Consultation for parents: “Computer and child: all the pros and cons.”

Computer through the eyes of a child

It is impossible to imagine the life of modern society without such a high-tech device as a computer.
Before talking about what benefit or harm it brings to the baby, you should understand that this piece of technology is in almost every home and the child becomes familiar with it at an early age. You can often hear from parents that their 3-year-old son or daughter loves to play various computer games. From the first years of life, a child watches his parents - how much time they spend at the computer, how they work, type, watch movies. The baby likes to press buttons on the keyboard and follow the movements on the screen. Children are especially attracted to touch devices.

Psychologists and teachers still have disagreements about at what age a preschooler can be allowed to interact with a computer. Some say that at two years old a child is already ready for acquaintance, others insist that this event should occur no earlier than 4-5 years (middle group).

This issue should be resolved individually, focusing on the baby’s health and developmental characteristics.

Important! When choosing educational and educational games for your child, do not forget that a computer is not a substitute for communication with peers and other people. It is also not the only source of information. Everything is good in moderation - the main rule of interaction between a preschool child and complex technology.

Consultation for parents “Computer: pros and cons”

Computer: pros and cons

Probably, most parents are now faced with the computer boom that almost all children are exposed to. Today, the appeal of the computer cannot be compared with either the TV or any other activity. The magic of computer games has now captured almost the entire young generation all over the world. Parents are most often concerned about the impact of the computer on vision and the harmful effects of radiation, as well as the possibility of getting a future computer fan in their own child, immersed in an artificial virtual world that takes him away from real life.

What picture do we see in almost all families where there is a computer? When a child comes home, he rushes to the computer, sluggishly kicking away from our persistent attempts to feed his modern child lunch. And endless games until the evening. Sound familiar?

Believe me, you are not alone.

Many parents, having bought a computer for their child, breathe a sigh of relief, because... this, to some extent, solves the problems of the child’s free time, his education (according to educational programs) or development (according to developmental programs), as well as receiving a charge of positive emotions from his favorite game, etc.

A small child is a very sensitive organism, all of whose physiological systems, including those necessary for successful interaction with a computer, develop in preschool and primary school age. Unlimited computer activities against the backdrop of an ever-increasing information load can accelerate unfavorable changes in a child’s well-being and affect his psyche. We advise parents to pay attention to the following points.

Doctors express concern about the health of children, citing many arguments against them: exposure to electromagnetic radiation from a monitor, a sitting position for a long time and, as a consequence, the appearance of fatigue, nervous-emotional tension, emotional stress, deterioration of vision and posture. It directly follows from this that the “virtual world” is more dangerous for the physical and mental health of the child than useful. Who is right in these endless disputes and discussions? Should preschoolers be allowed near the computer or not? Is this good for growing babies or harmful? The question remains open. Of course, we cannot thoughtlessly follow the lead of rapidly developing progress, sacrificing the health of the future generation on its altar, but at the same time we must not forget that computers are our future. In other words, we need a “golden mean”.

• Buy a good quality computer and display for your child, do not skimp on your children’s health.
• Place the computer on a table in the corner of the room, with its back to the wall, in a well-lit area, but so that there is no glare on the screen.
• Organize your child's workspace correctly. Choose furniture that suits his height.

For children 115–130 cm tall, the recommended table height is 54 cm, the chair seat height (necessarily with a hard back) is 32 cm. The distance between the child and the display is at least 50–70 cm (the further, the better). The child’s posture is straight or slightly tilted forward, with a slight tilt of the head, the landing is stable. The space between the body and the edge of the table is at least 5 cm.

• Do daily wet cleaning of the room where the computer is used. Ventilate the room more often; To increase air humidity, install an aquarium or other containers with water.
• Wipe the screen with a clean cloth or a special napkin before and after working on the computer.
• Place cacti next to the computer: these plants absorb its harmful radiation.
• Select computer programs for children especially carefully: they must be appropriate for the child’s age, both in content and in quality of design.
• Remember: without harming their health, preschoolers can work at a computer for no more than 15 minutes, and children of myopic parents and children with health problems - only 10 minutes a day, 3 times a week, every other day.
• After each lesson, do eye exercises and general strengthening exercises with your child.

