To not let my three year old use technology

[ohmygodkaren]

I've always thought that not allowing my three year old to use technology was good. Strains her eye's, she can learn using paper and pen etc etc

I was speaking to my sister who made the valid point of when my dad starts school. They will use stuff like iPad and computers.

My dd won't have a clue how too use them.

Can I have some perspective on this?

Should I start allowing her too use it, such as games to learn. How long should she go on it for? What iPads should I buy for her etc etc??

I don't think it is 'evolution' as someone posted on the first page. It doesn't work with our brains and our eyesight, it works against them. Makes children irritable if they're on them a long time, short attention span, no delayed gratification impulse control, no social interaction. This is all with more intensive use, sure, but depends what you think is intensive. Daily is a no no for me. I don't have any. My DD's (3) dad spends two full days a week with her and she goes on his phone sometimes and fully meltdowns when he takes it away. It's that addictive, obsessive effect I really hate.
Keep them off them as long as you can.

I think there’s too much panic about ‘screen time’. Tablets are brilliant. So is poking a puddle with a stick. One doesn’t have to be at the expense of the other. At one point there were arguments against the written word, then fiction was a waste of time, then radio, tv, computers and now tablets. Who knows what technology our kids will be fretting about their own children using.

My DS has been using it since he was about 2 I think. There are some really fun, educational games she could be playing! Cbeebies app and TinyHands to name a few. Technology isn't all bad.

My DS uses technology (iPad , smart board) in pre-school as it forms part of the EYFS framework

My toddler (2) absolutely loves the tablet. He loves you tube, he loves games, he’s extremely adept at using it, all by himself mostly.

He watches counting videos, singing, abc videos. Great stuff.

He’s really good at the games now, sorting, matching colours etc.

He also loves role play, being outdoors, playing with toys.

Best of both. I bloody love technology 😊

I let my DS play with tech at this age heavily supervised, I obviously monitored him and still made sure we did craft and reading etc.

This is going to be a humble brag but he is achieving well above his levels (admittedly in a young age group so all can change), but tech is going to be more important in the generation of 0-7/8 than millenials.

The tech also helped me in this, I could plant him with the tablet whilst I had to do jobs around the house, the perfect childhood/way of raising children has changed with every generation.

But if you do not feel like it, then don't do it, you do do not need to seek clarification or justification for whatever choice you make.

We were initially quite anti kids on tech, then I got a tablet and we discovered we could hand it to the three year old and enjoy a pub lunch in peace. Over a couple of pub lunches our peaceful lunch actually turned into a child desperate to have the tablet in the car on the way there and him being an arsehole when asked to turn it off to, you know, eat.

So we banned it (apart from emergencies such as hair cuts or hospital) and instead we spend a bit of time before pub lunches packing a bag with books, toys and colouring and actually pub lunches are now significantly calmer and as well as colouring etc he joins in our conversations rather than telling us to go away!

Personally, I have no intention of giving my future toddlers, my mobile phone to play with nor giving them a tablet. They can learn to read, craft and use imaginative play instead. AND they can learn manners and boundaries while out, instead of throwing a phone / tablet at them to get them to behave. My DH works in IT and when they are older they can learn real computing skills such as coding. Navigating an tablet and being able to work youtube and play games isn’t rocket science nor a difficult skill to pick up. They don’t need educational apps. That’s what books are for. They’re going to be on mobiles and tablets all the time as they get older. It’s best for them to experince a life beyond a screen.

I was instinctively anti at the start, but I've actually completely changed my mind (and I'm a massive fan of books etc).

I was actually told by a retired head of several outstanding primaries who had been talking to my youngest child that he had also completely changed his mind recently - he thought that it would be far better for my son to carry on with his passion for tech, rather than randomly send him outside "to play".

Technology is the future for our children. Clearly they need a balance (DS also does lots of clubs, goes for long walks, reads a lot etc) and we also have basic rules about tech not stopping conversation, so no tech at the table, never out of the house in restaurants or cars.

