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iPod touch Are my kids too young for am iPod touch? for an 4th
- Thread starter Vell843
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not at all! my kids were 3 and 4 when they got their iPod touch'es. with a solid silicone casing and strict rules for usage, max 1hr per day, no problems.
but forget about learning technology or avoiding the "left behind" thing. the
educational value of any idevice is pretty close to zero compared to more traditional tools. these devices are built for simplicity and speed of operation, there is simply not enough depth to make them educational, the user will become a consumer of content very very quickly, and there is a lack of "productivity" tools for kids. the camera is cool though. coupled with photostream, it's been a fun way to see how my kids play when we are not around. they also opt for the daily ipod session instead of tv, which I think is good. an ipod is more interactive.
My 2 and 6 year old have hand me down iphones (phone part disabled - so they are just ipod touches) And they both know how to unlock the ipad and get to their apps on that.
My daughter (2) used a woogie for a few months, but is "too advanced" for that now. she pulls the phone out and sits on the sofa next to me and plays the Monkey Preschool and redfish (I think) games all the time. she has more advanced games like angry birds and some matching games. oh - she loves the Disney where's my water game too. She will grab the ipad and swipe from screen to screen looking for the game she wants to play.
My 6 yr old is a pro with the iphone and ipad. he showed grandma how to do some stuff with her ipad this last weekend. There are so many games, learning games, music, etc - for idevices. the earlier you get them on idevices, the earlier they will get used to a computer. My 6 year old knows how to open his games and stuff on the mac now - he can even user switch to his account to play.
We load videos on their devices, so they can watch TV shows when we are in the car, etc.
main recommendation - get an otterbox and screen protectors for both of them.
Exposure to the keyboard has made my 6 year old very comfortable in kindergarten whey they type in class. He came home with a typed sheet of paper and a drawing - his teacher said he knew where the keys were without much hunting.
My daughter (2) used a woogie for a few months, but is "too advanced" for that now. she pulls the phone out and sits on the sofa next to me and plays the Monkey Preschool and redfish (I think) games all the time. she has more advanced games like angry birds and some matching games. oh - she loves the Disney where's my water game too. She will grab the ipad and swipe from screen to screen looking for the game she wants to play.
My 6 yr old is a pro with the iphone and ipad. he showed grandma how to do some stuff with her ipad this last weekend. There are so many games, learning games, music, etc - for idevices. the earlier you get them on idevices, the earlier they will get used to a computer. My 6 year old knows how to open his games and stuff on the mac now - he can even user switch to his account to play.
We load videos on their devices, so they can watch TV shows when we are in the car, etc.
main recommendation - get an otterbox and screen protectors for both of them.
Exposure to the keyboard has made my 6 year old very comfortable in kindergarten whey they type in class. He came home with a typed sheet of paper and a drawing - his teacher said he knew where the keys were without much hunting.
The 12 year old for sure. If they can share well, then leting the 9 year old have it wont be a problem.
They arent tooo young, Ive heard of crazy parents letting their 3 year old use an ipad!
So ya, you are ok! Just watch what they do every once in awhile
They arent tooo young, Ive heard of crazy parents letting their 3 year old use an ipad!
So ya, you are ok! Just watch what they do every once in awhile
An untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.0.1 was made available several months ago, though there's still not one for 5.1.
Kids and idevices
My son bought ipod touches for his 2 and 6 year old several years ago. The older child was pestering her parents for a DS and when my son did the math regarding initial purchase of the device plus the cost of games, it was a no-brainer to get a iPod Touch. The 2 year old lucked out because his dad was tired of him deleting mail, etc. when they let him play with a phone. They have not had any issues. The 2 year old is now 4 and he informed me when using my iPad that I should turn in-app purchasing off and set the require password for purchasing to immediately. He had noticed that when I had unlocked it to install a free game he could download another without having to input the password.
We also have started "handing down" our iPhones. My husband and I upgrade when our contract is up and give the old phones to our grandsons. With no data or phone plan, they make excellent iPod Touches.
Our almost 8 year old grandson is teaching himself to play the piano with videos from YouTube. He Googles titles of songs he likes, finds the videos and away he goes. He sits the iPad on the piano like it's sheet music.
