Have any of your 6 yr olds got their own laptop?

[LucyJones]

Or is it me who thinks it's completely unnecessary

and where do we stand on 6 yr olds and ds lites?

DS is 8 and does not have a laptop. Asks for one though! He does have a DS but only uses it travelling etc. We have a family PS2 and a Wii. He plays on the PS mostly. Has use of family pc.

We will maybe get hima laptop if he needs for secondary school.

So all those who don't have them are you eligible for the gov scheme? And would you get one if you were ?

My dds are 10&8 and have asked but they can use mine & have use of a computer at their dads so not going be allowed much more if they had their own.

my children had a shared pc from about the age of 5. Dh didn't want them using his, so he gave them his old one.

Mine are 8 & 6 and don't have their own laptop but are fantastic on mine especially the 8 yo who uses it to google dinasaur facts.

6yo asked if he could have a mobile the other day though as "all his friends have one!"

DD got a pink netbook for her 7th birthday. Why? Because the only other computer in the house is my laptop an I didn't want to share. She had previosuly had an old one of ours for a year or so before.

She got a DS for Christmas when she was 5.5y. She loves it but is in no way obsessed wth it. She plays with it every so often.

Works for us. Each to their own and all that.

Dd1 would love one. She is 6. She has been asking for one for xmas and her birthday for the last two years running. She has been told the same thing each year. Once she is 14 she can start a paperround and save for her own laptop, otherwise we will buy her one when she starts uni. I am an evil mother apparently. She can have supervised use of thye family pc.

DS lite fine. Dd1 loves hers.

I don't buy D's birthday and Christmas gifts absed on necessity. She doesn't need Sylvanian Families. She doesn't need craft kits, she doesn't need books. But she does have them all. Also, just becase a child has technology to play with it doesn't mean she doesn't do other stuff too. She still plays outside, she still plays with friends, she still reads loads, she still plays with toys, etc.

we all have own own pcs - dh and the kids have desktops, I have a laptop

saves arguments

Am I the only person to be a bit that a 4yo asked for a laptop computer for Christmas?

What happened to a doll's pram?

Sorry shiny I see quite clearly you didn't give her one. But why did she want one? IS it peer pressure do you think?

(LOL @ all the 6yo's pals have a mobile!)

In our family of 6 we have 3 laptops and a netbook, 2 oldest dd's have a laptop each for homework, internet access to high school study wiz and facebook etc they are aged 15 an 13 and both use them every day.
Youngest children ds's age 5 and 7 both use the laptop to connect to lego club,cbeebies, they can both use it to print off pictures to colour in, they amaze me with their ability to use it.
We also have 2 ds's, a dsi, and a wii, but to be honest most of them are used in the winter and as soon as the weather is nice we are all outside on bikes and playing.
I really don't see the big deal, why ban a wii, we have great family fun on it.I took great delight in beating my teenage daughters on the game just dance at xmas.

She wants one just because I had one. I don't know of any of her friends who have one. She got a bike with a dollys basket instead.

Yes fair enough shiny, I really wasn't having a go at you

Cannot imagine any of my DC asked for a laptop tbh but maybe that's because neither of us has one (we have a funny old computer thingy - which they are all allowed to use for short periods under some supervision).

Dd has just turned 7.

She has got a ds which she plays with intermittently. She's likes it atm because she's just got the new Mario game.

She asked for a laptop for Christmas but was told no. She got a bike instead.

She wants a notebook for next Christmas. It's a long time between now and next Christmas so we'll see ...

My dd's don't get obsessed easily with electronic goods so I don't have that to deal with. If dd2 wants a laptop next Christmas when she is almost 8 (and I can afford it obviously!) then I would seriously consider it.

... without reading any other posts... have an almost 17 year old and 12 year old. Considering laptop for DS's 17th/18th... why do they need them at 6???????????/

My DS (7) had a DS when he was 6 - very useful for long journeys, bought it as we were due to go to Paris on a coach for 13 hrs! Has been asking for a laptop for a year or so, knows he won't get one until last year of primary - not an issue. I let him use my laptop or our main pc. Personally think they need to have competent IT skills, however usage is limited by myself.

