Any tips on a laptop for a 3 year old?

[akbc]

I'd say get him a cheap pentium 4 desktop with XP on it or something. Should be able to find one for like $100...

With a desktop, you can just replace the keyboard if he ever throws it.. or make it messy and such.

Imagine kid using a laptop, throwing a laptop and such.

If you want him to take the mac route, get him like a Mac Mini G4 or old G3~G4 tower.. They will be more than $100, but heck, he'll be virus-free.

I'd say no to laptop, but YES to early computer education...

 

[optophobia]

I would get him a MBP the latest model. That way he wont be upset how slow it is and he wont have to upgrade for a couple of years...

 

[SteveMobs]

For his birthday, get him a different Pre-School. Seriously?! Computers at 3, kids should be playing outside or something.

 

[Tomorrow]

I have to wonder - everyone who thinks a 3-year-old has no business having his own computer, how many of you actually have, or recently had, a 3-year-old?

My son got his first computer when he was 3 because my wife and I wanted ours back. I'm not saying he was writing code or using Facebook, but he started learning his letters, counting, shapes, colors, etc. on a computer before he even turned 3. He's 4 now and uses Wikipedia to look up information on planets and volcanoes and such. No, he doesn't touch-type, but he can hunt and peck enough to type "Jupiter" in the search window and navigate to a page. When he wants to know more about volcanoes, he looks it up online. If you think kids that age aren't capable you're sorely mistaken.

At the age of 3 years old, the child cannot read or understand what he is doing on the computer.

I haven't read anything more incorrect than this in a long time. Like I said, they don't do the things you would do on a computer, but that doesn't make it a poor tool for them.

And yes, many 3-year-olds can read well enough to use a computer. They aren't reading War and Peace, but they can navigate around with a mouse and click what the program tells them to click.

Teenagers and adults who are on a computer all day and night become loners. If you start a child on a computer @ 3 your limiting his/her social skills and he/she will be locked up in a room at home instead of learning how to interact with others their own age or older. Tweeting and online games do not help with social skills either.

You've obviously forgotten that a 3-year-old doesn't have the kind of attention span it would take to spend all day on a computer and become a loner. They very seldom do anything (other than sleep) for longer than an hour or so before they want to move on to something else. My son will leave his computer to go outside and ride his scooter, or drive a remote control car, or read a book, or whatever else a kid that age would do (regardless of whether you think they're capable of doing it).

 

[macrumorsMaster]

Let him progress at school.
Buy him a game system, like an older n64 or NES to infuse
some good ol' Mario values into him.
My kids, when I have em, are gonna be raised on Castlevania,
Zelda and the like.
Then in school, they will learn about computers. When they
get a little older, introduce them to computers.

I would crap myself to see a kid throw his laptop/netbook
at the wall.
Don't do it.

Your advice is even WORSE. The last thing young kids need are these attention zapping devices. Let them play outside. They'll have plenty of time to become slaves to a computer

 

[macrumorsMaster]

You've obviously forgotten that a 3-year-old doesn't have the kind of attention span it would take to spend all day on a computer and become a loner. They very seldom do anything (other than sleep) for longer than an hour or so before they want to move on to something else. My son will leave his computer to go outside and ride his scooter, or drive a remote control car, or read a book, or whatever else a kid that age would do (regardless of whether you think they're capable of doing it).

yes, that's true. But if you start 'em now, it'll become normal and a habit later on. Get 'em a ball or something else tangible

 

[macrumorsMaster]

My 5 year old started playing on the site www.Poissonrouge.com a year ago. Before anyone jumps on me, this is in addition to playing outside etc. With a wireless mouse and the laptop hooked upto the TV in the lounge, it's nice. Developing mouse skills, and problem solving etc.

She's never once thrown the mouse... or even been close to throwing it. Dialogue and parental supervision goes a long way.

Checked it out.
What? Don't have the time to teach you child numbers and other basic things? Have to leave it up to a website ?
Why not give parental supervision by teaching her the things yourselves? Give her some crayons and paper and you're all set!

 

[Tomorrow]

yes, that's true. But if you start 'em now, it'll become normal and a habit later on. Get 'em a ball or something else tangible

Checked it out.
What? Don't have the time to teach you child numbers and other basic things? Have to leave it up to a website ?
Why not give parental supervision by teaching her the things yourselves? Give her some crayons and paper and you're all set!

You seem to be hung up on the idea of a computer instead of toys, and it doesn't work that way; not anymore than you spend all of your time in front of a computer and doing nothing else.

 

[tedmcardle]

Something that is spill resistant, that's for sure.

 

[michael.lauden]

Something that can disable multitouch, i have a 4-year old sister and she constantly zooms in and out on flash games (she loves FarmVille), and it is harder for her to click on a MacBook than on a computer with a standalone mouse button.

