Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Do your kids use the iPad?
- Thread starter bjmach
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
JUiCEJamie
macrumors 6502a
A friend of mine bought an extra iPad because of his children's instinct to use the iPad and the apps. Quite extraordinary really!
it is a law of the universe that those without children are so much more capable and better at raising children then those who are actually parents.
This must be true, since they all seem willing to draw on their deep experience and provide advice and criticism to parents.
Seriously though, come back in 10-15 years when you are an adult and work 10 hour days and have children, and then we will see how your opinions have changed.
And no, I didn't play with computers or game consoles when I was a child... Until the Commodore vic 20 was first sold when I was 14...
Things have changed. The difference now and what I feel the iPad has done is give my kids a way to interact with what they are seeing on the screen. They are using their minds and at the same time learning skills. This isn't the days of sitting in front of the tube and watching the smurfs all Saturday morning. If my kids have an option they would rather play with educational apps than sit and watch tv. They also love to go outside and play and participate in sports. I for one love what the iPad brings from an educational stand point and I truly believe its just the beginning.
My 5 year old daughter is getting my iPad 2, and my 2 year old daughter is getting the iPod touch. It's funny how both of them know what the free apps are. I'm all for free apps!!!
Can't, I'm studying for a Latin exam 😛 And of course surfing the internet to procrastinate, as is the nature of teenagers. But we're mostly talking about under 10s here, right? I'm just worried they might become addicted to electronics at a young age, so that if they had a choice they WOULD stay inside for 10 hours a day on the iPad instead of going outside... and I'm saying this from my current attachment to all things techy.
I mean my mother managed it with me and my two brothers, and since my mother is the best example of parenthood I have that's what I'm basing it on. I really admire my parents' way of raising children, so I want to emulate that. I mean when I was smaller we had game consoles and computers and and cable, we were just restricted from using it.
I mean, yes I'm only 14 and naive and all that, but that's not exactly something I can change. I don't have experience, but I'm gaining it slowly. I could be wrong -- I'm probably wrong -- but hey, I'm just expressing my opinion. Nothing wrong with that.
CharlieBrandt09
macrumors 6502
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)
My toddler ( almost 2) is pretty good with navigating and launching "his" apps like The Wiggles and Monster at the End of this Book. So much so that we got him his own Leap Pad for his birthday.
My 8 year old has his own iPod touch and of course is a wiz on the iPad.
Our baby girl just drools... But she's only 6 month old.
My toddler ( almost 2) is pretty good with navigating and launching "his" apps like The Wiggles and Monster at the End of this Book. So much so that we got him his own Leap Pad for his birthday.
My 8 year old has his own iPod touch and of course is a wiz on the iPad.
Our baby girl just drools... But she's only 6 month old.
I have two grandkids, 7 year old boy and 4 year old girl. Last year when I bought the new iPad 2 I gave them my iPad 1 refurb. They love it. My granddaughter loves the kiddie games. She will play for half an hour or so but then goes to do other things. She also loves to play with mine because it has a camera. I have LOTS of pic of her feet. Sure glad I can now delete from PhotoStream!
My grandson, however, loves the seek-and-find games. The kind where you have to find stuff then use items to solve problems. He has even become adept at searching for walkthroughs, reading them and finishing the game. But he also doesn't play for long.
To be honest we're not worried about their becoming 'addicted' to the tech because they put it down after 30 mins to an hour and go do something else. Actually sitting for much longer doesnt seem to be in their DNA.
That said, I'm getting a new iPad Friday and I'll be giving my iPad 2 to my grandson and my granddaughter will keep the iPad 1. They are learning to take care of an expensive gadget. Plus we live in Texas and to get anywhere it's a bit of a drive. iPads are indispensable for road trips with kids!
My grandson, however, loves the seek-and-find games. The kind where you have to find stuff then use items to solve problems. He has even become adept at searching for walkthroughs, reading them and finishing the game. But he also doesn't play for long.
To be honest we're not worried about their becoming 'addicted' to the tech because they put it down after 30 mins to an hour and go do something else. Actually sitting for much longer doesnt seem to be in their DNA.
That said, I'm getting a new iPad Friday and I'll be giving my iPad 2 to my grandson and my granddaughter will keep the iPad 1. They are learning to take care of an expensive gadget. Plus we live in Texas and to get anywhere it's a bit of a drive. iPads are indispensable for road trips with kids!
shellbryson
macrumors 6502
My 10-week old daughter seems to enjoy watching Turkish TV & music videos on our iPad 1 - although she's not quite got the hang of the whole hand-eye co-ordination thing.