Educational computer

games for preschoolers

On the modern computer games market you can purchase many programs for children. Some of them are also used in preschool educational institutions, where a Computer Game Complex (CGC) is created.

• Select educational computer games for classes with children, taking into account the psychological characteristics of children 5 - 7 years old, which are aimed at developing basic mental processes: perception, memory, attention, speech, logical thinking.
• During classes at home or in a preschool educational institution, use modern computer games for children that have an interface that is easy for children to understand (rules for interaction between the player and the computer). This will allow the child to feel more confident and put him in a situation of success.
• Make sure that the difficulty level of the task corresponds to the child’s age capabilities and individuality. This will teach him to evaluate his own strengths and will allow everyone to get positive results according to their individual program.

Each lesson of the Computer Gaming Complex includes several types of activities that replace each other: conversation or game; working on a computer with individual gaming tasks; outdoor play or sports exercises; didactic games and construction. During the classes, sanitary and epidemiological standards are strictly observed and eye exercises are carried out.

We offer you computer games that are recommended by M.A. Bykovskaya, teacher of the CEC at preschool educational institution No. 289 in Moscow.

1st block. Games for beginners

If your child is 4-5 years old and is just starting to get acquainted with the computer, you should choose games for him with fairly simple tasks.

First of all, master with your child the technique of working with the mouse and keyboard, and also understand the basics of the game interface - how to move to the next task, control the difficulty level, and turn off the program. At the initial stage, it is better not to use so-called arcade games, which are still difficult for a preschooler.

Adventure stories and logical tasks contained in such games increase nervous tension; failure can reduce a child’s self-esteem. Arcade games should be introduced when the child acquires the necessary skills with a keyboard and mouse.

For beginning preschoolers, we can recommend the following computer games:

• "Want to know everything".

  Developer "COMPEDIA";
  publisher "Russobit-M". A game from the Muppet Childhood series,
  which includes several games:

"On water

,
earth and air", "Flora and fauna", "Shape and color".

• "Little Seeker"

  Developer: Scholastic; publisher "New Disk". The game includes several games with picture riddles and puzzles.

2nd block. Games for children 5 years old

If children have mastered the basics of computer control, choose games to develop attention, memory, thinking, creative games, as well as some story-based games accompanied by various tasks.

• "Antoshka." Adventures of a dream hunter.

  Developer "COMPEDIA"; publisher "Russo-bit-M". The game has a storyline in the form of a book, in which on each page you can find a game or click on interactive objects

• "Planet of numbers for kids."

  Interesting mathematical tasks for comparison, counting, attention and memory.

• "Alik." Back to school soon.

  Developer "SILCOM";
  publisher "Russobit-M". Great game for preschoolers. Concepts are reinforced in a fun way: size, color, shape, number, number;
  logical thinking develops. The game has a lot of funny surprises - “animations”.

3rd block. Games for children 6 years old

If a preschooler is comfortable with a computer, introduce more complex games for him, sometimes requiring counting skills, recognition of sounds and letters, good coordination of movements and more developed fine motor skills.

• "Antoshka." An extraordinary safari.

  In an entertaining game, children get acquainted with various animals and their habitats.

  Read also:  Summary of an open lesson in the early age group “Lambs”
• "Antoshka." Miracles of science.

  Developer "COMPEDIA"; publisher "Russobit-M". An entertaining game in an accessible form introduces the basics of science: you can examine objects under a microscope and learn how to conduct scientific experiments at home.

• "Alik."
  Summer holidays.
  Developer "SILCOM"; kaleidoscope of games. Coloring, tag, tetris, mosaic, musical improvisation. Funny pictures. The games are not connected by a plot.
• "Lelik and Bolek in kindergarten."

  A set of games without a plot. Games to develop memory, attention, and the ability to follow instructions

.

Rules for using a computer for preschoolers

How much time can a child spend in front of a monitor without harming his health? Some experts believe that the maximum time that a three-year-old child can spend at the computer should not exceed thirty minutes a day with breaks.

From the age of six this interval increases to an hour.

It is imperative to explain to your child that prolonged use of the computer can affect his vision for the worse.

In order to relieve stress on the eyes and strengthen the eye muscles, the child needs to do eye exercises every fifteen minutes.

Consultation for parents “Child and Computer”.

