.
Toddlers should be doing toddler things, not playing with computers. They should be discovering the world and learning to communicate and having fun.
Stick Men
Give him some music equipment, or something that stimulates creativity and imagination. I have an 8 months old how currently loves to bang the piano (not sure that the neighbors enjoy it though). I remember when I was little, a Casio keyboard was the best toy I had (even though I for some reason removed all keys). But keep the toys simple, absolutely no TV screens or whatever. As little electronics as possible. Give him a Xylophone or, as someone suggested, a cardboard box.
I agree with people here that you should not place your kid in front of a computer or a TV too much at an early age. It is more important to play with physical items and interact with real people. With a physical item, the imagination has free range to run wild -- as it should. Free play and imagination is how kids explore -- and thus learn -- how the world works. With a ready-made story, such as in a computer game, educational computer program or TV show, the freedom is limited to what the author intended. Not that a story could not provide a doseof inspiration for the kid's own imagination, of course.
However... Once you do introduce computers to them, I suggest that you give them user interfaces that were designed with ergonomics in mind: slanted (or even vertical) mice, slanted/curved keyboards, etc. That way, they will get used to these devices first and it is likely that they may tend to prefer them in the future over cheaper "classic" mice and keyboards. I believe that this could help them in the long term, preventing them from developing RSI or Carpal Tunnel problems later in life.
"We mustn't be caught by surprise by our own advancing technology" -- Aldous Huxley
An excellent piece of software for kids is Tux Paint. Better than that other Paint program IMHO :)Can be found here: http://www.tuxpaint.org/
CRTs have many problems, they aren't sharp enough and tiring on the eyes due to constant need to focus. Most have poor convergence (all three colors don't converge into the same exact point). Not to mention the horrible refresh rates they're driven at. You may not be able to see 60Hz but your children will and who knows what their developing vision will do to cope with it.
I wouldn't worry about software so much, you really need anything that keeps the kid from exiting out into the OS. With my daughter, at a year old, we got some sesame street software that was either mouse or keyboard driven (you pick one and the adult can exit using the other), so she could just bang away.
My dad picked up a Crayola keyboard that has big buttons and we plug that into our mac book and launch the software. She's just turning two, and is curious about my mouse, so I'll introduce that soon, but it's really just for the sake of not having her destroy my mac book!
Get the kid a coloring book and some crayons, for crap's sake.
The last thing you want him to do is toss computing aside and forget about it until he's 48 and wishing he was young again.
pampers and a botbot
I second the crayola keyboard/mouse combo. The large keys are good for little hunt-and-pecking. And I think the color coding of letters/numbers/control keys is useful as well. And the mouse is smaller than normal as well, which works well for small hands. There's a few other things I'd look into doing as well. Until recently (my daughter is now 4), I had the right mouse button mapped to be a left click so that no matter what she pressed she got a click action instead of pop-up menus she couldn't read and didn't understand where they came from. Finally, there's the desktop environment itself. I set her up with an old laptop (well, core duo) I had with Windows on it. I looked at the Linux based kids environments and just didn't see anything I really dug...plus most of the kids software you may decide to buy (my daughter likes the Diego games) is usually windows based. However, I didn't really want to give her the full windows interface, so I installed a kids desktop environment on top of it. I ended up getting Magic Desktop from Easybits. I'm not totally satisfied with what I got, but I've continued to look and have yet to see something I think is better. The pluses-you can add any program you want to the desktop, or remove ones there. The browser is opt-in only--the admin has to pick what sites are available, anything else won't load (not even embedded content); nor is there an address bar unless you type in the admin password. And the icons are big, it comes with a number of both (mildly) entertaining games as well as educational games. You can set it to start up on log in, so it will keep your kid from exploring Window's seamier side for a number of years until they get more savvy. The downside? It's a finicky piece of software which can sometimes fail to start up cleanly; and although it in theory lets you exit to windows and then restart it, I have almost never had that work properly, I have to log out and back in before it starts properly again. Plus, it hasn't been updated in a good while. I keep hoping someone else will come out with something better (seriously, can it be that difficult?) but thus far no joy.