Best computer for a four-year-old
Being something of a geek, I am often asked; “What computer should I buy?” I try to offer good advice but any computer can break the day after you get it. Last week I was asked; “What computer should I buy for my four-year-old nephew?”
“None. Four year old kids shouldn’t be sitting in front of a computer.” This answer always surprises them because they constantly hear about how kids should have computers.
But kids will spend enough of their lives looking at glowing screens. A child that young should be doing something that involves bodily movement. I said; “Give him a magnifying glass – about six bucks. Or a pair of binoculars, or a non-electric scooter. In a couple years, a pair of walkie-talkies. Go fishing.”
He said; “I guess he could kill bugs with a magnifying glass.”
“Sure,” I said, “but try to get him to look at the bugs, too. Go with him and try to find a spider eating a bug.”
Yes, there are hazards in kids being outside by themselves. At least they’re safe, sitting in front of the screen, right? Then we don’t have to worry…
Here-here! (And I bet the adult still went out and bought a computer for their 4 year old)
And I have decided that I am also concerned about the amount of highly coloured, bright plastic toys with hi-tech bells and whistles that we buy and give to our very young children under the age of four. I wonder if this over-stimulation is where the “I’m bored” all begins because our kids have been given such lovely things on a plate.
I think our kids become so over-stimulated from external stimulus that the brain loses the ability to stimulate itself.
The best toy I ever got was three empty refrigerator boxes my uncle brought me.
A cardboard box and an old beat up sauce pan. Now, those were the days.
My grandpa was a pretty smart man. He allowed the best to gifts for a kid was an alarm clock and a set of small screwdrivers. Keep the little shit busy for days.
Doris: I tend to agree with you. I’m not so sure it’s just the stimulation, though. In a way, it may be the lack of a different kind of stimulation.
What the electronic stuff presents is a kind of fait accompli. It directs the child. Yeah, yeah, with a computer and (protected?) internet access the world opens up, but it’s basically just one kind of stimulation. With simple toys and tools, the imagination is forced to engage. What IS a big, empty cardboard box? WHY do some leaves have smooth edges and some not? HOW can I see even smaller things than I can with this little magnifying glass?
When I was a kid, my cousin and I had a lot of baseball cards. My grandma’s house had a living room and dining room (that was actually used as a sewing room, so there was no dining room table) that were open to each other. With those baseball cards, we set up the cards on the floor and played baseball with butter knives and styrofoam balls. Once I hit the ball, I’d have to move my batter card around the bases before my cousin could get retrieve the ball and tag the card “out”. We created our own rules for ground rule doubles, home runs, etc.
I also had an electric baseball game (with the vibrating base), but this was a lot more fun. The social interaction made it dynamic, and it was never boring.
It is counter-intuitive to many, but the simpler an object, often the better it can engage one’s creativity. It’s one reason why I prefer older, mechanical cameras to digi-bricks.
LOL Give me my digi-brick camera any day!