The Internet and Preschoolers

While the net can offer both educational and entertaining experiences, learning how to surf with your child is advisable.

Here are a few tips to guide you and your child's surfing experiences:

Surfing

• Treat time on the internet as you would time watching TV. Monitor not just the sites your child visits, but the time he or she spends online.
• Place the computer in a common area, such as the family room, den etc. so that you can both monitor and be involved with your child's surfing.
• As with TV, engage your children in what they are seeing, learning and/or doing by asking them about the sites they visit during a particular surfing session and whether they have any questions.
• Bookmark or make desktop shortcuts to favourite sites to make access to approved websites more readily available.

Websites

• Ensure websites are age appropriate. Concepts, site objectives and interfaces should reflect your child's age and skill levels. Instructions and menus should be picture or audio based and easy to follow. Navigation tools should be simple.
• Websites for preschool TV programs or children's cable networks are a good place to start your surfing. Most of these sites have great interactive learning components featuring favourite TV characters which are sure to engage your child.
• Look for other sites that promote imagination, problem-solving, exploration and collaboration. Museum, zoo, aquarium and science centre sites can be particularly good.
• Sites that promote literacy, creativity and math skills are also great precursors to school.

Safety

• Finally, explore installing parental controls to protect against access to inappropriate sites and make sure your child understands that personal information should never be given out while online.

By Rochelle Strauss