Apps for Toddlers on a MacBook

RogerThis

Any other parents around, I'm looking for some advice.

My 2 and a half year old son has being using my ipad alot and has got a lot of use out of it. I want to teach him how to use a laptop. I've never owned a mac before, but I think it might be easier for him to learn on a mac as opposed to a PC. I got a second hand MacBook on ebay for around €500. The mac is not just for him, I work in IT, and it will be handy for me learning on too.

Can anybody recommend any apps that will help me get started for him?
Any thing that might help him get used of the touchpad?
Or should I use a mouse?

Gregor Samsa

You might get a better answer on the Mac forum

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=108

as not everyone who owns an iOS device uses a Mac. That said, I do own a MacBook Pro, and I do have a toddler, but I don't let her mucky hands near it! She messes about on my iPhone/iPad though.

aidan_walsh

Moved to the Mac forum.

Liameter

I find this somewhat disturbing. Our family didn't even have a TV set till I was eight. I think you should teach him how to operate a book first.

Feelgood

Liameter wrote: »

I think you should teach him how to operate a book first.

I actually didn't read a whole pile of books until I bought an Ipad.
The ipad is the best reading device ever created!. Millions of books at your fingertips

Op this is a tricky one, you could try Angry Birds the game?. This
would maybe get him used to how the touch pad functions and be fun and
entertaining at the same time?.

I would teach him how to use a mouse though like even in a few years when he hits school, there wont be many Macbooks with touchpads in Irish schools thats for sure!.

RogerThis

Feelgood wrote: »

I actually didn't read a whole pile of books until I bought an Ipad.
The ipad is the best reading device ever created!. Millions of books at your fingertips

Op this is a tricky one, you could try Angry Birds the game?. This
would maybe get him used to how the touch pad functions and be fun and
entertaining at the same time?.

I would teach him how to use a mouse though like even in a few years when he hits school, there wont be many Macbooks with touchpads in Irish schools thats for sure!.

He is used of using the iPad with his finger, so i think it might be easier for him to move to touchpad where he is still using his finger as opposed to a mouse.

I have angry birds on the iPad which he loves, but he always shoot the birds the wrong way.

All the apps will be educational, teaching him letter, number and shapes etc. You can learn all that from books, but a more interactive experience should help him. That the way all the schools are going now anyways.

He loved YouTube on the iPad, so much I had to disable it. It created an account for him and added all this favarite tv show mickey mouse, fireman sam etc to favarites. So I might do that again on the MacBook. Necessity is the mother of invention, and all that.

banquo

If you download the Mac App Store from apple.com, there's a whole section for toddlers

K.O.Kiki

You can't draw on a Macbook with crayon.


OP srsly, teach your kid how to run around & give him paper books instead of making him a slave to the computer -- he'll be stuck on it in later life, so give him the satisfaction of life without machines first.


ALSO:
Angry Birds is one of the worst-designed games I have ever played.
Ever.

Hobbes

Ignore the peoples social commentary. The fact is there is no reason you can't integrate books and computers/devices. In fact I am pretty sure you are already doing this.

For games on the computer, there is no need to splash out. I would recommend finding websites for programs/things your child already likes. There will be interactive games.

If you show how to type in to find the item (like in youtube) you will find your child will start to remember things they see so they can type the words in to learn more.

I would also recommend taking photos of events and create a simple diary for those days. Then you can discuss them later on (although I do this on the iPad).

Johnmb

In the education section of the Mac App store there is a sub section called playtime for mac which has apps specifically for young children. Not having any myself I can't recommend any particular app, but I'm sure you'll get an idea from the reviews/descriptions as to whether or not they'd be any good for your son.

davmigil

http://tuxpaint.org/ has a osx version

g compris is good too, but best on linux (maybe download a live cd with it on it, something like http://www.edubuntu.org/ ).

nesf

I use Zoodles with my kid. It's a walled garden for young kids, giving them access to age appropriate material. Usual educational stuff combined with mouse and keyboard skills. Grows with the kid, changing the kinds of games available depending on the kid's age.

http://www.zoodles.com/

K.O.Kiki

When does it unlock Call of Duty?

I ask because I keep seeing 12yr old yoiks cursing their mouth off on it.

K.O.Kiki

When does it unlock Call of Duty?

I ask because I keep seeing 12yr old yoiks cursing their mouth off on it.

stimpson

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

You can't draw on a Macbook with crayon.

Obviously you don't have kids. You can draw on anything with crayons.

OP srsly, teach your kid how to run around & give him paper books instead of making him a slave to the computer -- he'll be stuck on it in later life, so give him the satisfaction of life without machines first.

Plenty of room for computers in addition to all these other things. I'm tempted to get my 2 year old an old iPod touch so I can have my iPhone back. He was using the iPhone before he could talk.

ALSO:
Angry Birds is one of the worst-designed games I have ever played.
Ever.

I'm sure the millions of dollars they have earned will be some small comfort to them for not meeting your exacting standards.

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

When does it unlock Call of Duty?

I ask because I keep seeing 12yr old yoiks cursing their mouth off on it.

You play COD with 12 year olds? Say no more.

andy g

stimpson wrote: »

Obviously you don't have kids. You can draw on anything with crayons.



Plenty of room for computers in addition to all these other things. I'm tempted to get my 2 year old an old iPod touch so I can have my iPhone back. He was using the iPhone before he could talk.


I'm sure the millions of dollars they have earned will be some small comfort to them for not meeting your exacting standards.




You play COD with 12 year olds? Say no more.

OWNED!

donutheadhomer

Feelgood wrote: »

I actually didn't read a whole pile of books until I bought an Ipad.
The ipad is the best reading device ever created!. Millions of books at your fingertips

Op this is a tricky one, you could try Angry Birds the game?. This
would maybe get him used to how the touch pad functions and be fun and
entertaining at the same time?.

I would teach him how to use a mouse though like even in a few years when he hits school, there wont be many Macbooks with touchpads in Irish schools thats for sure!.

not an app per se but look at www.starfall.com

Doge

Did you hear about the Brand new Apple product coming out for children?

They're calling it the "iTouch Kids!"


/instaban!