Educational Software

Children's software, no matter how many features or how easy it is to use, is still enhanced when parents, grandparents, older siblings or teachers get involved and use it with the young child. All learning is improved when there is guidance and encouragement.

The computer, like the television, can be a powerful tool in educating a young child. But both should be used wisely. Just like a young child should not be exposed to violent television programs, learning software should present fun, safe images and concepts. Parents and other educators should seek out software that focuses on building a solid education foundation.

Price and technology also play a role in software decisions. Parents need options that are affordable and they need programs that will work on computers that may not be the newest models. Each software package will have operating information on the side. When shopping, make sure to know the basic information about the computer it will be used on. Most educational software is designed for PC computers instead of Mac. Companies more in tune with the needs of their customer base will design the software to run on systems as old as Windows 95 and 98.

One good early education software title to consider is Toddler Fun. It lists for around $15.00 and operates on systems from Windows 95 to the current Windows Vista. Toddler Fun can be found on many websites for purchase or in retail toy stores and large discount stores.

Toddler Fun keeps in mind that very young children have not developed keyboard skills yet. All operations are controlled by very basic mouse clicks. Parents can use the sound editor feature to record their own voice. This is used to provide feedback as the child uses the software. Having the parent's voice on the software brings a nice personal touch to the software.

The program has 10 very basic exercises designed for children ages two to five. The Letters exercise encourages the child to learn upper case letters. An object is associated with each letter to show the connection between the letter and a word. The child also begins to associate the letter with its position on the keyboard.

The Numbers exercise is adjustable to cover numbers up to 20. The child is shown both the number and a group of items that equals that number. This helps to establish the meaning of a number.

Colors keeps the focus on seven basic colors: red, blue, green, purple, white, yellow and black. It is important to establish these foundation colors before the child tries to learn shades and hues. The same concept is used with Shapes, an exercise with seven basic shapes: square, rectangle, circle, oval, diamond, star and triangle.

Sounds is a fun exercise that helps children associate common sounds with the animal or object that makes that sound. Music introduces children to a basic piano keyboard and drum with fun sound effects.

Even the most basic interaction of Peek-a-boo has made it to the computer. This software allows parents to load in pictures of family members or special items to make the game more personal.