Establishing Safe Habits From An Early Age
It’s never too early to lay the foundation for safe, healthy online habits! Parents can use their child’s innate curiosity, coupled with the desire to interact with others and manipulate his world, to begin exploring computers.
Many websites offer entertaining and educational activities that are visually appealing to toddlers. Explore them yourself in advance to determine which activities will be appropriate and interesting to your child.
Letting him control the mouse and push keys helps develop manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination. More importantly, this is your first opportunity to establish your role as decision-maker in your child’s internet experience. Narrate your actions during computer time to emphasize proper computer use and appropriate choices.
Here are a few sites intended for toddlers:
www.noggin.com
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/
http://www.sesameworkshop.org/sesamestreet/
http://www.nickjr.com/
The preschool years are a time of awe and wonder for the three and four year old who has discovered he is a separate self, capable of influencing the world around him. The primary developmental tasks at this age are to become socialized and to establish a sense of oneself as capable and significant. This is also the time when a child’s mind is wide open to learning of all kinds.
Just as you are helping your child learn the rules of society and accepted ways of behaving in social settings, begin teaching the rules of online interaction as well. Proper netiquette is an essential skill that all users must respect, in the same way that members of a real-world community adhere to certain standards. These rules ensure that all users are treated with respect and courtesy. They also provide for the safety of all members.
Your child’s dexterity, reasoning, and interactive capabilities are developing more quickly now, giving him the tools to participate more fully in the online experience. Choose sites that match your child’s skills and interest. Bookmark those sites, and teach your child how to access them under your supervision, log in, and start and play games.
As the child becomes more adept at navigating the computer world, you can use the opportunity to compliment good choices, explain what makes other choices less beneficial, and continue to establish and reinforce family rules for computer and internet use.
Many websites for preschoolers focus on educational activities. Listings of highly recommended websites can be found at:
http://www.wcfls.lib.wi.us/phpl/preschoolsites.htm
http://www.literacy.uconn.edu/pksites.htm
http://www.infogrid.com/preschool.htm
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