Helping your child at home
We get a lot of parents asking us advice about how to help their child at home.
Here are some tips from the Click IT team
When using the computer at home, ensure that sessions are kept short and no longer than 20 minutes at a time. Your child should be sitting in a good solid chair which should be close enough to the table so they are not having to lean forward towards the computer. Allow them plenty of space when working on the computer so that there is room for a keyboard in front of the monitor and a mouse mat.
Make sure that the computer is on a sturdy table and positioned in front of your child so that they refrain from twisting or turning.
Show your child how to hold the mouse lightly with the mouse in the widest part of the hand and the fingers resting lightly on the mouse button. Explain to them that only a small click is needed to make something happen. Encourage them to move the mouse around on the mouse mat in order to make the cursor move on the screen. Ensure that there arm and elbow is supported and resting comfortably on the table.
It's a good idea to use a small mouse which is specifically designed for little hands (we can supply these).
Make sure you know where the screen's brightness and contrast settings are so that you can adjust these if the screen is too bright or too dark. Avoid placing the computer in front of a window where there is direct sunlight.
FREE Children's Activities on the web
We have searched and found some fantastic activities for your children. We always recommend adult supervision whilst your child is working on the internet and some sites contain advertising promotions. We will update you with any new sites that we find.
CBeebies:Teletubbies Animal Parade - In this activity children match almost identical animals to create a 'Noah's Ark' parade.
Early Years Foundation Stage Activities - CBeebies - Choose from 21 different activities.
Fun with Spot - have fun playing different activities as well as creating your own story.
Lil' Fingers - an American site with some great educational games.
Traditional Nursery Rhymes - over 25 nursery rhymes to listen to and join in with.
Animal Homes - A fun activity introducing young children to animal sounds and where they live.
Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
Bob the Builder
Children's Software
We use the latest and the very best educational software but is often very expensive for parents to buy. We do recommend that you use online websites to complement your child's computer skills alongside what they are learning with us. Alternatively, we have sourced an affordable trio of software as well as a child sized mouse and mouse mat that is well suited to Improver level and above. Please click here for more info.
What should I be looking for when buying a piece of software?
Very often siblings share software and sometimes this can cause problems for the younger child as they may find some of the activities too difficult. We recommend that you purchase software that is designed specifically for your child's age range e.g, 2-5, or 3-5. Where possible to get real value for money, look out for software that has varying levels of difficulty. This means that the product will last a lot longer as they can then progress through the different levels. Software that includes some creative activities tend to also provide lots of enjoyment. However, please bear in mind that creative software means printing and this can involve using lots of ink!
What do you want your child to learn on the computer?
Remember, if they are following the Click IT course, they are already following a structured, comprehensive educational programme. To complement what they are learning with us, we recommend software that is both fun and educational. This will allow your child to work more independently on the computer and build up on all the mouse skills they are learning with us. The beauty of 'playing' on the computer is that your child is learning new skills and practising old ones all the time without even realising it. Many parents also ask us what software packages we are using so that they can buy them for their children at home. As well as being very expensive it is not possible for us to recommend just one piece of software. It is more beneficial for your child to have access to a variety of different media as well as using the internet for access to free activities.