ipad or tablet for a kid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Neither. Get them a book.

+10

No wonder children (and adults) can't concentrate anymore.

My son saw a private speech therapist (who is well respected in her field and head of her department) for two years. For the last 9 months she used her iPad very effectively as part of his therapy.

We spent the summer teaching my daughter who is in K to read. She was doing ok with the Bob books, but she really started to get it after I found her a few good phonics apps.

So yea. There's that.

There's a big difference between Angry Birds and therapeutic/instructional apps. So yeah, there's that.

+1

And for the "can't concentrate is crap" poster, I'm a teacher. I see the effects of it on a daily basis. Next.

Good for you. Would you like a gold star?

[Anonymous]

Not the pp you're quoting, and I know I might get slammed for this, but why is a parent buying an easily affordable (for our HHI) $200 toy teaching poor values? This isn't a snippy question. I just can't think of what bad lesson I'm teaching my kids when I get them something that we can afford.

Even if you can easily afford the ipad, I think you'd acknowledge that this is a rather expensive toy, right? In any case, that would be my view, and our HHI is over $1M. With our kids, now teens and in college, my husband and I have made it a priority to instill a sense that you don't need expensive toys, clothes, cars and vacations to have fun. Sure, we have indulged our children with some expensive gifts, but we've tried to keep it proportional to the chid's age and the occasion.

I realize this is a spectrum, not a hard and fast rule, but it's worked pretty well for us. Our kids are appreciative of the occasional indulgence --e.g., our middle son was truly delighted when we gave him an iphone for his 18th birthday -- but they don't expect that all the time. They're not jaded and they have also learned to take pride in earning money for things they'd really like to have. Our two oldest earned enough last summer to cover all their non-tuition expenses at college this year. As our kids have neared the point where they will begin to make career decisions, we're glad they have the sense that you don't need expensive stuff to be happy in life. They are fortunate that they'll start out with no academic debt as we've paid for college and will be able to pay for grad school if they choose to go on with their education. We hope that with this good fortune and the values we've instilled, they will make choices that will make them happy, apart from prospective earning capacity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally would not buy my kids any tablet, iPad or otherwise. If we had one, they could use it. But I wouldn't get them their own.

They have their entire adult life to be hooked on electronics. And tablets really aren't toys. They are allowed to use my iPhone on long trips, I think that's enough.

Yes, this. I am the PP who wrote saying no electronic toys but it's not like my kid never watches TV or videos on my phone when we need to keep him cool in public or on long car trips. But my kid knows that my phone is mine and that it is a privelege to play with it. You buy them an electronic "toy," you've killed that dynamic.

In our house, buying our DD a "toy" does not give her carte blanche access to that toy 24/7. We still control how often the toy comes out and what games and apps are downloaded to the toy. Why is it so hard to believe that an electronic toy can be of value when used in a responsible, limited manner? It's no different than any other toy or treat - everything in moderation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally would not buy my kids any tablet, iPad or otherwise. If we had one, they could use it. But I wouldn't get them their own.

They have their entire adult life to be hooked on electronics. And tablets really aren't toys. They are allowed to use my iPhone on long trips, I think that's enough.

Yes, this. I am the PP who wrote saying no electronic toys but it's not like my kid never watches TV or videos on my phone when we need to keep him cool in public or on long car trips. But my kid knows that my phone is mine and that it is a privelege to play with it. You buy them an electronic "toy," you've killed that dynamic.

In our house, buying our DD a "toy" does not give her carte blanche access to that toy 24/7. We still control how often the toy comes out and what games and apps are downloaded to the toy. Why is it so hard to believe that an electronic toy can be of value when used in a responsible, limited manner? It's no different than any other toy or treat - everything in moderation.

+1

[Anonymous]

Last night my son was working on a book report on Louis Armstrong. He finished reading the book via the Kindle app on our iPad. He asked me a question about jazz music, and I was able to pull up a YouTube video (again on the iPad) of Louis Armstrong playing and singing. Then we pulled up Blackboard to read the rubric for the book report, checked his school's lunch menu for Friday to see if he would be buying lunch or packing it. In our house the iPad isn't just a toy; it is a very useful tool. He could have done all of the above at home or on the road. Love the iPad!

[Anonymous]

Last night my son was working on a book report on Louis Armstrong. He finished reading the book via the Kindle app on our iPad. He asked me a question about jazz music, and I was able to pull up a YouTube video (again on the iPad) of Louis Armstrong playing and singing. Then we pulled up Blackboard to read the rubric for the book report, checked his school's lunch menu for Friday to see if he would be buying lunch or packing it. In our house the iPad isn't just a toy; it is a very useful tool. He could have done all of the above at home or on the road. Love the iPad!