Last edited:
don't worry, you are not alone. The 25yo and 40yo without children are equally willing to draw on even less expertiese then you have (since you at least remember well what it is like) and throw out free advice to parents.
I think my 3 year old has taken over the iPad 2, she probably uses it more than me.
It's her favourite thing, not toy, because it does lots of things for her. She takes and views photos with it, youtube, VOD, has movies loaded, loads of educational games... she loves it.
Cant remember when she started, around 2 i think, with the iPad 1.
Thats why we have a screen protector and one of those transparent gel cases but so far, she hasn't dropped it.
And forgot to say, she also has her own iPhone now, my wifes old 3G. 🙂
It's her favourite thing, not toy, because it does lots of things for her. She takes and views photos with it, youtube, VOD, has movies loaded, loads of educational games... she loves it.
Cant remember when she started, around 2 i think, with the iPad 1.
Thats why we have a screen protector and one of those transparent gel cases but so far, she hasn't dropped it.
And forgot to say, she also has her own iPhone now, my wifes old 3G. 🙂
Last edited:
My children use an IPod Touch, for 30-45 mins at bed-time, to come down at the end of the day, as they are rather active types (2,5,6).
They all have childrens programmes I've put on, about half of them educational (Sendung mit der Maus podcasts, Come Outside etc)
But this weeks trend is that the 5 year old is particularly proud he's got further in Angry Birds than his dad.
The 6 year old is watching Lego videos from Youtube and planning his next build, and has started to make videos of his builds. Lego is the real addiction here.
2 year old likes watching mostly, but loves an app called Lolas Alphabet Train and some nursery rhyme apps.
A go on my iPad is a bit of a treat and they have to be sat down nicely to do this 😱
They all have childrens programmes I've put on, about half of them educational (Sendung mit der Maus podcasts, Come Outside etc)
But this weeks trend is that the 5 year old is particularly proud he's got further in Angry Birds than his dad.
The 6 year old is watching Lego videos from Youtube and planning his next build, and has started to make videos of his builds. Lego is the real addiction here.
2 year old likes watching mostly, but loves an app called Lolas Alphabet Train and some nursery rhyme apps.
A go on my iPad is a bit of a treat and they have to be sat down nicely to do this 😱
My son has had an iPad since he was five. We travel quite a lot and needed some entertainment for him in the car and whilst we are away, and since we were looking at educational Apps for him, we decided to take the plunge, but try to restrict his use.
To be honest, it hasn't been a problem. He is proficient using it, and has a few Apps, both games and educational stuff that he uses quite a bit, as well as watching some video, but he doesn't overuse it.
He can sometimes go days without touching it, and given the choice would rather go to the park on his bike than sit using his iPad.
I don't know whether we are just lucky, but he seems to see it the same way we do, a useful tool for doing certain things, but not the be all and end all.
To be honest, it hasn't been a problem. He is proficient using it, and has a few Apps, both games and educational stuff that he uses quite a bit, as well as watching some video, but he doesn't overuse it.
He can sometimes go days without touching it, and given the choice would rather go to the park on his bike than sit using his iPad.
I don't know whether we are just lucky, but he seems to see it the same way we do, a useful tool for doing certain things, but not the be all and end all.
Watching a young child use an iPad is simply magic, our grandson calls his iPad his "padder". This was one of the best investments for his educational development we ever made. Every app on his padder has educational value and we have all the proper parental controls in place.
He is also very carful, he cradles it in his arms when he takes it from room to room.
He is also very carful, he cradles it in his arms when he takes it from room to room.
This blows me away. I had to save 2 years for my first iPad. Are you adopting?
Seriously, I'd hate to be a parent these days with all the technology kids "need".
jeremiah256
macrumors 65816
No, they (iPads) are luxuries but if you have the means, there's nothing wrong with giving your kids a head start. This is the tech our kids will be using in grade school and beyond. And since the international competition our kids will face will only increase as smart devices and the web continues to evolve and level the playing field everywhere, they are going to need all the help they can get.
I am right there with you! I can't wait till an iPad is all they haul to school instead of a backpack that weighs more than the kid! I am hearing of teachers using their own iPad and taking weekend seminars on optimizing the experience then coming back and teaching the other teachers what they learned - That is so great! One gifted teacher uses his to record lessons and has the kids (who all have iPads) do the lessons at home. When they come back to class they then have time to explore 3D geometric shapes and explain them and other chosen projects - 5Th Graders! I am loving it.
We got my grandson an iPad at 2 years old. It took me two weeks to find great apps for him so now I do that full time 🙂
