Baby Steps Online

This post is by regular contributor Cath Oehlman aka SquiggleMum.

There’s no escaping the fact that technology is being introduced to our children earlier and earlier.  My four year old daughter is already using an interactive white board (IWB) in her prep classroom and loves finding animal info online at home, while my two year old son is quite au fait with an iPad.

We teach our children how to navigate their way through the world, step by step.  As they gain confidence and independence, we allow them more freedom.  The same should be true of the online world.  We need to teach our kids to navigate (literally) their way through the big, scary interwebs – step by step.

Have you ever thought about what your child might need to know?  When children begin using computers purposefully, their main drives are likely to be to communicate with others or to gain information.  With you by their side, here are 5 baby steps that will set your child on the right path:

1.      Identifying search terms. The internet is a rich source of constantly updated information, and as a result our kids will never know encyclopaedias  – other than Wikipedia. When they need to find something out, they are most likely to Google it. Teach your child what to type into a search engine.  (Try this post on googling with kids for ideas on how to go about it).

2.       Following an information trail.  Help your child to recognise clickable text and images (hyperlinks) and follow the links most relevant to their search.  Also show them how to return back to a more useful page or site.  These are crucial skills.

3.       Responding to the uh-oh.  I think it is really important that we teach our kids how to get out of a site quickly if they get that uh-oh feeling.  Make sure they know which is the escape key, and how to click on the “back” button.  Even with all of the safety programs in place to protect your family, some sites which shouldn’t be seen by little eyes are still accessible and may be stumbled upon inadvertently.  (This is also why I think computers should be in main living spaces, with adults adults around, and NOT in bedrooms).

4.       Becoming critical consumers.  Advertising is e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e online.  Kids need some guidance as they attempt to sort through the barrage of images and information.   At times it is even hard for adults to discern whether something is actually an ad.

5.       Not sharing.  Set ground rules early on about what should NOT be shared online.  While this may not be relevant in the early years, be aware that children in mid-primary school are participating in online “closed” chatrooms.  Microsoft has further recommendations for internet usage for 2-10 year olds.

We cannot predict the remarkable ways technology will evolve and change in the coming years, nor imagine the digital future our children will live in.  What we can do is equip them to deal with current technology, and encourage the development of their thinking skills and common sense so that they will be able to tackle whatever the future brings.

How do you feel about the fact that your child will be accessing the internet at such a young age? What else would you add to my suggested list of important virtual baby-steps??

9 Comments

  1. Nice article 🙂 I have a 4 year old who uses the computer most days and its amazing what she learns 🙂

    1. Thanks Meaghan. It is quite remarkable what a four year old can do on a computer, isn’t it?!

  2. If often scares my hubby and I that we need to prepare our son so early to learn about all this technology. Hopefully in coming years I can keep up!

    I think touch typing is a pretty important skill. I see so many of the older generation being left behind because they can’t do this. I’m so happy for those a,s,d,f exercises I had to repeat many times in early high school.

    1. Good point about typing Brooke. I too am grateful for those boring exercises back in high school! I wonder if our kids will be “taught” to type the way we were, or if the approach will be different given that our kids are growing up with their fingers on the keys…?

  3. When we purchased an iPod touch, our daughter quickly became very fluent in using it. To the point of showing Grandma how! Kids are smart, but it’s our job to help them along the way. My daughter doesn’t access the internet much, and certainly not without me helping her. So, my suggestion is to have them only go to kid-approved web sites and always be there to help them while they are young.

    1. Yep, we always need to be aware of what our kids are accessing. I love how easily a young child finds their way around a touch screen!! Amazing.

  4. Glad to finally see an article online that is not a scared post, but one that deals with the reality of our kids growing up with technology!

    1. Thanks Rachel. I love seeing my kids climb trees, explore with paints and play imaginatively – but I also think it’s important to accept the digital world we live in and equip our kids for it.

  5. I’m quite a tech-savvy mum, but still holding back digital exposure for my 2-year old. He’d love to grab my iPod Touch, but I let him meddle with it only occasionally, with the Wifi off.

    Some reasons:
    – myopia rate is among highest in the world where we live, hubby has secere myopia, so I really need to keep his eyes off digital screens in the early years.

    – Radiation from wifi and mobile phones penetrate young children’s thin brain skull much more easily than adults. Recent scientific research is warning against such hazards, especially when these devices are held at close proximity to the body or head. I’m waiting for son’s body to grow bigger; he has a lifetime ahead to use these devices.

    – Children and teenagers pick up tech skills very easily, so I find no rush to start in preschool.

    He talks to grandparents on Skype every week, and watches me find teaching materials for him online. Otherwise, that’s about it in the meantime. 🙂

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