Toddler And Kid Computing

After watching the kid use his mom's iPhone for the past 6 months we decided that it could be interesting to give him his own computer. So i dusted off an old laptop i had laying around and got to researching kid software and configuration.

Initially was going to load up windows 7 then go through and lock it down tight using some third party tools as well as the built in parent controls. However, after I got started I realized I wanted something more out of the box and easy, so back to google.

After a few minutes I found Qimo for kids, http://www.qimo4kids.com, a linux operating system based on Ubuntu, tailored for kids ages 3 and up. Not to worry folk, the install is as easy as installing windows and there is an infinite amount of resources online for your reference.

Out of the box Qimo is loaded with toddler learning games ready from the get go. The interface is kid friendly with big icons that are easy to find and click and the system is intuitive enough that my 3 year old was navigating the system immediately.

So, operating system taken care of with built in games and easy to add more, but what about the internet. Back to the hunt to find safe browsing. And of course, it is possible to lock down Internet explored, Mozilla firefox, or even google chrome. However, locking down the browser using native parental controls does not magically make it kid friendly. Yes, it does protect them from what kids should not be seeing, but still not kid friendly. In comes kidzui.

Kidzui, http://www.kidzui.com, is a web browser that is truly meant for kids. Of course, it covered my number 1 priority of delivering age appropriate content for kids, but it does more. Kidzui provides an interface that helps kids navigate and get them going in the direction they want. Of course, knowing how to read does enhance the Internet experience, however, kudzu's large pictures and ease of use navigation tool does allow for pre reading age kids to get value from the net.

However, it is not recommended to give your toddler free access to the Internet, so an extra login to get there could be a good idea.

In addition, a kid size mouse will be more comfortable. I found this one on amazon. It has online click(left click) so no accidental right clicking. It's been great. Of course there are also other cool looking ones.

There you have it. By providing the right software and tools you can have your toddler navigating a computer better than most adults.