These Little Waves

Brody and I received an iDeaPLAY tablet to explore and review and, can I just say, my little guy was thrilled!

While I wouldn’t say we’re an especially tech-y home, we do each have a device, besides Brody (until now!).

The girls were each gifted a kindle just last just year so by my standards he’s ahead of the game already having something like this at 5-years-old, but from his — wide, somewhat mischievous, and ridiculously irresistible — eyes, this tablet couldn’t have come soon enough!

The iDeaPLAY tablet is especially built for younger kids. It boasts a sturdy design, preloaded fun and educational apps, and COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act) compliance. This tablet has a Parents Mode and a Kids Mode ensuring appropriate content and that no unfortunate, accidental purchases cab be made! It’s lightweight, has a great protective cover and comes preloaded with calm, quiet, entertaining, and — importantly — purposeful activities as well as the ability to download 100s more free apps.

I gave Brody the tablet without a whole lot of introduction or instruction just to see what he could do with it. It probably comes as no surprise that he was able to figure out the bulk of what he needed to know by himself. Kids that expect every screen to be swipe-able are a different brand, aren’t they? (And it should be noted that my girls, at ages 8 and 10, explained everything else to him!)

I will admit that it gave me pause to hand him something like this. He’s little! He’s full of energy! He needs to play! When I was little… all skipped through my mind. But what I said above holds true. The bulk of Brody’s day is spent hands-on playing and that’s exactly the way this former teacher thinks it should be.

But the flip side of the parenting today coin is that kids are expected to know a lot more about technology than we were and it’s a disservice to — if possible — not at least expose them to screens that swipe and apps that teach.

So after a few days of exploring, Brody and I took a walk to “the cupcake store” and he taught me about his new tablet over chocolate, the way all good things are meant to be explained.

We read a story, played a counting game, and he drew me a picture. We also took so many photos! As far as technology goes, this tablet strikes me as meeting my goals — exposing my little guy to technology, 5-year-old style.

The iDeaPLAY tablet by iDeaUSA ($99) is available at major retailers and online. Learn more by visiting their site and following iDeaPLAY on Facebook and Twitter.

The way we manage the technology debate at our house is the kids have to ask us before they use their devices and they’re mostly reserved for long car rides, long days, and long waits.

What do you think about technology made for kids? Would you buy something like this? What rules — if any — would you place around it?