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Home › Articles › Development › Computers and Toddlers

Computers and Toddlers

Making the Right Connection

By Jacqueline Bodnar

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  • The objects used in the program should be real-world models in meaningful settings.
  • The technical features, including color, graphics and sound effects, should be of high quality.
  • Discovery and exploration should be the goal of the program, not creating printouts.
    • Media Rules
    The AAP advises parents toset media rules for their children.It recommends:
    • Creating a clear and concise media plan that the family will follow.
    • Setting media time limits that allow for no more than two hours of screen media time per day for children over the age of 2.
    • Setting family guidelines for selecting the content.
    • Keeping the computer out of the child's bedroom.
    • Asking their child questions about what they are learning, and watching for any side effects from the activity.
    Making the Decision
    Most parents with a toddler will consider whether or not they should introduce their child to the computer. A toddler's natural curiosity seems to drag the child toward it like a magnet; sooner or later, they will be exposed to the technology. For those parentswho decide that toddlerhood is the ideal time for such an introduction, it's important to make sure to use quality software and not to use the computer as a replacement for having the toddler engage in other activities. Rather, the computer should be used in addition to the many otheractivities they do for entertainment and pleasure. And those parentswho don't allow their toddlers to use the computer can rest assured that they aren't setting them up to be permanently behind their peers.

    "If you think about it, many of us had no experience using a computer in childhood, yet we manage to use them every day quite successfully," Dr. Burnham says.

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