Kids and ipads

Ruffy

Ruffy

Messages
1,623
Name
Paul
Edit My Images
Yes
Well I have 3 kids aged 8, 6 and 1, when I first talked about getting an ipad, the wife didn't see what all the fuss was about but when I got it, I couldn't get her off it and then our eldest kid got on it and then my 6 year old lad got on it and then the fights began.....

Every morning both my 8 year old daughter and 6 year old son would fight over who was getting the ipad so I thought sod it, I will buy another one so they had one each because after all, my 1 year old (only just 1) won't need one !!!!

How wrong was I, now every morning she has what is now called an ipaddy because she wants the ipad !!!!
What did kids do before technology ? Our 1 year old daughter can slide to unlock, change the icon page by swiping and even fire the camera up !!!

I'm not buying 3 :(
 
Last edited:
I know we live in a technology saturated world these days but I find it slightly wrong that children so young should have such expensive devices bought for them.
Now I understand the educational uses they may bring but show me a child that says "I want an ipad to learn numbers/to spell" etc.

Whan I was 6 and 8 my first thought when I got out of bed was how quickly I can get dressed/breakfast and out to play!

Is it me or have children lost the ability to do what we did as kids?

I know I will probably get flamed for this but I do find it wrong and no offence to the OP but an ipad mini for a 12 month old is beyond ridiculous!
 
How about an innotab for the little'un? My niece & nephew have one each and they love them. Fairly robust and only around £60 too
 
me ipad
wife ipad
12yo daughter ipad
9yo son asus tf101
2 1/2 yo son blackberry playbook

trouble is with the BBerry is its lack of content although you can load Android stuff on it still lacks content.. but for a toddler its size and build quality(which I think is the best out of the 3) and the price they can be had now its not a bad choice.
 
look at it this way.

Eventually all of them will have their own ipad at some point anyway. You may as well buy it now and then you've made the investment, they keep their worth well so in a few years you can sell them to upgrade to the next model.
 
My granddaughter is three and she uses the I pad and loves it.
 
stupar said:
I know we live in a technology saturated world these days but I find it slightly wrong that children so young should have such expensive devices bought for them.
Now I understand the educational uses they may bring but show me a child that says "I want an ipad to learn numbers/to spell" etc.

Whan I was 6 and 8 my first thought when I got out of bed was how quickly I can get dressed/breakfast and out to play!

Is it me or have children lost the ability to do what we did as kids?

I know I will probably get flamed for this but I do find it wrong and no offence to the OP but an ipad mini for a 12 month old is beyond ridiculous!
Click to expand...

Think you may have read my post wrong :) I'm with you on this lol
 
Ruffy said:
Think you may have read my post wrong :) I'm with you on this lol
Click to expand...

I know.
My view was more general re the whole situation plus in response to other posts suggesting other devices. :D
 
We also just got one. I was going to use it on the way to work, but it felt too big and bought a nexus 7 which I am happy with. The iPad now stays at home and my 3 year old loves playing various pre school games on it.

Have just ordered a griffin survivor case for safety...
 
my comment about an ipad mini was a joke. i too think kids don't need these types of things at such a young age but it is the way of things now.
 
Griffin survivor cases are very good (y)

My old ipad nd and iphone both had them.

My iphone withit stood up to lots of abuse, sand, water and a merc vito driven over it...:LOL:
 
gumbo-67 said:
my comment about an ipad mini was a joke. i too think kids don't need these types of things at such a young age but it is the way of things now.
Click to expand...

I would have said the same until I saw my 18 month old nephew using my Sister's iPad.

There are some very good educational apps available and with a little help he was "playing" a number matching game with reasaonble success.

Whilst an iPad may be overkill, the Innotab or Leapster are definitely worth considering for toddlers.
 
My two sons (7 and 3 1/2) would spend hours on the computer/Wii and iPad if allowed.

My concern is that they will learn the skills to use these devices at the expense of actually being able to write properly!!

I have to laugh though when I see our 3 1/2 year old in a museum, he thinks that every display and picture he comes to is supposed to play a video or swipe to another picture :LOL:

David
 
gumbo-67 said:
my comment about an ipad mini was a joke. i too think kids don't need these types of things at such a young age but it is the way of things now.
Click to expand...

need ... nobody really needs an ipad no matter what their age. My kids are ahead of most of our friends kids though academically and both have had ipads since babys.

They were never their own ipads, they just used ours and I always put educational apps on their for them.

I truly believe that the reason my children are so smart has a lot to do with the apps they have played with since being baby's
 
Willid1 said:
My concern is that they will learn the skills to use these devices at the expense of actually being able to write properly!!
Click to expand...

I suffer from this in truth. If I ever have to write anything my hand hurts doing so after a while.

but then I rarely have to ever use a pen, so it's less important.
 
joescrivens said:
need ... nobody really needs an ipad no matter what their age. My kids are ahead of most of our friends kids though academically and both have had ipads since babys.

