under 5's and computer games

My grandson is four and is able to use age appropriate computer games which his parents have bought, as well as stuff off the net. He learned to use a mouse pretty quickly. They also use computers at his pre-school. His computer use is strictly rationed, both at his house and at ours. I do think limited use is beneficial and he is by no means addicted to it - his favourite thing at the moment is mini lego and playmobil. He also gets lots of outside play, and swims with Grandad and I during the week. A happy balance is perfectly achievable.

My granddaughter (5 in August) has been using my computer since she was about two and a half. There are some fantastic 'fun' educational games on the net. She's been at school since January and is doing really well with her reading, largely I would say due to the computer as well as reading books etc.

One thing I did was to cover the letters on my keyboard with little sticky lower case letters rather than the usual capital letters found on keyboards, I think I bought them off ebay.

She loves using the computer but she also loves playing with her dolls and having fun outside.

I must admit to struggling with this one. My grandsons aged 8 and 11 (DD's children) have an Xbox at our house and I do try to ration the time they spend on it. But we do have a few tantrums when it comes to switching the computer off.

On the other hand my son's three children, twins of 4 and their sister who is 9, don't have access to computer games and do seem to play with their toys and use their imagination a lot more.

Using the computer is something my 4 year old grandson is very competant with. He plays the games that are on CBeebies. Not only has his computer skills improved, but the games have taught him how to count, the alphabet and how to read,

He has his own computer, which is only set up for the CBeebies site, and he doesnt sit there all day playing on it, but is allowed to use it when he feels like it. I had to pick him up from nursery on wednesday and when i took him back to his house he wanted his computer on. Now i am no stranger to computers, but i had to ask him how to switch it on, and when i managed that a request for a password was shown, when i asked if he knew what we had to do next, he promptly hit the tab key, then typed in his name and pressed return.

Childrens concentration doesnt last long, so they tend not to spend the hours older children spend on computers, and shortly after this episode he was wanting to go on a bike ride with grandma following on foot.

Ah, thanks, I'll leave it till he's that bit older, then. The only computer he could use is in my office, which is Sacred and Forbidden Territory, as far as he is concerned.

(It's actually full of junk and stuff that will hurt him/he can damage, put away while he's young.)

Hello Greyhairedworrier I think www.kneebouncers.com would be better. Your grandchild might like poisson rouge, but children are not generally able to use mouse until 2yrs 9 months or 3.

How about not-quite 2 year olds?

I have experience on this one! Three year olds get very competent with the mouse very quickly as they explore all the various games. There are so many different activities which develop both hand-eye co-ordination and other skills. It can be addictive to grans though!!

Yes very impressive, would a three year old enjoy short periods of time on this?

I am very impressed with how easy this would be to store!!!

Thanks for the link, eGJ, I DO like it!

Being computer savvy and mouse competent is a great help; you don't have to play ALL the time. Playing with toys and board games develop other abilities. Rationing works. Try poisson rouge - http://www.poissonrouge.com/bocal.php I recommend it to all my Early Years and Foundation children. Parents love it too; you give it a try Greyhairedworrier & babyjack.

I don't think he'll be disadvantaged by not using a computer before he starts school- being out and about, playing in the fresh air is much better for them.