My daughter was given one from grandparents at Xmas age 4. I thought it was a bit extravagent and it was. However she uses it for phonics games, linking to school internet and she has her own email address (she is now almost 6) and communicates with Grandparents (0ne of whom is in New Zealand). I believe this had helped her literacy (she is on L9 ORT at school). I think we need to move with the times and that my initial reticence was a generational thing. She only goes on the internet with me and I have parental controls.
Yes she has a DSi as well (last Xmas) and this is used as often as she reads her books and dictionary so I do not think that computers and technology take the place of traditional books etc. She is currently on the 2nd book of the Far Away tree trilogy.

"Research shows pupils could improve by two grades at GCSE with a computer at home "

"families with children in years 3 - 9 (approximately age 7 - 14), who are entitled to free schools meals, will be able to apply for a grant to buy a computer and broadband connection from an approved supplier, after meeting strict eligibility criteria. Looked after children up to the age of 18 will also receive laptops, and the scheme will offer bespoke packages to provide more support for children with special educational needs.

The programme is being rolled out nationally after successful pilots in Oldham and Suffolk showed a positive impact on both the pupils and their parents"

from www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2010_0011

Yep, we all have our own computers, except DS who is 15 months.

The girls shared one until they started HE and as we do computer-based lessons, they needed their own.

Really, a laptop isn't necessarily that expensive. A second hand one can be picked up for very little.

There's all sorts of nice games, educational programs and software for free on the Internet. BBC Schools is a really good place to start. Then there's Club Penguin, Bella Sara, Pixie Hollow, Pop Tropica.

Funnily enough, my girls have been using computers successfully since they could press buttons and are both gymnasts with straight backs and a decent social life. They also read books. I know. Amazing

We have a desktop pc for all our dc to share - as my husband wastes spends alot of his time playing working on his 3 (yes 3) pc's and not sharing while I got fed up with the children getting their sticky hands on my laptop. We opted for a pc that they could all use as they get older dd1 plays on cbeebies and ds loves zoo tycoon (he is 5).

I use an egg timer to control the time they spend and too prevent arguements.

Won't be getting a ds lite but am considering a wii for Xmas.

Laptops are too easily broken so would never consider getting one for a child we are able to replace keyboards etc easily ( pick them up second hand for pennies).

My ds aged 6 and dd aged 8 both have their own laptops. My parents bought them one each for Christmas, we couldn't have afforded them. Previously they shared our old desktop but it broke down. They are not allowed onto our computer at all because it is a work one and there is confidential stuff on there, plus it is in our home office where dh has clients a lot in the evening.

Dd is a total bookworm and they are restricted in when they are allowed to go on them.

DD (7) has her own account on my laptop, it's the only good thing about Windows Vista that it makes it really easy to set her up an account with firm white-list-only internet security, which only I can expand (though I think I'm going to have to firm up my rather feeble password).

She uses it to do homework projects, write thank you letters, make anti-Nestle posters (no, really, her teacher's very Greenpeace), and to play on CBBC/BBC Bitesize. If someone in the extended family was getting rid of an old one I might ask them to give it to her, but I wouldn't shell out for one.

My eldest is 7.5 and doesn't have a laptop, or a DS or other electronic games.
But I'm willing to buy him a pair of ski.

my ds1 has a laptop for schoolwork but it is not connected to the internet

dd 15 does not - nor ds2 (13) ds3 (7) ds4 (4) ds5 (1)

no one has a ds

"not having a laptop" is not the same as "not having access to a computer".... very difficult to monitor what children are accessing if they have a laptop... the parental control software comes unstuck after primary.

I am really really glad my kids don't have one
They don't play with any computer games and are really happy kids so no need

they do spend a lot of time at school on them and that seems enough to us