Consultation for parents “Child and Computer”.

What is a computer? Good or evil? What is a computer for a child? A toy, an unusual and attractive toy. What is its peculiarity? How is it different from any other toy?

• The computer is an interactive tool.
• A computer is a universal toy that changes its purpose when the program is changed.
• The computer is an additional pedagogical tool for child development.
• The computer is a multivariate didactic material.

As can be seen from all of the above, a computer is truly an unusual toy. But the question is: does it promote the development of a preschool child or, on the contrary, hold it back? There are both supporters and opponents of the use of computers in the activities of preschool children. And accordingly, one can highlight its positive and negative sides.

The benefits of a computer.

There are several prejudices regarding computers. One of them is the following: frequent exposure to the virtual world is harmful to emotional and intellectual development. The child becomes a slave to the Internet, that is, he loses interest in self-development, manual labor and independent thinking.

But with all this, the computer still has a considerable number of advantages that make human life much easier. Help in choosing a hobby, various educational programs, the opportunity to get any information, etc. - all this helps your child.

Of course, your child may accidentally (or maybe not) end up on sites that you would like to protect him from. It could be a community of a nationalist organization, or a sect—anything. But this can also be encountered in reality. Probably, the only thing that can be contrasted here is your interest in the child’s life and your trusting relationship with him.

The second prejudice is that because of a computer, a child stops communicating with peers in reality, because the virtual world seems much more interesting to him. But this is a misconception.

If your child communicates little with classmates, the computer is not to blame. On the contrary, when a child is unsociable, he spends a lot of time sitting at the computer. And, thanks to this pastime, he can find new friends with similar tastes and interests.

Many people do not approve of computer games. They believe that games distract children from their studies, create cruelty, and so on. But there are people who approve of this form of children's entertainment.

Firstly, computer games are fun for children. Secondly, while playing any game, the child develops qualities that will be useful to him more than once in life. He learns to achieve certain goals, bring things to an end, and improve his results. By showing persistence, the child thereby develops it. Games also promote intellectual development, because in many of them you need to choose between several solutions and be smart. Thirdly, games are not only entertaining, but also educational and developmental. You can purchase games for your child that will promote the rapid development of logical thinking, memory and spatial thinking.

It is worth noting that computer games have another important meaning - relieving mental stress. Fighting dragons, playing races, the child quickly calms down, because while he is playing, he splashes out all the negative emotions.

Computer damage.

Of course, all parents take care of their children and try to keep them healthy from various internal and external factors. Including from the computer. Computers are usually harmful to eyesight and emit radiation.

Scientists believe that the level of radiation from LCD monitors is lower than that of conventional televisions. This refers to electromagnetic radiation. Other types, including X-ray, ultraviolet and infrared, are negligible.

But eye strain is really a big problem. Yet TV and computers have the same effect on vision. To prevent your vision from deteriorating, do not forget about eye exercises and short breaks. Visit your ophthalmologist from time to time.

Also, sitting at a computer, a child can get scoliosis - a curvature of the spine. Control him, make sure he maintains his posture, teach him to do this.

And the last, very important information. Make sure that your child does not lead a passive, but an active lifestyle. Otherwise, if he spends too much time on the computer, he may develop a computer addiction. This disease will not do any good to you or your child, so beware of it. Psychotherapists and psychologists can help you recover from computer addiction.

Here are a few rules that scientists recommend following when organizing children's gaming activities with a computer.

•  A child can work at a computer no more than 15 minutes a day.
•  It is better to play computer games in the morning.
•  During a week, a child can work with a computer no more than three times.
•  The room in which he works at the computer should be well lit.
•  Furniture (table and chair) must be sized according to the child’s height.
•  The distance from the child’s eyes to the monitor should not exceed 60 cm.
•  While the child is playing on the computer, it is necessary to ensure that the child follows the rules of correct posture.
•  After playing with the computer, you should definitely do some exercise for your eyes.
•  Gaming activities with a computer should be replaced by physical exercises and games.

Thus, we can conclude that the rational use of a computer can be a useful tool for a child’s development.

