[mommariffic]

So, at what age did you start letting your kids use the computer?

My toddler, who's almost 2, says "play game!" but has no idea WHAT game/how to use a computer. My husbands super nerdy, and loves going on and playing games, and I wanted to know what age you let your kids indulge?

Also, are there any "kids computers" out there for beginners?

 

[4evermom]

My ds started climbing on my lap and commandeering the computer around 18 months. www.pbskids.org has some online games for younger kids. Some are simple click and drag. Some have pictures where you click on something and something happens. I used to open up a word processing program and set the type a little large and ds would push letters on the keyboard and watch them pop up on the screen.

 

[nov05mama]

DS started around age 2. He didn't really get that good at mouse control for a while, but mostly b/c I was afraid to let him have too much control and mess up my computer

Now, he's a pro! He started off with Starfall.com and PBSkids.org

We are hoping to eventually get a new computer for ME and then I will setup this one for him for all his games.

 

[Plummeting]

I also let DD onto Word to type in large, colored font when she was maybe 18 months old. She lost interest in that sometime when she was 2 and didn't get on the computer again until she was 4, when I found online coloring activities for her. Now she occasionally plays the free stuff at Jumpstart, some games on pbskids and a few other things here and there and she colors online almost every day.

 

[harmonyhobbit]

2 or 3. By 4 he had his own favorites and could navigate them pretty well.

We started with Starfall.com, PBS KIDS (still one of his faves) Fisher-Price and Nick Jr.

 

[phathui5]

I think ds1 was around 3 1/2. Dd was 4. Ds2 and ds3 don't use the computer yet.

 

[Stugroupie]

We started around 2yo with Starfall. When my son was smaller, he would just point at the screen and I would use the mouse to do the clicking, dragging, etc. Now my 5yo ds helps my 3yo dd use Starfall in the same way.

 

[amandaleigh37]

DS is 29 months and plays games on starfall.com. It took no time at all before he learned how to navigate the mouse and pretty the letters he wanted on the keyboard. I only allow him about 20 min. of computer time a day, but it took him no time to pick it up.

 

[skueppers]

I don't remember when my daughter started using the computer, but I'd say she wasn't really all that good with the mouse until around the time she turned 4. Now at almost 4.5, she has no trouble clicking, dragging, navigating around pbskids.org, etc.

My 2-year-old likes to watch his sister use the computer, but he's nowhere near using it himself.