Too Much of a Good Thing

As with the television, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

The content you are showing your baby may be purely educational, but this does not mean there is no limit to the amount of time you can both spend at the computer.

If you are using Little Reader or Little Math, each session will take you 10 minutes or less. Of course, you can spend longer than this if your child is enjoying her lesson. If you are just beginning to teach, you may need to start with lessons under 10 minutes. Watch your child to gauge her reactions. If she shows any sign of decreased attention or interest, stop the lesson and resume it later.

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Conclusion

The computer is a wonderful tool for teaching. It enables us to give much more varied and engaging lessons than is possible with traditional tools such as flash cards and DVDs.

Modern computer screens are not harmful for babies (or adults). Flash lessons, which move at a pace of one word or image per second, are much slower than the fast-paced children’s programs believed by some experts to be detrimental to children’s developing attention spans.

However, it is important to limit very young children’s screen time – whether in front of the television or computer. This is particularly important with the TV, since there is the temptation to use it as an “electronic babysitter” – i.e. unsupervised. Of course, your baby cannot use the computer without you, making it much less likely to be used to excess. By using the computer to teach, you are also guaranteed to interact with your baby over his lessons. This will mean that your child learns more – and more importantly, you will both enjoy bonding over the wonderful game of learning.

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