They were never their own ipads, they just used ours and I always put educational apps on their for them.

I truly believe that the reason my children are so smart has a lot to do with the apps they have played with since being baby's
Click to expand...

I hope the educational apps told them in what context to use the word " Their " :D
 
Ruffy said:
Well I have 3 kids aged 8, 6 and 1, when I first talked about getting an ipad, the wife didn't see what all the fuss was about but when I got it, I couldn't get her off it and then our eldest kid got on it and then my 6 year old lad got on it and then the fights began.....

Every morning both my 8 year old daughter and 6 year old son would fight over who was getting the ipad so I thought sod it, I will buy another one so they had one each because after all, my 1 year old (only just 1) won't need one !!!!

How wrong was I, now every morning she has what is now called an ipaddy because she wants the ipad !!!!
What did kids do before technology ? Our 1 year old daughter can slide to unlock, change the icon page by swiping and even fire the camera up !!!

I'm not buying 3 :(
Click to expand...

Teach em when they are young Paul (y)
 
u8myufo said:
I hope the educational apps told them in what context to use the word " Their " :D
Click to expand...

they are still too young to learn spelling, but they are learning their phonics and daisy is beginning to write letters
 
An ipad for a one year old will require a drool and drop proof case!

If they have already learnt to be careful with such things then it should be ok. I'd they're at the using everything as a hammer stage then they'd need supervision or parents with deep pockets.
 
srichards said:
An ipad for a one year old will require a drool and drop proof case!

If they have already learnt to be careful with such things then it should be ok. I'd they're at the using everything as a hammer stage then they'd need supervision or parents with deep pockets.
Click to expand...

Not at all.

Our iPad one got a ton of abuse but it's never broken. They are remarkably robust. A wipe clean each night and you are good to go.
 
joescrivens said:
My kids are ahead of most of our friends kids though academically and both have had ipads since babys.


I truly believe that the reason my children are so smart has a lot to do with the apps they have played with since being baby's
Click to expand...

That can be misconstrued Joe as kids with ipads are smarter than kids without.
I find that a slightly blinkered view.
 
joescrivens said:
Well if you don't misinterpret it that way then it should be ok. (y)
Click to expand...

I think the key thing to remember is ipads and the likes of are not a substitute for proper learning through human interaction and good cold fashioned playing which is why nurseries don't give electronic devices to babies as a means of development.
That's speaking as the husband of a nursery practitioner.
 
stupar said:
I think the key thing to remember is ipads and the likes of are not a substitute for proper learning through human interaction and good cold fashioned playing which is why nurseries don't give electronic devices to babies as a means of development.
That's speaking as the husband of a nursery practitioner.
Click to expand...

do you have some sources to back that statement up?

I'm also not sure anyone is suggesting they are a "substitute" - but instead an excellent tool to add and use in addition to those things. When done so properly they enhance childrens learning. That is my own experience having worked in educational technology and teaching for the last 12 years
 
joescrivens said:
do you have some sources to back that statement up?

A plethora of books and notes of my wife's but I'm not gonna plough through it all to prove a point.

All I will say is show me a nursery where babies/toddlers get to play with it ipads and the likes of as part of development :D
Click to expand...

Anyhow I'm away to play with my son and his analogue shape sorter and cars :LOL:
 
My 2 and a half year old has been using my iPad for about a year. She learnt how to operate the swipe unlock and then started randomly firing up apps so I made her a folder with apps in which she now knows to use and not anything else.
I firmly believe that using the iPad has helped her development along more than if she didn't use it but that doesn't mean I'm going use it as a replacement to traditional educational methods, more as an addition.

Besides, in our technology mad world where things like iPads, smartphones etc become such an integral part of our daily lives, the earlier she learns how to use them properly the better!
 
Rico said:
My 2 and a half year old has been using my iPad for about a year. She learnt how to operate the swipe unlock and then started randomly firing up apps so I made her a folder with apps in which she now knows to use and not anything else.
I firmly believe that using the iPad has helped her development along more than if she didn't use it but that doesn't mean I'm going use it as a replacement to traditional educational methods, more as an addition.

Besides, in our technology mad world where things like iPads, smartphones etc become such an integral part of our daily lives, the earlier she learns how to use them properly the better!
Click to expand...

Exactly!
 
Ruffy said:
Well I have 3 kids aged 8, 6 and 1, when I first talked about getting an ipad, the wife didn't see what all the fuss was about but when I got it, I couldn't get her off it and then our eldest kid got on it and then my 6 year old lad got on it and then the fights began.....

Every morning both my 8 year old daughter and 6 year old son would fight over who was getting the ipad so I thought sod it, I will buy another one so they had one each because after all, my 1 year old (only just 1) won't need one !!!!

