The iPad 2 Is Making My Kid Smarter
September 06, 2011, By David Wright 0 comments
I was starting to wonder if my three-year-old son, E, was really mine.
We were at my sister-in-law's house and some of the kids were playing one of the Super Mario games on the Nintendo Wii. While my nephew, about seven months older than my son, was navigating like a seasoned gamer, my son didn't seem to understand the connection between what he was doing with the controller and what was happening on screen.
And while I never attempted to steer him toward video games, I'd hate to see him left behind in valuable user-interface skills with technology, which will come in handy as he gets older. These days, it seems even toddlers can operate an iPhone. My son, though, seemed as confused as his grandma when it comes to tech.
But then I happened to get an iPad 2, and my fears were quickly put to rest. While I had originally bought the tablet computer for myself, a month later, my son seems to have logged more hours on it than me.
His first iPad experience occurred while watching me try out Angry Birds, which is the most addictive game ever, where you use birds on a sling shot to take aim at pigs. My son laughed, watching me play. Then he wanted to try the game. At first, he was awkward, unable to handle the whole swiping-the-touch-screen thing. He'd press, drag and get a bit frustrated—but not frustrated enough to quit trying. And then something happened.
Over the course of a few days, he took to the iPad like a fish to water, navigating the menu system with the speed and dexterity of Tom Cruise using one of those cool motion-detecting computers in "Minority Report."
Want to watch a Thomas the Train movie on Netflix? He flies through the menus, zeroing in on the button instantly, and within a few seconds, Thomas is playing. Want to play Angry Birds? Slide, slide, press, here ya' go. Want that bird to take down two pigs at once? Swipe, release, tap, Boom!
The kid's a natural. I quickly began looking for educational games and programs he could play.
One Tablet to Rule Them All
Sure, there are other tablets on the market. And I'm sure any of them could benefit children. But at the moment none of them can match Apple in the area that counts most—apps.
Apps are programs that run on the tablets (and you can also purchase iPhone versions of most of them). These apps can be games, books, interactive books, Netflix, lessons and virtual musical instruments that allow your child to learn to play.
There's an app for every age range and seemingly every subject. And while most computer programs bought in stores can be pricey, apps in Apple's app store are very well priced, with most costing between .99 cents and $4.99. While some apps are higher priced, there's also a ton of free ones.
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