Should a 4 year old be allowed on a computer?

Question

My Sister allows her 4 year old daughter to play on the computer.

Answer 1

I think that it should be allowed if not encouraged for a toddler or a young child to play on the computer with some restrictions-

-They should be monitered at all times
-They should be given specific websites that they are and are not allowed to visit
-limit the amout of time the child can spend on the computer

I think it is a very good idea to allow a young child to play on the computer also because it helps to stimulate their brain and allow it to grow.

It opens up new ideas to them and creates new possibilities. Who knows? we may have our next bill gates on our hands! ;)

I think you should encourage your sister to still allow their child to play on the PC as long as some limitations and precautions are taken.

Answer 2

My daughter has been "using" the computer since she was 2. Sesamestreet.com has tons of educational games, even for little ones. There is something called "Keyboard O-Rama" that features Elmo. When you press a letter he tells you what it is and a picture comes up of a word that starts that letter. It was very educational and entertaining. My daughter began to use the mouse by the age of 3, and learned how to read some commonly used words in her games, like "exit" or "start", or "go". She's limited to the amount of time she spends on the computer (usually about an hour or so) and doesn't go on every single day. But she's learned TONS from the games we've purchased and from the games on-line (from Noggin, PBS, and Disney). I'm in the room when she's playing; so I know she's not surfing the web or anything. I think if the computer is used as a learning tool and introduced that way at a young age; it can be a powerful form of education.

Answer 3

My son is 6 years old and I encourage him to play on the computer for this reason. The world is changing and alot of the jobs out there have computer use involved, If my son is comfortable using the computer then he will always have those skills he has learned and will it not help his chances of sucess in the future? I find it cute that he learned how to change his log on icon before I did. I do moniter what he looks at and where he goes on the net so yeah, It is good for a child to become familiar with technology. I have hopes that he will become a program designer because he's very good at figuring things out and his paint pics on the computer are superb. He does his spelling list on the notepad program and he would rather do it that way instead of writing on paper.

Answer 4

being on the computer and on the Internet are two totally different things. One can be playing a game (educational or not) and be fine. as long as they arnt spending an enormous amount of time on the computer. Just as too much TV is bad for a child or people in general, too much computer is bad too (and I know that from experience) just set a time and explain whats going to happen as far as the time limit. children of that age will usually get bored pretty fast anyway, however its good to have a time limit, so they don't get used to being on the computer all day long. and make sure the Internet is not connected unless you are supervising, because now a days anything you hit can lead you to inappropriate things, and even if she doesn't know what it is, she may remember later anyway... :)

Answer 5

They should be supervised and use age-appropraite software. I allow my 4 year old to use Word... to practice typing and learning her letters. She also uses it to copy and paste pictures.
I also allow her to use the Paint program so she can create beautiful pictures, then I either save them in a folder just for her or I print them out.
I even taught my daughter how to correctly shut down the computer when she is done playing. You would be amazed at the things they learn at such a young age. Be careful and ATTENTIVE!!!

Answer 6

Yes, with parental guidance. Kids in the world today need to know a little about a computer to make it in school. My children, 8 & 11, started using the computer in kindergarten. They play math and reading games and take AR tests on the computer. I wouldn't let mine use one unsupervised on the internet, but with me right there or just playing learning games off of the internet, yes.

Answer 7

I agree, she shouldn't know how to get into the 'bad' sites. If she is doing kid stuff, and is closely supervised, I see nothing wrong. Her time should be limited so she don't become addicted. EXAMPLE. My nephew (now 13) was playing Nintendo 64 PERFECT by the time he was 4 because thats all his mom and my brother let him do to keep him out of their hair. Now they have an AHAD (?) child that gets mad when he can't play games all day. Spending too much time on the puter is not good.. for anyone.

Answer 8

Only learning programs at this young age and close supervision. Here in NY children in kindergarten are introduced to computers at age 4 & 5. Of course it's age appropriate, learning, skill building software.

Answer 9

So long as it is a game appropriate for a child and the child is supervised. And, the computer is not the only thing that the child plays with throughout the day.

Answer 10

I think toddlers on computer is a fantastic idea! Of course, carefully monitored. The best way to satrt them out is to just let them type. It's surprising how well it'll teach them to respect the computer and their time spent on it. Then, if they were allowed to play games or use certain software, it's always very important for them to have proper adult supervision.