In my house, without even a laptop for the parents, this would have been done by:

Getting the book from the library, or MAYBE from a bookstore or amazon
Looking at Youtube via laptop (same for blackboard)
looked at the fridge for the menu (the school sends it home)

Really wouldn't be that much of a hardship or a struggle. Agree it's a useful tool, but it's hardly essential.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Not the pp you're quoting, and I know I might get slammed for this, but why is a parent buying an easily affordable (for our HHI) $200 toy teaching poor values? This isn't a snippy question. I just can't think of what bad lesson I'm teaching my kids when I get them something that we can afford.

Even if you can easily afford the ipad, I think you'd acknowledge that this is a rather expensive toy, right? In any case, that would be my view, and our HHI is over $1M. With our kids, now teens and in college, my husband and I have made it a priority to instill a sense that you don't need expensive toys, clothes, cars and vacations to have fun. Sure, we have indulged our children with some expensive gifts, but we've tried to keep it proportional to the chid's age and the occasion.

I realize this is a spectrum, not a hard and fast rule, but it's worked pretty well for us. Our kids are appreciative of the occasional indulgence --e.g., our middle son was truly delighted when we gave him an iphone for his 18th birthday -- but they don't expect that all the time. They're not jaded and they have also learned to take pride in earning money for things they'd really like to have. Our two oldest earned enough last summer to cover all their non-tuition expenses at college this year. As our kids have neared the point where they will begin to make career decisions, we're glad they have the sense that you don't need expensive stuff to be happy in life. They are fortunate that they'll start out with no academic debt as we've paid for college and will be able to pay for grad school if they choose to go on with their education. We hope that with this good fortune and the values we've instilled, they will make choices that will make them happy, apart from prospective earning capacity.

How do you do that? Our LO is still a toddler so she enjoys playing with everything from my iphone to an empty paper bag. I see the ipad as just another thing for her to play with in the range of toys she has.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Not the pp you're quoting, and I know I might get slammed for this, but why is a parent buying an easily affordable (for our HHI) $200 toy teaching poor values? This isn't a snippy question. I just can't think of what bad lesson I'm teaching my kids when I get them something that we can afford.

Even if you can easily afford the ipad, I think you'd acknowledge that this is a rather expensive toy, right? In any case, that would be my view, and our HHI is over $1M. With our kids, now teens and in college, my husband and I have made it a priority to instill a sense that you don't need expensive toys, clothes, cars and vacations to have fun. Sure, we have indulged our children with some expensive gifts, but we've tried to keep it proportional to the chid's age and the occasion.

I realize this is a spectrum, not a hard and fast rule, but it's worked pretty well for us. Our kids are appreciative of the occasional indulgence --e.g., our middle son was truly delighted when we gave him an iphone for his 18th birthday -- but they don't expect that all the time. They're not jaded and they have also learned to take pride in earning money for things they'd really like to have. Our two oldest earned enough last summer to cover all their non-tuition expenses at college this year. As our kids have neared the point where they will begin to make career decisions, we're glad they have the sense that you don't need expensive stuff to be happy in life. They are fortunate that they'll start out with no academic debt as we've paid for college and will be able to pay for grad school if they choose to go on with their education. We hope that with this good fortune and the values we've instilled, they will make choices that will make them happy, apart from prospective earning capacity.

How do you do that? Our LO is still a toddler so she enjoys playing with everything from my iphone to an empty paper bag. I see the ipad as just another thing for her to play with in the range of toys she has.

LOL! My question is about how you instill the sense that they don't need expensive things to have fun, not about your HHI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Last night my son was working on a book report on Louis Armstrong. He finished reading the book via the Kindle app on our iPad. He asked me a question about jazz music, and I was able to pull up a YouTube video (again on the iPad) of Louis Armstrong playing and singing. Then we pulled up Blackboard to read the rubric for the book report, checked his school's lunch menu for Friday to see if he would be buying lunch or packing it. In our house the iPad isn't just a toy; it is a very useful tool. He could have done all of the above at home or on the road. Love the iPad!

In my house, without even a laptop for the parents, this would have been done by:

Getting the book from the library, or MAYBE from a bookstore or amazon
Looking at Youtube via laptop (same for blackboard)
looked at the fridge for the menu (the school sends it home)

Really wouldn't be that much of a hardship or a struggle. Agree it's a useful tool, but it's hardly essential.

Nowhere in the post does it say or imply that it is essential, so what are you being defensive, dare I say bitchy, about?

[Anonymous]

We have the Nabi Tablet for my 5 year old daughter and just last night purchased a Kindle Fire HD for my other daughter who will be 10 tomorrow.