My 6 year old is a computer freak. That child would stay on the thing all day if I let her, especially now that it's getting cold and she can't go outside. She isn't allowed to get on until after we've done our lessons for the day..but sometimes, once she gets on, I lose track of time b/c I'm running around changing poopy diapers, fixing lunch, and cleaning this house that has a magic ability to get dirty actual seconds after I'm done cleaning, then I look in horror at the clock and she's been on there for an hour and a half!! Where do you cap off on your kids computer times?
My oldest has her own laptop but she monitors herself really. My youngest used to be on for hours at a time if we let her playing PBS games but she seems to have lost interest. I would say my limit would depend on what they were doing.
I let my boys (5 and 3) play online for about 30 minutes... twice a week. Occasionally I'll let my oldest play additional time on Starfall if he wakes up from nap before his brothers.
My kids will sometimes do school on the computer on Fridays after their spelling and math tests. They are each on for a hour or so. There are some weeks that go by and they are not on at all. So, I guess it depends on the kid. My dd actually learns very well using the computer. So, when she plays educational games I allow her a hour. But then again, this is maybe once a week. If you want your child on the computer daily then limit it as you feel it is necessary. If you kid watches an hour of tv...maybe allow an hour of computer time instead. Or maybe 30minutes...I guess an hour on a daily basis maybe a lot.
Sigh...........My kids have been using the computer too much lately. I took away some of their tv time to help compensate, however Dad is letting them play on the computer or watch a movie when I am out of the house working with a client. It all started a few weeks back when we bought them each a webkin and the playmates have them also. They would have played on that site around the clock if I had let them. It has tapered off some but not enough. The playmates were playing webkinz here and my eldest was playing webkinz at the playmates house. All of us parents ganged up and started limiting them in how long then use the computer during a play date so that went fairly well. My two a 7.5 and 3.5 get along so well when they are playing online. Big sis has to take orders from the little one part of the time. Go here, play this, do that, click this, click that. They seem to take turns well and both are entertained and learn in the process. It is cute to see them both squeezed together in the black computer chair set at the highest position. I am still thinking about how long is okay. With winter coming up and so forth, I just don't know. Is coloring in a coloring book really that much better for them? I feel that substituting for TV time is actually a positive, but am not sure about time other than that.
We have a new system, that we just implemented last week!!! I have a notebook with little clocks on it. It's one of those I got on-line where write a time on the blank and then the kids draw in the hands. My kids get two clocks each day (Monday through Friday). One is for TV, one is for Computer. They then have to color in the clocks. Once the clocks are colored in, they're done for the day. There are two extra clocks, again one for both TV and Computer, that are "free". They get to use this "extra" hour as they wish. All in one day, or a part of it each day, or whatever. We do NOT count against them doing assigned school work (ie: Phillip working on learning his geography on Shepherd's Software, or Faythe typing out her AWANAS verses), or movies that we're watching as a family. These sheets are kept right above the computer. PROBLEM: Phillip asked me on Monday why Mommy doesn't have to fill in a clock, too. "It''s not fair....."
I don't have a limit. Sometimes the kids are on it all days for days at a time but that's rare and usually when a new game comes into the house. They tend to just need to get it out of their systems and then the novelty is gone and the computer might be used 1 day out of every 2 or 3 for a few hours. Why not test that for a week or so? Not that there aren't kids who definitely have problems with computers but I find most kids approach the computer the same way they approach most interests, with overwhelming enthusiasm. And with most interests it tends to fall off in time and they go back to Lego, books or Barbies. You've probably seen the same pattern with favourite toys or books. This is one issue where my unschooler roots show.
Well there is NO computer during the day unless it's school related- like something for math. She doesn't get computer time till I start dinner and while we don't set a limit, she's usually on here for a half hour or so and then she's off on her own and will go back unless daddy is home and then they are playing. Some days she's on more, some days less.