How wrong was I, now every morning she has what is now called an ipaddy because she wants the ipad !!!!
What did kids do before technology ? Our 1 year old daughter can slide to unlock, change the icon page by swiping and even fire the camera up !!!

I'm not buying 3 :(
Click to expand...

You're not the only one with a problem like that, I'm sure that nearly the majority of all families everywhere are like that, myself included. I have two kids, 12 and 11, but the older is special needs with learning difficulties, and they won't keep their hands off my iPad.

To keep them off my iPad, I've deleted all games from my iPad and filled it with as much photos, books, and productivity apps as I can, so I could show them on iTunes the bar and show how little space there is left on my iPad, not enough room for games.

After all I bought the iPad partily to help me cope with my special needs kid as well as for myself as I have a disability, and partily for my photography work as well as graphic design and writing.

If you set up your iPad with apps that seems more suited to your needs, for work, for photography, and so on, and not really much use for the kids, then hopefully the idea is that if the kids don't find your iPad of any interest, then they may be less interested in it. It won't stop them, but it may make them use it a little less than before.

With some older generations of iPad on second-hand market, you could always treat yourself to new iPad and the kids get used ones until they're old enough to buy their own in future.
 
joescrivens said:
I truly believe that the reason my children are so smart has a lot to do with the apps they have played with since being baby's
Click to expand...

How do you define smart Joe? Children are only as smart as the information you feed them and the time you spend with them, and that need not be an app on an electronic device. As with all of us children learn at different rates, it does not make them any less clever. Something they should have realised years ago in the Schools imho.
 
stupar said:
I know we live in a technology saturated world these days but I find it slightly wrong that children so young should have such expensive devices bought for them.
Now I understand the educational uses they may bring but show me a child that says "I want an ipad to learn numbers/to spell" etc.

Whan I was 6 and 8 my first thought when I got out of bed was how quickly I can get dressed/breakfast and out to play!

Is it me or have children lost the ability to do what we did as kids?

I know I will probably get flamed for this but I do find it wrong and no offence to the OP but an ipad mini for a 12 month old is beyond ridiculous!
Click to expand...

I'm with you 100% on this - plus IMO there's something awry with " the kids fight over who's going to use it , so we bought another one"

Surely the answer to that situation is that they are taught to share , and given rules and boundaries - I recall when I was little my sister and I had the same sort of dispute over the family acorn electron - The parental ruling on that was " If you can't share nicely , its going in the loft and neither of you will have access to it for a month"

Ditto with " the kids won't keep their hands off [the adults] ipad" - seriously ??? surely the answer to that is to make them keep their hands off it or say they can have access to it at set times , and punish them if they transgress the rules

Is it really a good idea to teach the kids that they can get anything they want so long as the fight and have tantrums long enough to make the adults give in ?
 
u8myufo said:
How do you define smart Joe? Children are only as smart as the information you feed them and the time you spend with them, and that need not be an app on an electronic device. As with all of us children learn at different rates, it does not make them any less clever. Something they should have realised years ago in the Schools imho.
Click to expand...

Actually your idea that children are as smart as how you teach them and spend time with them is just a minimum.

Children are curiosity and creative, add that on top of the minimum skills, and...

You've got children who sometimes can help you set up your new television set and DVD player which you sometimes struggle with.

So kids will be able to figure out things on your software and hardware, be they Microsoft or Apple, be they desktop computer or iOS device, be they Nikon or Canon, they will find a way.

Like that character in Jurassic Park say: "Life will find a way."

:)
 
Major Eazy said:
Actually your idea that children are as smart as how you teach them and spend time with them is just a minimum.

Children are curiosity and creative, add that on top of the minimum skills, and...

You've got children who sometimes can help you set up your new television set and DVD player which you sometimes struggle with.

So kids will be able to figure out things on your software and hardware, be they Microsoft or Apple, be they desktop computer or iOS device, be they Nikon or Canon, they will find a way.

Like that character in Jurassic Park say: "Life will find a way."

:)
Click to expand...

Of course I understand kids are curious & creative but unless you give them the time of day and explain about the things they are curious about, and extract to the best of your ability the creativeness in them then they will not flourish as much as others do. I have three that are all adults now, been there and got the shirt ;) Life will find a way? I think it has to a certain degree, we seem to have a large proportion of this generation and I am referring to teenagers that could not even tell you where the stuff comes from that is on their plate. I am not knocking technology or that children should not be involved with it at a young age, but if the pc goes down the tv don't work or the surround system don't work, is it really the end of the world for them? For a lot of them I think it would be.
 
Hmmmm... OK Samelia have not found the ipad yet but at 6 1/2 months, I wouldn't expect them to. Only a matter of time though...

Occasionally though, I will have one or both on knee/s whilst Mrs Lynton makes up babygruel... and have occasionally looked at my phone.. total fascination with it, and have put on a few baby apps such as lullabys etc... they are transfixed by the sounds and colours.... so I can see the appeal of ipads...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top