Though
introducing the computer to a child of such a young
age is unnecessary, and for some babies
uninteresting, many parents find it a fun activity
to share with their little ones.
By the
time a child reaches toddler-age, and certainly by
the preschool years, families with computers will
find their kids clamoring for a turn! It is not
hugely difficult to "use" a computer,
especially with the many easy-to-use software titles
available for kids today. As such, there shouldn't
be any pressure to get your child on the computer
before preschool. However, children with older
siblings might be putting the pressure on their
parents!
Helping
a young child to learn to use the mouse successfully
has become a lot easier in the past few years thanks
to well-designed software and hardware currently
available. Software designed specifically for
toddlers started hitting the shelves in 1997, and
baby software soon followed. The fact is, there is
quite a market for these products.
I
introduced my youngest child to the computer right
around her first birthday.
Reader
Rabbit Toddler was her first software and
she loved it! I started off by sitting her in my lap
and playing the game myself, talking about what I
was doing the whole time. I emphasized how I needed
to move the mouse to go to favorite activities. Then
I started to ask her how to, for example, play with
shapes. She motioned to the mouse -- an important
first step, as she recognized the need to do something
with the mouse in order to activate her favorite
activity. Of course she got tired of watching me
play, and ended up grabbing the mouse herself. By 13
months old, she was able to play the game and use
the mouse deliberately, and shortly after had
graduated to the next stage of software.
Software
designed for babies and toddlers generally feature a
keyboard option. Random taps on the keyboard will bring forth
onscreen reactions (for example, a shape will fall
into place in a puzzle, a splat of color will appear
on a coloring template, and so forth). While kids
will enjoy getting such immediate results, I
recommend bypassing this step altogether unless a
child is clearly frustrated and daunted by mouse
use, yet still is determined to "play"
with the computer. This method teaches cause and
effect, and not much more.
In a
previous article, we gave some suggestions on how to
help a child get accustomed to the mouse. It bears
repeating that the mouse pointer speed should
be adjusted so that it is slowed down. Default mouse
settings are simply too fast for a novice
"mouser". Patience is also necessary, and
parental involvement essential. Playing the games
with your child in your lap and talking through
every step will hasten and smooth the whole process.
Swiping
Skills
While a
child can easily learn how to click the mouse,
moving it deliberately across the screen is more
difficult. Making the connection between moving the
mouse in a certain direction and the cursor moving
the same way across the screen is an important, if
challenging, step to mouse mastery.
Software
There
are a few programs that greatly assist young
children with this task. While Fisher
Price Ready for School: Toddler Level 1
allows a child to click anywhere on the screen to
get a reaction (not much more significant than the
keyboard option), titles like
Reader
Rabbit Toddler and JumpStart
Toddlers require a child to move the mouse
to a desired spot and hold it there.
A newer
computer game that is unique for introducing
children not only to the computer mouse, but also
provides a good orientation toward using the
computer in general, is Shelly's My First
Computer Game by
ABT.
Young children explore an interactive storybook,
Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and are rewarded
when they click and double-click the mouse.
A
wonderful toddler program that is probably the
easiest to use of the whole lot is Disney's
Mickey Mouse Toddler. Not only is this
program educational and fun, rollover "mousing"
brings great rewards. Navigation is not confusing at
all. This title is exceptionally designed! Now
available in an economical bundle, Disney Learning Toddler,
for the price of one software program, families
receive Mickey Mouse Toddler as well as Disney's
Winnie the Pooh Toddler and a Rolie Polie
Olie program (the latter title is inappropriate
for toddlers).
Coloring
a scene is an excellent exercise for developing
swiping skills. In Reader Rabbit Toddler,
there are coloring activities in which a child
swipes the mouse and a trail of color follows them
for immediate results! Other activities provide
errorless experiences as children experiment with
the mouse and gain confidence in their new-found
skills.
JumpStart
Advanced Toddlers is nothing like the original
JumpStart Toddlers. Though it is bright and features
click-free activities, it is best used once a child
has gained some experience with the mouse. Some of the
activities require more advanced thinking skills as
well, making this title a perfect intermediate
toddler software choice.
Some
good baby software picks include Reader
Rabbit Playtime with Baby and Sesame
Street Baby. Both titles are fun
to use as "lapware". The only problem with
Sesame Street Baby is that it
doesn't easily grow with a child. Once mouse skills
are mastered, navigation is difficult for kids who
are ready to use the software independently of their
parents. Otherwise, it features vivid graphics and
wonderful activities that are divided into keyboard
and mouse games.
Titles
designed for young children that are not
effective in terms of actually teaching
mouse skills include JumpStart Baby with Baby Ball,
Sesame Street Toddlers, and The Land Before Time
Toddler Time.
Hardware
Trackballs
are available (such as Microsoft Easy Ball),
and some parents swear by them! In my own
experience, I have found they are an unnecessary
step. Learning to use a mouse is much more
practical!
On
the other hand, a newer product line called the Little
Mouse series by Secret Seven is truly useful.
These products are identical to a regular
mouse, only scaled down to a child's hand size! The
company's Tiny Mouse is roughly
half the size of a regular mouse, and is recommended
for children up to age 5. It sports a wheel that can
be pressed when a child needs to double-click (a
difficult task for most kids). A slightly bigger
mouse for kids ages 6-9 is the Little Mouse.
The buttons are larger for maximum customization to
different hand sizes. Both types of mouse have
color-coded left and right buttons, making it easier
for children to understand the idea of
right-clicking and left-clicking. (Kids will more
easily grasp the concept of red and blue as opposed
to left and right). USB connectors are available for
newer computers, allowing both an adult mouse and
one of these child-sized ones to be connected and
functional at the same time. Included with each
mouse is a software diskette that allows for further
mouse customization. (The Tiny Mouse is available
here: E-Book TINY MOUSE USB ( TM-USB )).
Are all
of these products designed for the youngest of computer
users really necessary? Probably not! However, they
do make life a little easier for children anxious to
enter the magical and often educational world of
computer software.
