University of Wisconsin - Extension

The world of computers and the Internet has its own form of language that is important to under-stand. There are many benefits to exploring it with your child: They get to sit on your lap or next to you. They practice fine motor skills. They gain comfort with a technology that can help them in school.

They broaden their world without leaving the safety of their home. They have fun while they learn. As you evaluate children?s Web sites and software, keep in mind that young children have not devel-oped fine motor skills. It may be difficult for them to do things with their hands that involve precise movement such as writing. Activities that include movement of a mouse with easy placement of a pointer can help children develop fine motor skills and hand/eye coordination.

The more actively involved your child is, the more he/she will learn, so avoid programs where the computer does all the work. Also, Look for computer activities that can be finished in a relatively short amount of time. Remember, the computer is like a city; some places are safe and some are not. Your child probably already knows she can't go everywhere by herself. Share your values with your child by voicing the reasons for your choices. For example, if your Internet provider displays ads when you log-on, you might say, "These people are trying to sell me something. I would rather spend time playing a game, so we're going to skip this page."