My 3 kids fight for computer time. We use a kitchen timer to help with equality. Mostly they fight to play online since my laptop is the only one able to go online. Sometimes they all want on the desktop at the same time but that's a rarity....since it can't go online. We usually set the timer for 30-40 mins. Some days they try to 2 turns but usually that doesn't happen for all 3 of them. My son would play Civilization 3 (offline) all day if I let him....he's a bit addicted at 5 years old....which will probably be worse when he can actually read....but he has learned a lot about world leaders by playing them....lol. We haven't severely limited it yet. And actually sometimes I need one distracted by the computer so I can work with another child....although during school time, I do try to make sure they are doing something educational rather than just playing Toontown or Barbie or something like that. Rhonda C.
My son is only allowed to go to certain places. Most of them are totally educational. He is also allowed to go to Pogo. I don't limit his time at all. Like I said.. what is the difference of him playing computer games.. even the most uneducational game teaches hand and eye coordination... than him sitting still coloring in a book or drawing "dream cars" all over every sheet of paper he can get his hands on. I also don't limit tv... for any of my kids.. I do control what they watch though. Garrett watches lots of "How it's made", "Dirty Jobs", "mythbusters", and also some fun shows... right now he is in love with being scared.. so he loves to watch "A Haunting".
I never set a time for my girls they seem to know when they had enough and they know what needs to be when and where. I am with crazymama I don't have to tell them what to watch they know too. But, I have to say it's up to the child every child is different.
i've never set a time limit -- i find that dd(10) goes in spurts, depending on what her current online interest is... like those webkinz --- she's got 34 of the little critters and was really really into it for a while ....as was i :lol: ...but she doesn't want to play with them as often now.... i *do* restrict during the day -- not time so much as location... what i mean is that during our 'breaks' (usually what this means is she is having her break from schooling while i jump in my shower or something) she has a list of sites that she can use, ones that are at least *somewhat* educational (and i do have webkinz included in this because a lot of their games have some learning attached, whether it's spelling or math or logic) ....but outside of "school day", i don't...she can go use her facebook or chat with friends on msn or whatever.... she and i are really the only two who use the computer here...
I'm okay with them playing about half hour to one hour a day. Normally when we're all done school, lunch, etc. and the 2 year old goes down for her nap we have 'rest time' and they are allowed to read, draw, play on the computer, etc. Usually, not allowed on any other time - unless my hubby comes home and lets my son play on HIS computer with some special games they play together. I do require that they spend time on educational sites like starfall.com or cleverisland.com. My daughter has taken to playing things like web boggle and alchemy which really help with her perception skills, I think. Our computers are in a public place in our house. And we've just dawned on the Webkinz generation! So, they'll have to use my husband's computer for that. We want to be there to see what happens on Webkinz at least for a while. HTH.
Uh.... thers supposed to be a limit? We actually have 30-60 mins at a time alowed, mostly because they get stuck, dd will sneak in more if I am not paying attention because she likes Nancy Drew games and horse games Lol, they are long and take a lot of thought process... Ds10 likes the ones he can create things on, or spends his time on creating movies or power points.. both of which are long and time consuming and I get a lot of 'but Moooooooooooom Im almost done.." from him lol. I think they need to take breaks at least from that sort of thing, even with school work on it, last year we had sos so it was a constant thing all day long.. I worry about thier eyes and focus on other things when they get so atuned to the computer things.
I think that parent's often feel guilty if their kids are on the computer too long. Like they think they are not actively doing something or other... I don't set a timer....my kids seem to monitor themselves and tend to just stop in about an hour. I have had days where it seemed like they were on all afternoon together. I don't think it is a big deal.
Samantha uses the computer for school work all teh time - but she is in junior high now and uses it a ton for research. She also uses her laptop for things like Movie Maker and whatever else cool programs that thing came with. I think it is important for kids to become computer literate and know how to use the different programs.
We had to switch to dial-up temporarily and that killed the computer time for us! You can't play the elmo games without broadband. Amy
I don't feel guilty letting them play for a while online (or just at the computer), but my boys will fight tooth and nail when I tell them that their time is up. We have two computers, so I can even put them on at the same time, right next to each other, so it's not a case of "Eli got to play longer than me". My oldest (5yo) especially will pitch a HUGE fit when it's time to move on. So I really limit them, more for my own sanity. I a. don't want to promote that and b. don't want the inevitable fight that comes with it.