Eye exercises

• Exercise 1: Close and open your eyes several times for 8-10 seconds.
• Exercise 2: You can distribute figures made of thick paper in the corners of the room. These could be, for example, multi-colored triangles. The child should look at each triangle for 5-7 seconds, one at a time. After this, he closes his eyes for 10 seconds and performs the exercise two more times.
• Exercise 3: Look up and down, blink frequently for 5 seconds, then look left and right. Repeat several times.

These exercises will be effective if performed regularly.

Important! In order to avoid addiction and unpleasant disputes, parents must strictly determine the time that the child can spend in front of the monitor.

Proper organization of computer space.

• Parents must correctly adjust the brightness and contrast of the monitor for a comfortable time for the child to spend time with it.
• The monitor should be positioned so that the view falls on it at an angle of 15-20 degrees, the distance to the monitor is at least 50-60 cm.
• The chair and table should be suitable for the child’s height and be comfortable. Parents are advised to monitor their child’s posture to prevent stooping and scoliosis.
• It is necessary to ensure good lighting of the computer area, but the light should not fall on the monitor.
• Wet cleaning and ventilation of the room are also mandatory components of organizing a preschooler’s activities at the computer.

Why does a preschooler need a computer?

Many parents believe that depriving a child of information that is available thanks to a computer means depriving him of additional opportunities for self-development.

At the age of 3-6 years, preschoolers, as a rule, begin to take an active interest in the computer.

You can start interacting with a computer by studying:

• numbers;
• letters;
• signs;
• forms;
• colors.

Experts say that children very easily perceive static pictures accompanied by calm music and speech.

Currently, there are a large number of educational games on any topic and for any age. They are bright, colorful, with an interesting plot. With their help, children are happy to begin learning mathematics, a foreign language, and the basics of grammar. However, you need to understand that no game gives a holistic understanding of the world, but, most likely, solves some local problem, most often one that is easier to implement or from which the game developer can make money more easily.

During the consultation for parents, it is worth discussing the specific games and cartoons that their children are watching, interviewing them in advance before the meeting. It is best to include elements of active discussion of games and cartoons in the consultation.

Children who spend a lot of time on a tablet or computer have the worst imagination or imagination. They consume ready-made visual information instead of modeling it, for example, as when reading books. Children who spend a lot of time on devices lack communication and imagination skills and may have learning difficulties.

Important! The greatest stress for a child is caused by reading from a monitor or drawing. Games with a large number of small details, dynamic, with contrasting colors quickly cause overwork and have an adverse effect on the child’s psyche.

Consultation for parents on the topic: “Computer and child”

Consultation for parents: “Computer and child”

The debate about the dangers and benefits of television, computers and mobile phones for a child’s health continues. Arguments for and against are expressed by doctors, psychologists and parents. Quite recently, a rating of the harmfulness of technology to the vision of preschool children was presented. Here's what it looks like: 1st place - mobile phones, 2nd place - tablets, 3rd place - computers and 4th place - TV.

About the benefits and harms of television, video, computer.

WITH

Modern children communicate a lot with television, video and computers. If the previous generation was a generation of books, then the modern one receives information through a series of videos.

Any child’s fantasies, characters from books and fairy tales come to life on the display screen. But objects in the surrounding world, numbers and letters also come to life. When they get into a computer game, they create a special world, similar to the real one, but also different from it.

Computer games are designed so that the child can imagine not just a single concept or specific situation, but gets a generalized idea of ​​all similar situations or objects. Thus, children develop such important thinking operations as generalization and classification, which, with standard training, begin to take shape at the age of 6-7.

One of the most important functions of computer games is educational. Let's talk about this in more detail and see what new a computer can give compared to a live teacher. In these games, the child begins to understand very early that the objects on the screen are not real things, but only signs of these real things. In various games, these signs or symbols of real objects become more complex, become more and more generalized and less and less like the surrounding real objects.

Almost all parents know how difficult it can be to get a child to study. The child enjoys studying on the computer and will never object to an offer to study on the computer. This is due to the fact that the computer itself is as attractive to children as any new toy.

So, the computer develops many intellectual skills.

But there is one “but”.

We must not forget about the golden mean, about the norm. Any medicine can become poison if taken in inappropriate doses.

You need to understand that a computer is not a magic wand that in one hour of play will make a child immediately smart and developed. Like any activity, computer games require time, proper use, patience and care from adults.

