When Did Your Child Learn to Use a Computer?

Computers are easy for kids. Worry about and focus on the harder stuff, like using a pencil, a knife and fork, and tying his shoes.

7-year-old has never used one here.
Only what they do in school.
I don't like screen time.
But they do, you know, learn navigation and stuff at school.
I would not worry.

I'd be more worried if a little kid DID know how to use one.Because if that's what they are doing, then it's less play time and active time.

He does not need to know for kindergarten, they are prepared to teach them. My kids learned around three ish to four to work a mouse by typing took much longer. Really all they have to do at that age are learning games that are made to be controlled by a mouse.

A funny story one of my IT professors told me. We think a mouse is an intuitive device because we see it as sliding forward going down, back going up but that is actually a function of us having already been taught to look at the screen as a flat object. Kids that young haven't been taught that so when given a mouse they will lift it up when they want the cursor to go up. That is what you have to teach them, see the screen as a an extension of the desk top.

The kids will use a real computer in kindergarten. They often to go sites like starfall.com. They need to use the computer at home to reinforce what they're learning at school in my opinion. The kids have their own computer and it's in the main room of the house and it always will be.

This way there is no chance they'll ever get to a site we don't know about. We also are the admin's of that computer so we can see everything they do, they can't hide it from the program hubby put on it.

I think getting him a play computer is odd, why can't he use your computer?

I can't imagine a play computer would teach him any skills to use a real one.

I think he needs to use your computer and have sites he can go to that are for kids his age.

starfall.com and other sites like that have tons of good games for kiddo's to use and learn from.

Most kids have no issue learning how to use these items. Tablets are much more common and extremely intuitive (notice there is not not a user manual for the iPad). Now that I think about it, my 3 year old has never used a mouse or keyboard. My son did have an old fashion computer (mouse/keyboard) in the kindergarten classroom last and the kids got to play learning games. Most kids use a touch screen at home.

I think if you have a used one around let him explore. If not, no big deal. In no time the touch screens will be old fashion too.

Keep in mind, my husband is a graphic artist so at about 4 (this was almost 20 yrs ago).. Our daughter was sitting with him sometimes as he shared his computer with her. In kindergarten they taught them to be pretty proficient at using word and how to do a few animation thing..

SHE is the one that taught me how to use the computer! She told me "not to be afraid of the mouse". "Not to worry, yu will not hurt the computer."

My husband used way too much technical jargon.. she would just say, "push this button". "This little picture means a new empty page."
"This is where you can find your new page with your words on it."
"This is how you can erase your words.."

Pretty funny.. I was clueless her head was barely above the desk while she stood next to me, as she guided me through emails and Forms for the PTA..

Awesome memories, she says she slightly remembers..

No don't worry about it. He'll pick up whatever skills he needs in school.

All 3 of my kids are proficient with computers. They had good knowledge of using a mouse and keyboard by 3. I think it's essential with today's world being so technology driven, that kids grow up knowing how to use these things.

They learned by going on the computer, by 3 most of mine are pretty proficient at it.

I would not worry about it. For one thing, kids will come with a big variety of experiences. And kids take to it like ducks to water. If they teach him, he won't have bad habits to unlearn.

We were on the other end of the spectrium. My oldest was learning what the letters were by the keyboard. We had a program (1991) that would sing a song if he pressed the right key. He was 22 mths.

I worked a lot on the em-pooter (my little ones first pronunciation) when my girls were small so they were very familiar with a mouse and kids games etc. from about 2-3.

One thing I know for sure is children born after the late nineties seem to have an inate ability to just KNOW how current technology works. Other than playing some very simple games my girls were never formally taught anything. They can now outsmart me on every device we own.

When they were around three or four I started letting them play on PBS Kids once in a while. There were some Sesame Street learning games they liked to play. I just let them use my pc. When I got my lap top I gave them the pc.

My son just finished kindergarten. He had used the computer a little bit before, but not much and often on a laptop so he really didn't have experience with a mouse. They had computer class once a week - on the first day, it took them the entire half hour just to get the kids to log themselves in. And that was ok - that was expected. Most of the kids will have little experience and they'll learn once they get there.

Way to late. I thought I was doing a good thing by not giving him much screen time as a toddler but he was way behind the other kids , when he started school. He caught up quick, though.

My daughter had computer lab several times a week in Kindergarten. They also used computer for the accelerated reading program she was in.

Both of my girls were pretty good at using the computer at age 3. My youngest is kind of a computer whizz.

Your son will learn quickly whether you have him do it now or wait until he has to do it in class.

We got the Reader Rabbit programs when my son was about 2. He loved them and it helped him learn the key board and mouse. He also took a "computer" class in preschool where they taught the basics. It probably isn't completely necessary for your son to use a computer right now but they do start using the computer in elementary school so it is probably good for him to be exposed to it ahead of time.

My son learned in first grade. His preschool and kindergarten were screen free - a great thing. There is no reason in the world to expose him to screens any earlier than his school will.

My oldest is going into 2nd and will have a Rosetta Stone computer French language course this year. She's played some games on library computer before that. Kids don't need to learn how to use screens early. Whatever computers are out there when they are entering workplace will be completely different than ours now. Studies show that learning is not as deep on computer programs as it is from a written page. Young kids need to learn to think and write and read and build and play instruments, not learn how to push buttons. It's easy to learn computers any time and kids always catch up immediately whenever they start them. I homeschool (though my daughter went to private K4 and there were no computers in that school until 3rd grade). I also know some public school kids and the first graders in my area are not on screens yet.

I taught my granddaughter at age 4 on a pc. She had toy laptops, but never really got into them. She really loved the real one.

I think it is important to teach them if for no other reason, hand eye coordination! And typing is a must these days so he should learn the keyboard.

Also, another perk is that my granddaughter got much more excited about learning to read so she could read the things on the screen!

All a win-win!

To learn, I just got the game on the screen, showed her how to make her "people" move and then left her alone. It didn't take long and she was surfing the net (with my supervision).

Pre K was the first time he had real use of the computer at school. At home he began using gaming systems around 3 and he had access to the home computer when he was 4. In kinder they had computer lab once a week and my son had access to the class computer daily as it helped with his MLP.