My son bought ipod touches for his 2 and 6 year old several years ago. The older child was pestering her parents for a DS and when my son did the math regarding initial purchase of the device plus the cost of games, it was a no-brainer to get a iPod Touch. The 2 year old lucked out because his dad was tired of him deleting mail, etc. when they let him play with a phone. They have not had any issues. The 2 year old is now 4 and he informed me when using my iPad that I should turn in-app purchasing off and set the require password for purchasing to immediately. He had noticed that when I had unlocked it to install a free game he could download another without having to input the password.
We also have started "handing down" our iPhones. My husband and I upgrade when our contract is up and give the old phones to our grandsons. With no data or phone plan, they make excellent iPod Touches.
Our almost 8 year old grandson is teaching himself to play the piano with videos from YouTube. He Googles titles of songs he likes, finds the videos and away he goes. He sits the iPad on the piano like it's sheet music.
I know, but that wasn't my point. People in my university refuse to upgrade because they don't know how. Most people I know paid some shop to jailbreak their iPhones, so I don't think they know or care that iOS 5 and a jailbreak for it exists.
My 6 year old has had an iPod Touch for several years now. He loves it. I loaded a profile on it with Apple Configurator which restricts certain functions, so I feel safe that he isn't using it for anything he shouldn't be... My 6 month old is already playing with one...
Speaking from experience I have found Apple products have been great for me. I owned a 2nd generation iPod Touch in 2008 (4 years ago), I still have this iPod touch and let me just say I loved every second of it. I was lucky and had no restrictions on my things EVER. I had my own iTunes account, and my own iPod I was set. Keep in mind I was only 8, and I was getting apps like CoD: Zombies, and Modern Combat. All such a new experience to me I loved it, in 2010 I got an iP4 from Verizon (my current phone) when I was 12 and I loved that too. It was like my iPod but 5x faster and supported later apps. Just last year, I got an iPad 2 and I love that too. Moral of the story, Parents please (im not trying to undermine your authority) dont restrict your children.. My iPod for me was my one place where I wasnt watched and no one had access to it. Give your kids that too
Kids these days are having a rough time adopting technology. My parents trusted me with a full fledged flip phone in 2004 when I was only nine years old. Full voice minutes and texting as well.
I guess I'm a little late to this thread, but they'll be fine.
Mine are 11 and 8, but I bought them ipod touches 2 years ago when our portable DVD player died. Even my little guy managed around the iOS and games without issues.
But I don't know about your kids, mine can get addicted very easily.
In fact, they only get time when we're on long trips or on the weekend after they've earned their time (I have a spreadsheet where they earn x time per chore). Otherwise, their iPods stay in my office.
I find it's just pure idiocy for them to manage themselves and to not argue when it's time to go outside and play.
Sadly, it appears all kids their ages are addicted to these things (heck, even us adults! lol . I seem to be one of the only arse**** parents to stand my ground and not let them have free reign lol
Cheers,
keebler
Mine are 11 and 8, but I bought them ipod touches 2 years ago when our portable DVD player died. Even my little guy managed around the iOS and games without issues.
But I don't know about your kids, mine can get addicted very easily.
In fact, they only get time when we're on long trips or on the weekend after they've earned their time (I have a spreadsheet where they earn x time per chore). Otherwise, their iPods stay in my office.
I find it's just pure idiocy for them to manage themselves and to not argue when it's time to go outside and play.
Sadly, it appears all kids their ages are addicted to these things (heck, even us adults! lol . I seem to be one of the only arse**** parents to stand my ground and not let them have free reign lol
Cheers,
keebler
I also have a 2.5 year old and a 5 month old. The 2.5 year old is a pro at the ipod touch. I gave him one because I didnt want him messing with my iphone plus my wife is paranoid about the cellular waves he may get in his brain (Probably true but HA!). Of course it is very restricted, he cant buy anything and he cant use it during the week, only weekend and basically under supervision, but he does well with it, and he is better at some games than most adults I know. As for the 5 month old, I hold up an ipad with a fisher price app on it and he will actually swipe through the animal characters on the screen. Whether intentionally or unintentionally he does realize the animals change when he does it, and he doesnt stop. These are great kids devices as long as your responsible.