Also disable right clicks (if you plan on getting a Mac, just don't turn on multitouch right clicks, or bottom-right-hand-corner right clicks - make it control+click)

i'd buy an older Dell, up to 1GB RAM and no more than a 1.0GHz processor, so you can still play flash games and such that kids love

 

[alphaod]

If you must, an iMac is pretty good. The 20" model of course. Note the iMacs at the Apple Store for the kids.

Three years of age is a bit young though… shouldn't your child be learning motor skills or something?

 

[walindour]

Saddest post ive ever seen on macrumors. Three year olds don't need their own laptops. Whether learning how to click or not, three year olds need to learn how to interact with people. Seems more important than anything else on the planet.

Your kid needs to learn to play nice with others. Or are you banking on his future skills?

 

[macuserx86]

Buy him some lego instead. builds motor skills and creativity for a lot less. Those skills are more important than basic computer skills.

 

[filmweaver]

Etch A Sketch

 

[Makosuke]

For what it's worth, my parents provided the tools and instruction such that I could do very simple BASIC programming at the age of 5, and had access to a video game system (and pretty much unrestricted TV) from the same age up, and I still spent far more time playing with Lego, building physical things, doing stuff outside, etc. than I did in front of a screen. I'm rather extremely geeky as an adult, but I'm well-enough adjusted to lead a perfectly normal life with non-geek friends, wives, etc. So obviously it's not like sentencing the kid to a life of internet porn and windowless rooms.

That said, I probably wouldn't give a 3 year old their own computer, either. Personally, I'd stick to guided stuff with me sitting next to them at the family computer until around 5. I feel like kids will learn and understand more that way at that age, and that's how my parents generally ran stuff, including video games. Having it at the family computer makes it a more "connected" experience, rather than one in which the mental model is of being solitary (plus the sense of working on the same hardware as the "big kids" can be satisfying, depending on the kid). It also provides a sort of "time to step up in the world" experience when they're a bit older and do get a machine of their own.

Though frankly, I don't know if I'd give anyone under the age of maybe 10... or heck, 16, an unmonitored, networked computer in this day and age. There are way too many things on the internet that cannot be unseen, and I honestly wonder on occasion if I wouldn't have been a little happier had the Internet not kicked in and taken away anything resembling innocence when I was a teenager.

In closing, another vote for the clamshell. The handle is especially nice for little ones.

 

[Roy Hobbs]

I'm a bit shocked at the amount of ignorance in this thread. PreSchools having a computer or 2 in the classroom is VERY common.

I see nothing wrong with a 3 year old having a computer. My daughter (now 3 1/2) has had a laptop for about a year. It was a old IBM Thinkpad that my work was giving away. I loaded up Tiny XP and a couple games and it is perfect for what she needs.

I'm far from worried about her turning into a "anti-social computer geek" have you ever seen the attentions spans of a 3 year old?? She will type/play games for 20 minutes tops. In the year she's had access to the laptop I would say she's at most logged 10 hours of usage.

With computers being EVERYWHERE these days I see nothing wrong with getting a child acclimated and comfortable using them.

The main reason she has her "own" computer.....I don't want her messing with mine!

 

[clyde2801]

At first, I was full of shock and derision like most of the people responding to this thread. But then I remembered the world book encyclopedias my folks bought for us 4 kids, and the endless hours I spent pouring over them as a small child. Their cost in the 60's and 70's would make a used laptop seem downright cheap today.

I'd check with the staff at your child's center and see what, if anything, they'd recommend. There's also a fine line between boundaries and/or supervision and making the computer seem like drudgery.

No matter what you get, make sure your child does get some outside time with other kids. Good luck.

 

[jnyepu]

I'm gonna quote myself, again, because of the apparent inability of people to read before they respond.....

I appreciate the perspective and responses to this thread so far. Didn't realize it would generate as much negativity as it has!

Please rest assured, my son doesn't spend most of his free time inside/on a computer. His preschool is actually a well-balanced environment that has them outside for a good part of the day, weather permitting, and almost all of his activities involve learning and interaction with other kids/teachers.

Why do so many people assume the extreme -- that the kid is gonna be plopped in front of a computer and spend all of his free time there?

He plays with legos, rides a trike, climbs the hell out of a playscape, kicks a soccer ball, plays catch, doesn't suck down sugar and fatty crap, and likes being with other kids. There seem to be basic things he can do on a computer -- lego games, basic math interactive programs, some basic video, that can augment hand eye coordination, get him used to a mouse, and at least give him a passing familiarity with a computer.

Why this automatically translates into, "what kind of a parent is this guy who can't even teach his kid how to be a kid, and will have him looking at internet porn by 7" I have no idea.

Frankly, I choose a laptop over a desktop due to space limitations and to condense the package, so to speak.

