EVERYTHING
FOR YOUR FAMILY
Early Years (2-6)
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In 6th grade, I used to save my quarters and, on the way home from school, take a detour into the bowling alley where my friends and I would play a few games of pinball before rushing home at a quick pace to hide our deceit. It was a different world then in many ways. The long walk home, unsupervised and unafraid. The bowling alley with its aroma of shoes and French fries, Cactus Cooler and Tab sold ice-cold in the vending machines. That quaint bowling-alley pinball machine didn’t teach me much, except that I could, if necessary, run home quickly. But today’s kids spend more time with games that are more potent and more educational than that pinball machine was. Some parents worry. They believe the pervasive popularity of video and computer games is what prevents real learning and contributes to the decline in academic advancement of our children. Others cite the rise in attention deficit disorder and childhood obesity, and point fingers at the computer and TV. Jane M. Healy, in her book “Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect our Children’s Minds and What We Can do About It,” says “some very exciting and potentially valuable things are happening between children and computers,” but cautions that “we are currently spending far too much money with too little thought.” She explores the rift between popular beliefs and what her research suggests: “Computer learning for young children is far less brain-building than even such simple activities as spontaneous play or playing board games with an adult or older child. Connecting alone has yet to demonstrate academic value, and some of the most popular educational software may even be damaging to creativity, attention and motivation.” Others believe that kids who aren’t drawn in to traditional modes of learning can be inspired by computers and video games, motivating them to read, develop math skills and strengthen problem-solving skills. And early exposure allows our children to become computer-literate in a world that demands it. James Paul Gee, in his article “High Score Education,” says, “Good video games incorporate the principle of expertise. They encourage players to achieve total mastery of one level, only to challenge and undo that mastery in the next, forcing kids to adapt and evolve.” The challenge is to choose wisely, and acknowledge that games are one of many ways to entertain, challenge and teach children. Make certain to set limits, keep boundaries. My husband and I have decided to delay our son’s introduction to computers and videos. While he has few basic keyboard toys (leap pads for car trips), we plan to refrain from full immersion until schoolwork demands it. We know he’ll encounter them through friends and family. But home activities will remain offline and offscreen. Still, our son does see daddy and mommy hunched over their own computers way too much. He doesn’t like it. Our jobs, like others, often begin before we leave home and return with us in the evenings. So, as we limit our son’s exposure to computers and video games, as we plot to manage his screen time, we also need to consider our own and what kind of message our behavior sends to him. We’re working on it. Lisa Alvarez is a contributing writer to OC Family Magazine. This column first appeared in April 2006. |
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