There are certain time restrictions.

So, children 3-4 years old are not recommended to sit in front of a screen for more than 20 minutes, and children 6-7 years old can increase their daily play time to half an hour. Unfortunately, now we often encounter children who have crossed the line of reason when communicating with a computer.

Excessive interaction with a computer can not only lead to deterioration of a child’s vision, but also negatively affect his mental health.

Despite all the advantages of computer games, they still give the illusion of communication and do not lead to the formation of real communication skills. This is especially dangerous for shy children. Real communication gives them psycho-emotional tension, puts them in a state of stress, and then it is replaced by “pseudo-communication.”

The computer makes it possible to be transported to another world that you can see and play with.

At the same time, the child increasingly rejects the real world, where he is threatened with negative evaluations and the need to change something in himself. Such a departure into an artificial reality can form in a child a kind of psychological dependence on the computer. In the development of real communication skills, computer skills can only play a supporting role.

How to determine the moment of fatigue in children when working on a computer?

The level of emotional sensitivity and degree of empathy in children when working on a computer can be different both due to the acquisition of certain sets of behavior under the influence of upbringing, and due to individual differences in health, characteristics of their nervous system and other psychophysiological indicators. In this regard, the timing of the onset of fatigue may be different for different children: for one - after half an hour, for another - after 10 minutes, and a third may even refuse to work at the very beginning of the computer lesson. In addition, the child’s current well-being should also be taken into account. Particular attention must be paid to the child’s personality traits: whether he has a slow or fast temperament, impressionable or inhibited, self-confident or anxious, insecure.

As children become tired during computer activities, the child's behavior changes and manifests itself differently in different children. For example, in inert children, passivity increases, which manifests itself in a change in posture (reclining, lying down, sometimes with legs raised, looking for support at the table), a loss of interest in the activity, an increase in motor activity (fidgeting, frequent changes of posture), a change mood, etc. In active children, fatigue usually manifests itself differently - with a predominant increase in neuromuscular tension. Children's motor activity increases (jumping up, jumping, clapping their hands, etc.), and bursts of emotional reactions appear (laughter, crying, screaming, singing, disappointment, wild fun, etc.).

As the child gets tired in the process of communicating with the computer, the mental state and behavior of children also changes in different ways: some develop uncertainty, anxiety, worsening mood, negative thoughts appear, fear of the computer, refusal to study, or withdrawal while continuing an interesting game. All this, if the computer is abused, can lead to neurotic reactions (asthenic, phobic, somatovegetative changes in emotional status, autism, depression). In other children, fatigue manifests itself in excessive nervous excitability, aggressiveness, irritability, and violent expression of emotions. When overwork occurs, adaptation processes in the body are disrupted, gastric disorders, changes in heart rate, muscular and mental tension occur, and thus create a real threat to the child’s health. So, we see that fatigue when working on a computer manifests itself in children in different ways. However, by the external signs of the child’s behavior, one can judge the onset of fatigue.

Focusing on their own self-perceptions of a positive attitude and the absence of usual (for any other activity) signs of fatigue, a computer user tends to underestimate real changes in the functioning of the physiological systems of their body and therefore easily violates the norms and rules of human-computer interaction established by medical science.

Besides, the computer is fascinating. It becomes familiar in everyday life, and this circumstance provokes unlimited use of the computer. And children need restrictions. And parents (teachers) should do this, conveniently using the method of determining the degree of fatigue based on external indicators of behavior at the computer.

It should be borne in mind that fatigue and overwork of a child during computer classes are often not accompanied by subjective feelings of fatigue. As a result, uncontrolled computer games can quietly cause irreparable harm to the health of children. One of the convenient ways out of this situation may be to use the method of monitoring the behavior of children at the computer, when individual symptoms of the child’s behavior become signals to stop the lesson or to conduct general and visual gymnastics, to switch to other types of activities (drawing, walking, moving or calm games, etc.). In order to prevent overwork and associated nervous breakdowns and other disorders, signs for stopping computer studies should include signs such as increased distractibility, frequent changes of posture, unusual movements of the arms and legs (shaking, knocking, etc.). ), unpleasant facial expressions (grimacing, tics), uncontrollable outbursts of emotions (screaming, crying, jumping, etc.)

