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should i buy my 1 year old daughter a macbook air?
- Thread starter kylelong100
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sound like good idea. but even warren buffett does not do that. Bill gates might do that though, except will be some cheap pc, although he would want to buy the macbook air for the village.
My first response was
, but on reflection I would like to know how she interacts with it.
Early childhood development is when they are like little sponges.
This could be the new-era flash cards.
Early childhood development is when they are like little sponges.
This could be the new-era flash cards.
My oldest daughter had her first computer before she was born. I had it set up and waiting for her.
I'd set it up for her to just beat on the keys and have stuff happen on the screen.
By about 2 years old, I had set up another one for her with a lot of educational titles. And, she would sit down and use it and do whatever she wanted.
At 4, I just got her another one. It's her 3rd computer. And, I've added some more complex stuff to it.
Basically, by 2, she was interacting with kindergarten educational material. As she is now, she's moved through the levels, loves playing with it, and has got things on it figured out in her programs that I still haven't figured out.
She's quite the little genius.
If she's already a year old, I say give her whatever you wish. I'd say you're 12 months late getting her a computer. So, go for it.
I'm a bit behind with my youngest daughter. She's 6 months now. I'm just trying to figure out where to put hers so she can play with it. I figure the floor, but haven't decided just where yet. She'll obviously just start out kicking the keys and whatever. But, she'll love it.
I'd set it up for her to just beat on the keys and have stuff happen on the screen.
By about 2 years old, I had set up another one for her with a lot of educational titles. And, she would sit down and use it and do whatever she wanted.
At 4, I just got her another one. It's her 3rd computer. And, I've added some more complex stuff to it.
Basically, by 2, she was interacting with kindergarten educational material. As she is now, she's moved through the levels, loves playing with it, and has got things on it figured out in her programs that I still haven't figured out.
She's quite the little genius.
If she's already a year old, I say give her whatever you wish. I'd say you're 12 months late getting her a computer. So, go for it.
I'm a bit behind with my youngest daughter. She's 6 months now. I'm just trying to figure out where to put hers so she can play with it. I figure the floor, but haven't decided just where yet. She'll obviously just start out kicking the keys and whatever. But, she'll love it.
You COULD give a 1-year old a computer, but they actually need at that age to learn more about spatial relationships, how to live and build things in three dimensions. Otherwise their brains don't visualize all that stuff properly later on and they will never end up being brilliant engineers
My vote: give the kid some blocks of wood and simple dolls / animal toys and let her build houses and stores and office towers and and so forth. A child's imagination converts the simplest items to whatever they need to populate their homebrewed adventure tales.
Did you not play with whatever you could drag out of the bottom cupboards in the kitchen? I did! I made whole cities out of pots and pans until my mom came back inside from hanging up the wash. Next step after that was learning how to tell a 1/4" from a 1/8" wrench and to hand the right one to my dad while he was underneath some piece of ag machinery fixing it.
There's plenty of time for computers and logic. There's not much time to be a kid with hands-on discovery of the physical world around us. Don't squash the budding brilliance before it finds its own way out! Maybe she's going to be a landscaper or a musician, not a website designer.
I just re-read this and it sure sounds opinionated. Well that's what happens when a kid doesn't get a computer until she's in her mid-20s, so you don't want to wait THAT long.
My vote: give the kid some blocks of wood and simple dolls / animal toys and let her build houses and stores and office towers and and so forth. A child's imagination converts the simplest items to whatever they need to populate their homebrewed adventure tales.
Did you not play with whatever you could drag out of the bottom cupboards in the kitchen? I did! I made whole cities out of pots and pans until my mom came back inside from hanging up the wash. Next step after that was learning how to tell a 1/4" from a 1/8" wrench and to hand the right one to my dad while he was underneath some piece of ag machinery fixing it.
There's plenty of time for computers and logic. There's not much time to be a kid with hands-on discovery of the physical world around us. Don't squash the budding brilliance before it finds its own way out! Maybe she's going to be a landscaper or a musician, not a website designer.
I just re-read this and it sure sounds opinionated. Well that's what happens when a kid doesn't get a computer until she's in her mid-20s, so you don't want to wait THAT long.
Get her a cheap PC that she can beat on and watch things happen on the screen... Hope she likes the color blue
Nah, she'll get a Mac. I always give the kids a Mac. Maybe not a new one (since they are too fragile these days). But, for the baby, I'll set it to go into a special environment when you turn it on. Then, whenever a key is pressed (or hit or kicked), then it will either throw a picture of someone on the screen (someone she knows or herself) while saying their name, or show the letter that she hit on the screen and say what it is, or display a colored shape and say what it is, or just throw out a cool sound effect. Whatever the computer chooses at the moment.
I can set the PC up the same way. But, I don't care to throw the PC away. It's still too useful.
I'll let her have one of my Macs. She can beat on it all she wants. I've got a few that are older models and can take a beating (unlike the new stuff).
The PC could take the beating as well. But, I'm not ready to let it go for that. I have the occasional use for it still. And, why buy another machine when I have others to pull from.
Most likely, I'll just give her my other daughter's old iMac G3. Let her kick at it for a while, and then move her up to the Mini when I upgrade my other daughter some time in the future.
Beside, I haven't seen the blue screen on XP or Vista. Last I remember the Blue Screen was in Windows ME, 2000, 98, and 95. Can't recall in 3.1 (probably had them there, but seems like those were more dialog boxes than blue screens).
Another way to think about it: with a two thousand dollars, you could enroll a child in an early-development class for a summer. Or use that money later to fund the child's passions - language, music, arts. They don't come cheap - for example, the last time I checked, a piano / violin teacher cost at least $ 70 an hour - but may be more bang-for-your buck as it concerns childhood development.
