Here are some ways to make your child's hours at the keyboard more fruitful.
- Don't assume the computer can do it all. A computer program - no matter how interactive - will never replace a good book or a walk in the woods. And a computer alone will not teach a child to read any sooner or better.- Be an involved parent, especially with preschoolers. Stop the program in midaction once in a while and ask your child what she thinks will happen next; the opportunity to reflect may help develop an understanding of the cause and effect of clicking the mouse or pushing a button.
- Choose age-appropriate software. For young children, look for programs that give players audio feedback - encouragement, praise, directions - and no harsh sounds for wrong answers.
- Don't assume older children know everything. True, by age 10 your child may know more about computers than you do. But your input is still needed to guide his software choices.
- Ask your child to explain it to you. "It's very good for a child's self-esteem to be able to show his parents the ropes on the computer, since usually it's the other way around," says Bernie Luskin, president of Jones Education Networks.
- Monitor computer time as you would television time. Educational psychologist Jane M. Healy recommends that a child spend no more than half an hour per day at her computer.
Other experts set their timer for longer. "If children disappear for hours and use their computers to do their homework, I would not be all that concerned," says Sandra Calvert, associate professor of psychology at Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C. "The important thing to monitor is the quality of the time your child is spending in front of the screen."