But, to be honest, these are the same rules my parents had about me reading!

My 3 year old has an iPad and has been doing some early coding.

Myself and my husband both work in technology so it’s important to us. Technology is the future and it’s important to teach our children to be proficient. All of the future jobs will mostly be programming and engineering based due to machinery taking over most of the manual jobs.

I really don’t get the anti tech attitude, and it’s very common so I have tried. It’s just another option, it’s not going to replace books, or Lego, or running round and round in circles.

I understand that some kids need firm boundaries on things, so tight limits on time may be the best way for some. With others it just becomes forbidden fruit, though. As a kid I had friends who weren’t allowed any videos, so that’s all they wanted to do when I had them over to play, whearas I would rather have played together.

There are some brilliant things you can do with simple apps. Dd loves anything to do with letters and numbers - the alpha blocks game on the CBeebies app is great. But taking a wider view, looking at the back end data of how a child has played a number game has been more effective at measuring their learning than a standardised test. You can see how long tasks take them, if they get quicker as they go, what things they find hard etc so tailor what they work on. And all without the kids having the slightest clue they’re being measured. Much better than putting tiny kids through SATs!

What does "technology is the future" actually mean?
And how is playing app games on a tablet now going to help today's children cope with the technology of the future (when they are adults)?

Ricotta
Technology is the future because children will be unable to communicate unless its through a screen, probably

Teachers are complaining that children are starting school not able to speak properly or not able to put shoes on or eat with a knife and fork, or able to share or deal with having to wait for things
No teacher has ever said children are behind in their use of tech

I don't get the "You need to let your kids use technology as they will use it at school" argument. My kid will use a compass at school, but I'm not going to hand her one at 3 years old. Giving young kids access to small screens like iPads or smartphones can actually slow down their eye tracking development which they need to be able to read and write. Research shows it can take up to 4 years to repair the damage meaning they are 4 years behind other kids in school.

My dd won't have a clue how too use them.

She will pick it up really quickly. The devices are really user friendly and intuitive. She won’t be behind by not having them at home

^I didn’t let mine at that age. They don’t start reception and instantly get access to technology (in my school at least)
They teach them about computers in computer class using mouse etc. I wouldn’t worry about it^

Not true in all schools. In fact many schools no longer have proper Comintern rooms at all.

I teach computing at infant level. From week 1 they have a computer lesson each week. We do have a computer room so some of it is spent on a drain too computer, some in iPads and some 'off-computer' - all from week 1.

Our reception also has iPads in the classroom, with apps linked to their current topic and general eyfs learning. They usually have access to an interactive whiteboard too.

However, an iPad is very easy to use. Most children can pick one up and use one in a few minutes. It's using a computer mouse that I have to spend a lot more time on, that and using a keyboard. I have taught several who have no access to tablets before school and all are very capable of using one within the first lesson.

But do expect your child to be using technology from day 1 of school.

All of the EYFS technology statement can actually be achieved off computer.

When it says completing a program it also doesn't mean coding/programming. They use the word program to refer to an app/piece of software. It doesn't actually have to be on a computer or tablet though. Electronic games such as remote control cars count.
And by having a box painted to look like a computer/TV and a box that pretends to be a computer or dvd drive they can show that they are aware of technology and how it's used. Or pretend traffic lights, atm machines, cash tills, etc.

Technology is the future because children will be unable to communicate unless its through a screen, probably

That sounds rather sinister. Can't children talk - to each other and to adults?

There is also the question of reading and handwriting. I think it is useful to be able to make the eye movements and hand movements that are involved in reading from the printed page. And the development of fine motor skills involved in writing is important for all sorts of manual/practical tasks.

Survival is about being able to function appropriately in a physical world - as well as a virtual/digital one.

I suppose that I would argue that in order to develop a secure sense of self it is important to put the 'real' physical relationships (and learning) first.