What age for child to own a kindle/tablet device?

Counting_Pennies_2

My son's year group are starting to get them, aged 10.

However, we are holding off for a little while longer.

We have an ipad through DH job and DH has a Kindle he got for Christmas a few years ago, so if we are on holiday we will just download some books for DS and he can use the kindle. That is probably the closest to a book, as it does not have a glare you get from ipads.

I would like him to continue to get all the enjoyment out of reading books. Don't want a device to replace the experience of reading a book. So for us it is just a case of borrowing a Kindle already in the family when going away.

We get books from ebay for £1 to satisfy his book a night habit!

Hiddenidenity

I'm glad someone asked this.

DS started school in September, and school recommend access to computers, he has a log in on some school site and is set a 45 min piece of homework everynight.

My mum has offered to buy him a computer/tablet for this for Xmas and then of course she said she would "have" to buy the 2 year old one.

I'm still undecided I wanted to keep him from the computer world for atleast another couple of years, But it seems it's now part of the curriculum to have 4 year olds sat at computers in and out of school

Counting_Pennies_2

Hiddenidenity wrote: »

I'm glad someone asked this.

DS started school in September, and school recommend access to computers, he has a log in on some school site and is set a 45 min piece of homework everynight.

My mum has offered to buy him a computer/tablet for this for Xmas and then of course she said she would "have" to buy the 2 year old one.

I'm still undecided I wanted to keep him from the computer world for atleast another couple of years, But it seems it's now part of the curriculum to have 4 year olds sat at computers in and out of school

Personally I would recommend a cheap computer and printer for this age group. Then it is set up in one place perhaps in the kitchen or living room a place where you spend a lot of your time. That way you get to see what they are accessing.

Now my children are of an age where we have portable devices it creates a devious nature of sneaking the device into their bedroom without me noticing. I find their brains get scrambled so quickly on these devices. If they do homework after being on them, I find they can't focus, are slower to respond to a question and sometimes have a very lethargic response. So personally I would stick with a fixed computer to carry out their tasks.

Also don't feel obliged to get a device, the school should offer to print off the homework to give to the child, and if computers are needed to do research etc then access to a computer in school is offered. The school is obliged to offer this facility as they cannot assume everyone has a computer or access to one.

Hiddenidenity

Counting_Pennies wrote: »

Personally I would recommend a cheap computer and printer for this age group. Then it is set up in one place perhaps in the kitchen or living room a place where you spend a lot of your time. That way you get to see what they are accessing.

Now my children are of an age where we have portable devices it creates a devious nature of sneaking the device into their bedroom without me noticing. I find their brains get scrambled so quickly on these devices. If they do homework after being on them, I find they can't focus, are slower to respond to a question and sometimes have a very lethargic response. So personally I would stick with a fixed computer to carry out their tasks.

Also don't feel obliged to get a device, the school should offer to print off the homework to give to the child, and if computers are needed to do research etc then access to a computer in school is offered. The school is obliged to offer this facility as they cannot assume everyone has a computer or access to one.

Thank you, he can attend school early to do the work, but we already leave the house at 7.30 so it isn't practical really. He can use mine, I'm just not happy how much computers are used in school.. I suppose that's a different moan though isn't it

[Deleted User]

Well, i had access to a computer back when I was 6/7 in the mid '80s - so it's no surprise that my kids have used the 'family ipad' since they were 2.

I bought our eldest (4) a leapfrog tablet (no internet connection) and he seems to like it. I'm tempted to get him an android tablet next year as he is very comfortable and capable of using them. I'd restrict internet access though (as I do with the ipad).

onlyroz

When they're old enough to look after it without breaking it or losing it.

My son got a Nintendo DS for his fourth birthday. He got an iPod Touch for his 7th birthday and a Kindle Fire for his 8th birthday. He loves them all and looks after them well.

My daughter is nearly 5 and doesn't have any gadgets of her own yet - but I do let her play with my iPhone and Kindle under supervision. When she has learned to read a bit then I think we'll look at getting her a tablet, or she might inherit my Kindle Fire which gives me an excuse to upgrade to an iPad Mini

daisiegg

Are all these screens not bad for little developing eyes?

bylromarha

This year, mine got Nooks (ereaders) aged 6 and 8. Only because they were £15. They loved books, so it seemed a logical buy- especially as the library do ebooks.

Ereaders are different to tablets IMO. Screens on phones/tablets/laptops/TVs/DSs make my kids behaviour turn if on them for over 30 mins. We are happy to let them use ours for short bursts of time, but they aren't given free reign. So they don't own their own, and won't be for a little while yet.

OH and I agreed before we had kids they wouldn't have TVs in their rooms, so this is an extension of that I guess. When we got together, Ipads/Tablets/smartphones weren't even a twinkle in Steve Jobs eye! TVs had 4 channels and mobile phones were bricks...ah, those were the days...

Counting_Pennies_2

Hiddenidenity wrote: »

Thank you, he can attend school early to do the work, but we already leave the house at 7.30 so it isn't practical really. He can use mine, I'm just not happy how much computers are used in school.. I suppose that's a different moan though isn't it

Our school have done many talks about the need to get children used to computers from an early age, and to be technologically savvy

The problem is technology is developing so fast, that it is inevitable they will be incorporated in their everyday life as they are older. So getting them used to it now can only be a good thing.

Under supervision of course! And that is the scary bit, it is virtually impossible to keep track of what a child is doing with such a device as soon as it goes mobile!

notanewuser

As soon as the line on the pregnancy test turns blue, it seems.

Why can't kids just be kids anymore? DD (3) has more stuff on my iPad than me, but she only gets to borrow it for short periods. It's not hers, she doesn't need one. With an IT consultant dad there's enough IT kit around for her to play with without getting one of her own!!! I don't even want her let loose with felt pens yet!!!!