The main signs that determine dependence on the computer and TV.

1. Not wanting to be distracted from work or playing with the computer;
2. Irritation due to forced distraction;
3. Inability to plan the end of a computer session;
4. Neglecting one’s own health, hygiene and sleep in favor of spending more time on the computer and TV;
5. Willingness to be satisfied with irregular, random and monotonous food, without looking up from the computer and TV;
6. Feeling of emotional uplift while working with a computer, watching television channels;

Measures to prevent computer and television addiction in preschool children.

In order for the computer and television to become allies in the upbringing and development of a child, and not enemies, it is necessary to strictly fulfill a number of requirements.

1. It is recommended to place the computer and TV in the common room, and not in the nursery, so that discussing the Internet and television programs will become a daily habit, and the child will not be alone with “office equipment.”

2. Limiting the child’s exposure to the TV screen and computer monitor:

- It is not recommended to allow a preschool child to access the computer more than 2-3 times a week, more than once during the day, or late in the evening or before bedtime;

— The duration of a child’s one-time work on the computer should not exceed 10 minutes for children 5 years old, 15 minutes for children 6 years old;

3. Compliance of computer programs and television programs with the child’s age.

Don't be led by children in the store. For a child, the main thing is packaging, not content. Give preference to educational and developmental programs rather than entertainment games (quests, arcades, strategies, etc.). Entertainment programs can be harmful to a preschooler. It is better to buy without them, having carefully studied the description of the game. She must:

• appropriate for the child’s age;
• consist of mini-games that he can complete;
• take up one game or level in time, the tour should not exceed 15 minutes so that it can be interrupted without causing irritation to the baby.

4. Compliance with sanitary and hygienic rules when placing a computer and TV:

It is very important to properly organize a child’s workplace so as not to harm his health and physical development.

A child should sit correctly when working on a computer:

— the chair should have a back and preferably a footrest;

— the monitor should be installed only on the upper tabletop, the keyboard and mouse should be located in front of the monitor so that there is room on the table to support the child’s forearms;

- eyes should be at the level of the middle or 2/3 of the monitor screen;

- the distance from the eyes to the monitor screen should be within 60-70 cm, to the TV - at least 3 meters;

— lighting sources in the room should not cause glare on the screen, so the monitor should not be placed opposite a window or direct light source;

-wires and cables of the computer should be routed to the rear panel and not be in direct access to the child.

5. In rooms where the computer is turned on, the air quickly loses moisture, so ventilate these rooms more often, carry out wet cleaning, and use artificial air humidifiers.

6. Turn off the computer and TV after finishing the viewing session. Drawing up family rules for using TV and computer.

7. Involving the child in participation in family affairs.

8. Use of various health-saving technologies.

After playing at the computer, it is useful to do visual gymnastics with your child for 1 minute to relieve eye strain, as well as perform physical exercises to relieve general fatigue and tension from the muscles of the neck and upper shoulder girdle.

Exercises for visual gymnastics:

• Alternate closing your eyes with wide opening of your eyes.

• Rotation of the eyes without turning the head: first in one direction and then in the other.

• Increased blinking for (30-60 sec).

• Massage the eyelids with circular movements of the fingers (30 - 60 s).

- Dynamic pauses. Execution of the complex

physical exercises - bending over, squats, push-ups, “boat”, “swallow”.

8. Mandatory daily time together: reading books, board games, hiking, etc.

A famous proverb says: “Health and happiness cannot live without each other.”

The most important thing parents can do for their child is to love him and keep him healthy, and not surround him with expensive things and leave him alone in a room where the TV and computer are on 24/7.

And to prevent computer games from becoming the main goal and meaning of a preschooler’s life, it is enough to fill his life with bright, interesting events. If parents pay enough attention to him and offer interesting, exciting leisure time, then the preschooler develops a strong immunity to computer gaming addiction.

Be healthy and happy!

Sources:

• https://www.maam.ru/detskijsad/roditelskoe-sobranie-televizor-i-kompyuter-v-zhizni-doshkolnika.html

• https://www.maam.ru/detskijsad/profilaktika-kompyuternoi-i-televizionoi-zavisimosti-u-detei-doshkolnogo-vozrasta.html