So the bottom line, a kid can be a kid just fine and learn a little about computers at the same time. My question was about appropriate technology in an age range, not about how YOU can or cannot raise your own kids.

 

[Tomorrow]

I'm gonna quote myself, again, because of the apparent inability of people to read before they respond.....

I know, and I never even got a response to my question from earlier:

I have to wonder - everyone who thinks a 3-year-old has no business having his own computer, how many of you actually have, or recently had, a 3-year-old?

By the lack of responses, I'm guessing none. And based on that, I'm guessing that those whom I'm addressing don't quite know what they're talking about. I'm out.

 

[scottness]

I know, and I never even got a response to my question from earlier:



By the lack of responses, I'm guessing none. And based on that, I'm guessing that those whom I'm addressing don't quite know what they're talking about. I'm out.

How about a 2.5 year-old? I've got one of those. And and eight year-old. My older one has an old iMac G4. 2.5 will share it. No laptops until middle school, unless they want to earn it themselves (and will be much more responsible with it as a result).

Either I'm too untrusting and not willing to throw money away, or wisely cautious. You decide.

 

[eawmp1]

As a pediatrician:
No child that young is going to be responsible enough to not destroy a laptop. That having been said, if you must...something along the lines of a ToughBook.

I'd recommend a used iMac, in a public place in the house, with use under supervision and with parental controls on. And limits on time. Children best learn from interaction. At least opposed to TV there is some of that with computing.

 

[ChrisA]

A laptop for a 3 year old is not even safe. The screens are glass and can break. The keys can be pried off the a kid that young would try to eat them

Wait until the child can ask for a notebook computer and tell you what he intends to do with it. He will have no use for one until he can at the least do that. Even then computers must be supervised at least until the later half of elementary school

 

[scottness]

A laptop for a 3 year old is not even safe. The screens are glass and can break. The keys can be pried off the a kid that young would try to eat them

Wait until the child can ask for a notebook computer and tell you what he intends to do with it. He will have no use for one until he can at the least do that. Even then computers must be supervised at least until the later half of elementary school

My two year-old probably wouldn't eat the keys... But yeah, once he figures out how to pry the keys off (and he'd pry them ALL off, given the opportunity), my dog will eat them for sure.

 

[iSimx]

for a three year old?? that's crazy. lol far to young, having said that there are 4 year olds at school quite competent at using a computer which is a little worrying.

I personally would buy a second hand machine.

 

[p01ntbl4nk]

I have to wonder - everyone who thinks a 3-year-old has no business having his own computer, how many of you actually have, or recently had, a 3-year-old?

My son got his first computer when he was 3 because my wife and I wanted ours back. I'm not saying he was writing code or using Facebook, but he started learning his letters, counting, shapes, colors, etc. on a computer before he even turned 3. He's 4 now and uses Wikipedia to look up information on planets and volcanoes and such. No, he doesn't touch-type, but he can hunt and peck enough to type "Jupiter" in the search window and navigate to a page. When he wants to know more about volcanoes, he looks it up online. If you think kids that age aren't capable you're sorely mistaken.



I haven't read anything more incorrect than this in a long time. Like I said, they don't do the things you would do on a computer, but that doesn't make it a poor tool for them.

And yes, many 3-year-olds can read well enough to use a computer. They aren't reading War and Peace, but they can navigate around with a mouse and click what the program tells them to click.



You've obviously forgotten that a 3-year-old doesn't have the kind of attention span it would take to spend all day on a computer and become a loner. They very seldom do anything (other than sleep) for longer than an hour or so before they want to move on to something else. My son will leave his computer to go outside and ride his scooter, or drive a remote control car, or read a book, or whatever else a kid that age would do (regardless of whether you think they're capable of doing it).

nice.. what a little genius you have there..
i agree that kids these days learn faster than us on our days..
it's not like he's going to need the laptop for some serious programming or photo editing..
just basic internet browsing..
that being said.. i guess the best laptop you can get for them is something indestructible..
laptop is okay.. you can get a second hand laptop for 200-300 bucks nowadays..
but i think desktop is best..because at best.. he can only throw the keyboard..
and load it up with something simple.. ubuntu, or chrome os would be sufficient..

Saddest post ive ever seen on macrumors. Three year olds don't need their own laptops. Whether learning how to click or not, three year olds need to learn how to interact with people. Seems more important than anything else on the planet.

Your kid needs to learn to play nice with others. Or are you banking on his future skills?

i've seen kids as young as 3 years old nowadays with an iphone on their pocket and playing a PSP.. together with 3-4 friends of his..
those are some smart little devils
you cant use the same education techniques our parents used on us to educate our kids...
it's a different age now..
kids hang out with their friend, each of them has a laptop in hand..
technology literacy goes a long way with them..