supervised that is ,he is a little challenged and I found starfall.com and he loves it and I think its a great website but I dont want to burn him out at the same time I dont want to hold him back? I think he would stay on it all day if I would let him. I have been letting him play for a couple hours in the morning and a couple in the evening ,do you think its too much? Right now we are just trying to learn his ABCs and its working wonders. Its a lot easier than the flash cards. He is going to headstart pre school this year again and I want to help him as much as I can this summer.
He doesnt get to play on it everyday as last weekend we were at family reunion and a civil war reenactment and this coming weekend he and I are going camping at a kids camp. I think I made it sound like thats all he does is play on the computer ,I taught him to ride his two wheeled bike and he loves his sand box. We live on a farm so he is 100% boy and gets plenty of outside exercise. Thanks for all the advice ,I dont write much on here but have been reading this site for over a year, I start my parenting classes tonight to freshen up my skills :)
I try to limit my daughter to about 20 mins at a time, sometimes i lose track of time and she is on there for 45 min. i will let her play once maybe twice a day.
1/2 hour tops supervised. Children are not supposed to be on the tv/computer combined or separate for more than an hour a day. Any activities like swim, dance, rock climbing, playing with friends, chores etc are better for his development.
I think it's smart to set limits on how much computer/tv time kids get. And if you set the expectation at an early age, it will be there when they are older! At that age, I let my kids have about 30-45 minutes at a time. Usually I set a timer for 30 mintues, but if they were in the middle of a game when it went off, they could finish it. They can "earn" extra time for helping around the house/good behavior, etc. Not more than 30-60 extra minutes a week.
Another great site is www.pbskids.org. Or see if your local library has a link to tumblebooks.
Good Morning L.!
The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests 1-2 hours of "media" (TV, computer, Hand held electronic games) per day. Our family follows that guidline. 2 hours on "non-school days" and 1 on school days.
Another good resource for learning ABC's and sounds is the Leapster refridgerator magnets. My kids (all 4!) have loved moving them around on the refridgerator and putting them in the little machine that sings a song of what letter it is and what sound it makes. It gives the kids a real concrete and tactile way in which to become familiar with their letters.
Hope this is helpful! Good Luck!
B.
hey L.
it sounds like you are doing it right 11/ at a time is more then enuff as long as it learing games .congrat on getting to be a full time day keep up the great work
My 10 yearold boys (twins) get three hours a day. One hour in the morning, one in the afternoon and one in the evening.
Of course they want more time but I think that since it's summer they need to be outside getting fresh air. I think when they are in school, two hours after school would be plenty. Maybe they can do their three hours again on the weekends. Of course they always want more time. One of my boys always asks for unlimited time. lol
I think that 2hrs at a time is too much. I would do only one hour at a time, morning and evening, especially if he is also watching an hour or more of tv a day. There are many important things to be learned from playing outside and real play with toys. It's not good for him to be staring at a computer for 4 hrs of his day. Do you play with him on the computer or is he on his own? If he is on his own, then that is 4 hrs of isolation and that is not good for a 4yr old either. Educational or not, screen time needs to be limited.
There is nothing evil about the computer. It's what's ON the computer that is the problem. My kids loved mom approved sites (they only think the computer can do moms work, school work, and 3 fun things...LOL). Like it or not, computers are vital and kids must be skilled at using them at an early age. It is far different than plopping your kid up in front of the TV...they will be using computers much of their day in school eventually so it has to be integrated into their lives early. Learning is learning, be it on the computer or with pen and paper. I find that my kids start losing interest just about the time I think they've been on long enough anyway, so it works out.
Trust yourself...if your motives are educational and not just simply entertaining your child for hours on end, his computer time won't be much of an issue.
I let my son 3 1/2 have about an hour a day of media time. He often watches a 1/2 hour show in the am, so he gets about 1/2 hour on the computer. I have heard good things about that web site, but don't forget to make sure he is getting lots of time to run around and get exercise...and also time to build social skills too!
L.~
Check out Jump Start World too. My Dtr loves that as well as Starfall. Some kids just learn better thru visual input and it sounds like you son is one of them. I try to limit my kids computer time but the reality is, they much prefer games and computers to other activities so it's always a battle. I just do my best to get a balance.
That is alot for a 4 year old to be on a computer. 30 min max. I am a physical therapist and the best for him is to be outside interacting with dad or other kids as much as possible, getting as much physical stimulation so he will be physically tired and not just mentally tired. Ask your pediatrician what they think. ours says not more than 1 hour for TV and computers a day combined. she is now seeing many kids who spend too much time on the computer who can not sleep because they are overstimulated by the computer.The best activity he can have is you. Good luck you will know your son better instead of a child who is on the computer.
L.,
Congratulations! You're doing something that is educational so I woulnd't worry about it too much. Another great learning tool, especially for ABC's and the letter sounds, is Leapfrog DVD's called Letter Factory. They sell for $10 at Target. My son loves to watch them and has learned his letter sounds very quickly. I only wish I had known about them when my daughter was struggling with this issue.
Relax and enjoy your little boy. It sounds like you're doing a great job!
C.
