Which is the best way to teach a 3 years old kid to use the computer mouse?
Since my daughter could come up the the computer and close out mommy’s programs and either load up her own games by putting the CD in or ask for us to load up the website she wants to play. Make sure for games you buy that they are labeled Ec (Early Childhood) as anything else will probably require more advanced mouse or keyboard skills. Then become a regular visitor to: www.noggin.com www.nickjr.com www.pbskids.org www.sesamestreet.org The Disney sites are targetted a little older. Personally I think Noggin has the best content for the kids. Start by sitting with your child and playing the games. They’ll see your hand controlling the action and then want to do it themselves. In the beginning they’ll need help with some things, but if your kid is anything like mine, they’ll mast
I would suggest being patient, sitting and using the computer with your child on sites that will hold your childs interest. After awhile of playing games…doing fun educational type things…and your child observing you, things should “click”. Your child will want to take over doing the actions. It is hard to judge how much time…everyone learns things at different rates and more importantly takes interest in different parts of the experience. I would suggest the sesame street web site…there are varying levels of game and activities that will use the mouse and keyboard. http://www.sesameworkshop.org/sesamestreet/ Simply play the various games and when your child seems interested introduce the mouse and letting them take over for various things…like maybe you position the pointer and they just hit the mouseclick button…do it in steps. I would also suggest having the mouse on the top of the desk in the open
Most children that age will need only a few minutes of watching you, and then a few minutes playing with the mouse and its buttons to start using the mouse fairly effectively. My son leaned to use the mouse at this age by using Disney.com and other kids websites. I have to lock the computer room door now because he can find the hyperlink in my favorites folder. When he gets bored, he then starts randomly clicking on other icons. Kids will consider it a game, and figure it out very quickly without much instruction. You should still supervise their computer use, and give pointers when they get stuck. Log on to a family friendly site and let them teach themselves. I hope this helps.
