| Imagine cuddling up with your small child to look at a | | | | keyboard presses and mouse clicks, and that the |
| picture book together that is interactive, musical, | | | | game continues in a positive way even when no input |
| responsive and talks to you? | | | | is forthcoming from the baby. A preschooler will need |
| This is the experience that people are having who are | | | | more of a challenge or more educational content, but |
| engaged in that relatively new pastime - playing | | | | the game should be designed to be always fun, |
| computer games with babies. | | | | reactive in a positive way and self-resolving when the |
| JumpStart's Knowledge Adventure calls it "lapware", | | | | child does not get the correct answer. At this age, it is |
| Kiddies Games' logo is "Hop on the lap and tap", and | | | | more important that computer games contribute |
| Sesame Street's "Baby and Me" opens with an | | | | positively to self-esteem, rather than conscientiously |
| animation of a baby monster hopping onto the lap of a | | | | correcting incorrect answers about educational |
| Daddy monster to play the computer. Playing | | | | concepts that the child will master when they're older |
| computer games with your baby is being promoted as | | | | anyway. The software is meticulous about adhering to |
| a fun activity that a child and their caregiver can share | | | | these rules. |
| together. And rightly so, because whatever the activity, | | | | What types of skills are learned by playing toddler |
| physical, loving closeness is an important ingredient that | | | | computer games? Obviously, computer software is |
| infants need for healthy intellectual, emotional and | | | | not suitable for practicing gross motor or even fine |
| physical development. | | | | motor skills. However, there are many types of |
| Reading a bedtime story to a small eager child is a | | | | educational concepts that computer games can help a |
| tradition in many homes. As the children get older, this | | | | child master, including shapes, sounds, cause and |
| may be replaced by watching TV together. Our | | | | effect, identifying and naming things (such as objects |
| parents' families listened to the radio together. Playing | | | | and colors), increasing vocabulary, language concepts, |
| on the computer with a small child may become a | | | | the forms of letters and numbers, counting, pattern |
| new type of family tradition. Home computers and | | | | recognition, detail observation and word construction. |
| internet are making their way into more and more | | | | At KiddiesGames, we strive to offer games for small |
| homes. Some parents use the computer in their work | | | | children that are out of the ordinary, such as foreign |
| and are delighted to share the computer for a fun | | | | language exposure and practicing the positions on the |
| activity with their kids. Other parents want to make | | | | telephone for dialing emergency. The reactiveness and |
| sure their children become computer literate. | | | | interactiveness of computer software is, of course, |
| Well-designed, interactive, educational computer games | | | | superior to that of books, and can be superior to that |
| engage small children as much as the television and | | | | of toys, especially in the area of language. Infant |
| are more educational than TV because they incite the | | | | computer games are also being cited as excellent |
| child to interact and think, rather than passively watch | | | | resources for children with special education needs, |
| and listen. These are the reasons for the increasing | | | | because such games are simple, happy, |
| popularity of toddler computer software. Although a | | | | brightly-colored, patient, controlled by the child and allow |
| relatively small industry, software for infants has been | | | | the child to make things happen. |
| cited as being a very fast growing industry. | | | | An official recommendation from the American |
| What type of computer software is available for | | | | Academy of Pediatrics at is to "Discourage television |
| babies, toddlers and preschoolers? There are free | | | | viewing for children younger than 2 years, and |
| games on websites and there are download and | | | | encourage more interactive activities that will promote |
| CDROM software that you can buy. Most software | | | | proper brain development, such as talking, playing, |
| for this age group is games, but computer story books | | | | singing, and reading together." This has been taken as |
| also exist. Wonderful websites that offer free games | | | | advice to avoid exposing those young children to the |
| of which many are suitable for preschoolers | | | | computer. However, well-designed infant software |
| (preschoolers are able to do directed clicking with the | | | | actually encourages those great activities of "talking, |
| mouse) are: | | | | playing, singing, and reading together". By carrying out |
| Great free sites for babies (whose skills tend to be | | | | the play activities proposed by the computer game, |
| more limited to banging the keyboard) are: | | | | the caregiver is actually prompted with a framework |
| CDROM or download software that you buy is usually | | | | or script for carrying out those "talking, playing, singing, |
| better than free internet games. The games are | | | | and reading" activities with the child. Experts are now |
| usually superior (more graphics, more music, more | | | | saying that while computer games for infants should |
| involved games for older kids) and the software takes | | | | not replace toys and blocks and books and should not |
| over the entire screen, which is more appropriate for | | | | be used as an electronic babysitter, that they are yet |
| very young children who click anywhere and | | | | another valid toy resource. For example, a summer |
| everywhere on the screen. Some of the well-known | | | | 2004 newsletter from the Hawaii State Health |
| producers are: | | | | Department at encourages playing with lapware. The |
| Reader Rabbit software from | | | | emphasis is not on acquiring measurable skills or |
| JumpStart software from | | | | getting correct answers, but is on open-ended |
| Fisher-Price software from | | | | exploration on the part of the child - which is another |
| Sesame Street software from or | | | | way of saying "having fun". Children are programmed |
| Computer game softwares for this age group make | | | | to learn and practice what they learned by playing and |
| conscientious efforts to be suitably educational. To | | | | having fun. |
| judge their effectiveness for your child, try them out | | | | Playing computer games with your small child is not |
| with your child. If your child finds that it's fun, then it's | | | | yet a family tradition. However, it is an enjoyable, |
| probably educational. For a baby, fun usually means | | | | sharing activity that is becoming more and more |
| that the game responds in some way to random | | | | popular. |