How does Dr.G feel about video/computer games

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

I have trying for some time to keep my 6 yo son from playing video games.

That was easy, I just have not bought any. However, he has discovered the

computer and would play games all day long if I let him. Anyhow, just wondering

if anyone has had feedback from Dr. G regarding his take on letting our kids

play/limiting time with video games and computers.

Recently we moved to a new neighborhood and I would love for our house to be

" the place " for kids to hang out. Selfishly for more social opportunities for

our son. It appears that the most popular " destination houses " are those with

Wii or Nintendo, or other video games, none of which we have.

Any experiences/opinions on this matter also great appreciated. (Hint to Marcia

Hinds: any suggestions?)

Thanks All,

[Guest guest]

,

The computer was just another therapist in our house, one I didn't have to

pay or encourage him to work with. Mine spent hours and hours daily on the

computer learning all kinds of stuff I am not smart enough to teach him.

Maurice once gave me a very important piece of advice: " Use what

they love to teach them what they don't want to do. " My son loved the

computer and candy. When he didn't want to learn to catch a ball, (he hated

anything physical) candy or computer time was his reward for this activity.

He loved anything having to do with numbers or math. If the skill was ball

throwing, we had him throw a ball into a basket five times. We created an

obstacle course, and the chance to play a computer game awaited him at the

" finish line. "

Computer games are also a great activity to do with friends because the

rules are very clear and you don't have to talk much. They also are friend

attractors and a great reason for kids to come play.

Educational computer games made by Edmark were wonderful because they are

all linguistically based. So when your kid is doing Millie's Math House, he

is also learning math and language. My favorite game is still Thinking

Things. .

Here's the website http://www.surpluscdrom.com/edmark.html

where you can order the Edmark stuff cheap. If you look at the other part

of the website, http://www.surpluscdrom.com they have a bunch of programs I

spent a fortune on for $7.95

Hope this helps,

Marcia