Personal computer for DC - at what age and what kind?

[kozachka]

DS will be turning 6 in just over a month and MIL wants to buy him his own computer, most likely a laptop. While DS likes to use my laptop, I am wondering if he is too young to have his own computer. Hence the question, at what age did your DC get his/her own computer and was it a desktop, laptop or net version of either?

What rules (besides not 'talking' to strangers) do you have for your 6-7 year old DC as far as computers go? Right now DS uses computer 1-2 times per week for starfall.com or to play educational games on CD. He is just learning to read and write in English so I am not concerned about social networking sites and e-mail. And I don't allow food or drink next to computer.

Personally, I think DS is too young to have his own laptop and would probably benefit from it more in a year but at the same time I don't want to deny it to him if he could benefit from it.

[kijip]

Here is our rundown, T is 6 and we have had a computer for him for 2 years:

-Desktops are more stable and less breakable than laptops and my husband and I each have a pricey Mac laptop so we did not want to worry about those getting broken. We got an older iMac for T used. For the computer + a new mac keyboard and mouse it was around $125 (IIRC) to set up. By old I mean candy colored case old but it runs OS10 fine and works well for him.

-Software he uses: KidPics, Stories by You (me?), some language ones and Word. The program that came with his microscope. iPhoto.

-Web rules- only sites that we have approved and added to his favorites, no chat/community sites. Log-ins for kids sites like Lego and Crayola go through mom's spam email addy and never include his full name or last name.

-Computer is set up on a desk in a common area, not in bedroom.

-Only 5 printed sheets per day that the computer is used (usually 1-4 times a week) unless special permission is given. If we don't limit printing, we would burn through a ream of paper a month for him. Pricey and wasteful and clutter inducing. Prints get used for art project or they go in a binder at his desk.

-T is good about self regulating his screen time so we don't have to set a specific limit, however if mom or dad says it's time to get off to go somewhere etc, no whining or you can't use it the next day.

[egoldber]

Sarah ha salways had her own desktop computer. DH built her one from spare parts we had LOL and it saves us having to worry about her accidentally deleting files, downloading a virus, etc.

She started off using free sites like nickr.com and pbskids.com and then some simple kid games. Now (and starting at around 6) she mainly uses free games downloaded from various sites (shockwave, playfirst, etc.).

I don't have any rules really. She does not play every day, some days she plays more than others, and she knows homework comes first.

[JMS]

Originally Posted by kijip

\ We got an older iMac for T used. For the computer + a new mac keyboard and mouse it was around $125 (IIRC) to set up. By old I mean candy colored case old but it runs OS10 fine and works well for him.

Katie.. ... can I ask how you went about finding an older, but reliable iMac. DD would actually love one of the candy colored ones

[KrisM]

DS and DD have open use of our laptops now and we are getting DH a new one and looking for a space to make his old laptop the kids laptop.

My kids each have a webpage and a button at the top of the browser with their name on it. They are allowed to go to the places on their webpage. Basically, it's a favorites, but DD's has pictures of all the places, since she doesn't read at all yet.

DS has things like Disney, the weather report, local radar, our family's page, a couple YouTube links to marble runs and dominos - he knows when to stop and go back.

They use the laptop in the kitchen, so we are close by.

We haven't gotten to sites requiring logging in yet.

[kijip]

Originally Posted by JMS

Katie.. ... can I ask how you went about finding an older, but reliable iMac. DD would actually love one of the candy colored ones

Someone sold it to us for a little bit off Craigslist. We did get a new keyboard and mouse because I was not wild about all the crud in an old keyboard.

http://www.lowendmac.com/ often has deals linked from used computer sellers. I have seen them for as little as $39-69 online. You want one of the later releases, 2000 or 2001 or so. We have the Indigo from summer 2001. http://www.apple-history.com/ allows you to see the specs of each Mac and the max OS it will run.

[ellies mom]

We haven't set one up for Ellie yet because we are trying to figure out the logistics (laptop or desktop and where it would go). But I did want to mention something that a friend does with her son's desktop. They have it set up so that only the "administrator" can make changes to the system. Any changes her son makes by accident are automatically reset when the computer is turn off for the day.

I like the idea of a web page with "favorites". That is definitely on our list of things to set up when we get around to setting something up for her.

[cheri]

DD#1 got her first desktop (blue iMac) for her first birthday. DH bought it on ebay for $50-60. It runs OS9, so he bought lots of software for it on ebay for next to nothing. She primarily used it to look at Dr. Seuss' ABC--it was her favorite book for a long time, and the computer program makes the book look like an abridged version .

We moved about a year ago, and ended up using online videos during the move to keep her entertained. There was no turning back after that; she knew that the internet was entertaining and would ask for specific websites by name. She primarily used DHs computer, since her desktop didn't have the capability to do much online.

For her third birthday, DH put together a Mac laptop using parts from our old ones. This was a huge hit. She likes PBSKids.com, Noggin.com (now NickJr), and Panwaba Island. The laptop met an untimely end when a glass of apple juice got spilled on the keyboard. There has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth since its demise (on her part and ours). She uses DH's laptop now, when she can talk him into it. She continues to use her desktop to play games (Chick-fil-A did a kids' meal prize a few month back that had software that ran on her computer). So far, we haven't limited what she can look at online. She has sites bookmarked on the computers, and pretty much stays on them. If she clicks on a link and gets stuck, she is certain to let us know. We don't really limit the time she's online. She may be online a couple of hours one day, and then none the next.

DD#2 has an iMac (green, given to us by a friend) in her room. She loves to turn it on, and really likes to hear the ABC song on Dr. Seuss's ABC. I ended up buying a Leap toy that looks like a laptop so that she could have buttons to push--and so she'd leave mine alone.

We're a Mac family, and we don't have TV, so the internet and books are our primary means of entertainment.

[SnuggleBuggles]

We have no use for one here. We have a desktop and a laptop and ds uses the desktop. I feel no need for him to have his own computer. That's just extra stuff, imo. Sometimes someone has to wait to use a computer but it just isn't a big deal- there are many other things any of could be doing besides using the computer.

Beth

[alirebco]

Originally Posted by SnuggleBuggles

We have no use for one here. We have a desktop and a laptop and ds uses the desktop. I feel no need for him to have his own computer. That's just extra stuff, imo. Sometimes someone has to wait to use a computer but it just isn't a big deal- there are many other things any of could be doing besides using the computer.

Beth

I agree with this and my DS is not at the computer age. My SIL's children have each had their own computers in their own rooms for a long time and I am not comfortable with that. To me, it's the same as having their own tv in their room - something I wasn't allowed as a child and something I want to enforce with my children as well. One of her kids was looking up death online and came across some very scary pictures, not something that should happened IMO if the computer is in a public place while the parents are around.

We might be the odd ones out, but DS doesn't do tv or computer here at almost 2 and probably won't for a while. We also don't agree with children having cell phones, especially in light of the EWG reports showing how bad they are for children in terms of increased risk for brain tumors.