How to Encourage Creativity With Digital Technology in the Early Years
The marriage of creativity and technology can have some benefits for children. Engaging in artistic endeavors and using technology can help promote the development of synapses, or connections, in a child's brain. Using items such as computers and electronic devices at an early age can help foster a confidence, even an aptitude for operating them, and promote imaginative play with fun activities. While children's use of technology should never replace hands-on or social experiences, it can be an excellent educational opportunity in moderation.
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Things You'll Need
- Electronic toys
- Variety of digital devices
- Computer
- Computer software for kids
Instructions
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Provide your child with some electronic toys, such as toy computers and touch pads, at an early age. Encourage him to sit and use his computer while you are using yours, or alternate having him playing a song on his toy CD player with you playing a song on your CD player as you go about chores together. Children learn initially from imitation.
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Introduce your child to your home entertainment system. Show her the basic buttons she needs to press to turn on the television, make it louder or quieter, or put on her favorite cartoons. Do it together. Make it a game called, "What do we press next?" It doesn't matter if she doesn't remember it right away. Simply repeating the activity will help her recall the right sequence for the action she wants, take the mystique out of pressing buttons, and give her confidence in using the equipment. Her favorite show appearing when she does things correctly will give her positive reinforcement.
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Sit your child on your lap, or next to you, when you are at your computer. Show him how you can make things happen by moving and clicking the mouse. Once he is old enough to operate a mouse himself, let him experiment. Lots of software and websites designed for preschoolers involve simple pointing and clicking. Dressing up cartoon characters, coloring in pictures, and designing their own playground or birthday cake are common activities found in computer games for kids.
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Give her a digital camera. Inexpensive digital cameras are made to be fairly sturdy and are widely available. They are easy to operate and have a number of basic functions. Encourage your child to artistically express herself. Suggest that she take photographs on outings, at family gatherings, or as a way to pass the time. Show your child how to plug her camera into the computer to upload photos. Use photo editing software with your child to alter photo creations, then compose email to send them to friends and relatives.
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Give your child an inexpensive MP3 player. Show him how to plug it into a computer, and then download songs together. You can allow him to operate the mouse, and point to what he should click if he is unable to read yet. Alternately, give him a digital recording device so that he can record himself singing songs, telling stories or making music on toy instruments. Show him how to upload his own recordings. Continuously introduce your child to new devices and think of fun things you can do together with him to encourage him further.
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