Sure, not needed. But, if you can, then why not give them all of it. I still take her to her classes and such.
If you have to choose between what you spend your money on, then pick and choose. If you don't, then give them whatever you wish to. Doesn't mean they automatically get everything they want.
But, She's gotten a lot of benefit from having that exposure. The educational programs have given her exposure to materials that make adopting school concepts much easier now. And, she is exposed to more languages than I could possibly teach her (which is an interest she has). And, she's been doing addition for a couple of years now without realizing she was doing math. So, now when math was applied in pre-school, she just ran with it.
She grasps concepts that most children her age don't. She's a 4 year old with a 7 year old brain.
She's always had the usual toys. And, is never forced or encouraged to use the computer. She just goes over and turns it on when she wants, and turns it off when she's done. I've got it set up so she can't get into anything other than her programs. And, it's right in the main room. So, I let her use it when she wants, and let her play with more traditional toys when she wants. I've never told her to use the computer. Just given it to her to use as she wants.
I just upped the number of educational titles on it to about 30. And, I did finally give her a couple of more child-oriented games to play if she wishes. But, she is (and always has been) more interested in learning. So, why not give her every tool I can to give her as much knowledge as she can soak in?
I mean she's learning everything from simple alphabet stuff, to reading, to math, to foreign languages, to animal and insect characteristics and behavior patterns (like assuming the role of an Ant and participating in the role of that ant as it does it's worker ant jobs, or assuming the role of an animal and performing tasks as that animal), and tons of other stuff that is of interest to her but presented in a fun learning style.
There is only harm in pushing the computers and taking away or not providing the other stuff. There's no harm in giving them more educational material to explore at their own pace in addition to all the other kids stuff.
Well, there is one downside... You find that you can't outsmart them. They have an intelligence that is beyond most children. So, don't try and "trick" them or use reverse phycology. But, it is nice to have a kid who asks a lot of questions and can understand complex answers. I can explain things as I would to anyone else, and she gets it.
Now, if your child doesn't crave knowledge, then sure, don't force it on them young. Still educate them, but don't tell them they must spend this many hours or something in front of a computer.
I've never told her she had to use the computer. All I've told her, is that it is hers and it has her stuff on it. And, it's set up so that all she can do is her stuff. I've got it tailored for a child, and very much simplified.
She'll turn it on and use it for a half hour or hour. Then go do something with her dolls, or other toys. And, later come back and do something on it for a while. And, then go play dress-up or something. She's a normal kid. Just has a learning tool that she loves.
Sure, spend your money wherever you need to if you have to prioritize. But, if you can do it, I'd expose them to computers young. Even an old beater. They don't care. Her first computer was nearly 20 years old. She didn't care.
I clean everything so it's good for a child. So, I wouldn't give a child an oil soaked or greasy computer with food crumbs or whatever in it. But, if you clean it all up nice, then doesn't matter how old it is. Just let them gain the exposure and confidence.
But, if you want to give them new, then go for it. Why not.
I let my oldest play with my iMac G5 when it was brand new and she was only a few months old as well. Sure, I was holding her. But, why not. If you're watching them, what are they going to do. Start a program they can cause to do something, and let them beat at the keys (a good kids program locks out other stuff while it's running).
You know, that sounds nice. But, honestly, does it make sense to always be throwing money in other countries while our own people are living in the streets and dying of preventable diseases?
Let's ignore our neighbors while sending money thousands and thousands of miles away where half of the money will go into a corporation who will then pay it's people and it's president and CEO, and then pass 10 cents on to a child.
Sure, it's terrible that there are countries where their people live with less. But, in many cases, it was the exposure to people from other countries (like the U.S.) who exposed them to diseases that were not in their environment previously.
Sometimes if we'd just leave well enough alone, and let other people and cultures continue to exist as they always have, they would be better off.
Why do we find some tribe somewhere, and decide that they need to be westernized? Suddenly, their being told they need to learn our ways, speak our languages, read, and oops, we gave them a disease that they didn't have.
Sure, help where it is asked. Where it is wanted. But, we spend so much time forcing ourselves into places we are not wanted just so we can "help" them. When, really, we're only forcing our beliefs and ways of life on them.
I don't oppose helping those who seek help. But, I do oppose being more concerned about those we've never met while we kick our neighbor down in the gutters.
Lets spend some money here at home too.
True.
Then he could give the money to a worthy cause.
IMHO buying a Macbook Air for a 1 year old is over indulgence.
Yes, My older daughter plays with TuxPaint once in a while. She loves to draw. But, she still prefers real pens and pencils. So, she only uses the paint program once in a while.
Don't get me wrong - they look fun - but, um, whats wrong with poster paint and some scrap paper? More fun, more interactive, and you can post the result on your fridge.
Don't get me wrong - they look fun - but, um, whats wrong with poster paint and some scrap paper? More fun, more interactive, and you can post the result on your fridge.
Yes, like I said. She prefers real pencils and paper.
You COULD give a 1-year old a computer, but they actually need at that age to learn more about spatial relationships, how to live and build things in three dimensions. Otherwise their brains don't visualize all that stuff properly later on and they will never end up being brilliant engineers
Doesn't some company sell external hard drives in Lego-shaped cases, that are stackable? Maybe a bit early for a one year old, but should be fine for a three year old
Glad to see everyone is so keen to turn their little ones into computer geeks before age 2…
Just don't forget a growing child also thrives on fresh air, being outside and now and again getting dirty.
As for the MacBook Air?
Perhaps not. There are far more apropriate choices.
Unless it is about (parental) bragging rights at nursery school…
Just don't forget a growing child also thrives on fresh air, being outside and now and again getting dirty.
As for the MacBook Air?
Perhaps not. There are far more apropriate choices.
Unless it is about (parental) bragging rights at nursery school…
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