ADVICE RATING |
  4.46 (Worth a try) from 12 votes (127 Visits) |
|
|
How to include your child in the technology revolution without having all your stuff broken |
 |
by Kristen  (October 2006) (rank 167th) |
|
Ethan LOVES to play with anything electronic (read expensive). Before we packed away the stereo, that was his favorite destination. So many buttons to push and so little time. We decided to focus on what things Ethan could do to be included in our technology overdose.
- Give your child an old computer keyboard to play with while you are on the computer. We bought a keyboard at a garage sale for $.50 and put it in front of the real keyboard. So while Derek is typing or sending emails in the morning, Ethan can type right along with him while sitting on Dad's lap. The screen changes with Derek's actions, but Ethan thinks he is doing all the work. Because the keyboard is not the one we use on a daily basis, we don't have to worry about anything happening to it.
- Let your child play with a remote control that you no longer use. In our house, even as our electronics die, we never seem to be able to get rid of the remote control associated with the now defunct item. The up side is that Ethan can "change the channels" on the television without actually changing channels during a key part of the movie we are watching.
- Scour yard sales for an old electric keyboard or piano. My mother in law found one for Ethan at a yard sale for only $3. He can spend HOURS playing the piano and making music. And when he gets tired of creating his own music, there are buttons that activate preprogrammed songs.
- If you have an old cell phone that no longer transmits, your child would probably love it. Emphasis on "no longer transmits." If Ethans gets a hold of my phone, he invariably changes the language on it to Russian or Chinese and then downloads ringtones to the tune of $1.99 a piece. We learned very quickly that when an old phone breaks beyond repair, we have just the person who will be interested in it. If you keep the power cord for some broken phones, the phone will still light up (although not transmit or receive calls). This is the best of both worlds.
These are just a few ideas to keep your child involved without having to worry about him breaking or losing something important. Good luck.
