Guest Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 HI, In my new nursery we are lucky enough to have a lovely IT room with computers in so that we can take the children out for small focused activities. yesterday i took two boys down (both three years) to play games on cbeebies..... gee whizz, it was hard work, neither child grasped the concept of clicking the correct button on the mouse, or moving the mouse to move the cursor on the screen. Despite showing them over and over again!..... I know they are only little - i then brought three girls down and we had the same struggles. Does anyone know of any activities in the room / it room that i can do which will help develop mouse control - or is it just a case of practice on the computer?. the problem is when the press the wrong button on the mouse it loads up all other random options (undo, copy, select all etc) then the computer goes into a frenzy. I hate computers LOL any tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 look for a game just to promote mouse control.. we had one called Moles.. think there are others out there, but this one was good because it let us set the amount of control needed, so we could start with just moving the mouse to pick up the mole, then move onto click , and then click and hold down.. we also had a children's mouse, not sure if you can still get them, but ours was a dog where the ears were the buttons and different colours so we could say click the black ear.. etc... alternative to this would be to put a sticker or coloured spot on the buttons and use them as a focus on which one to push. found this site... early mouse control games Crickweb also has some good ones. another way we found also helped was a simple paint programme and to be able to print off the result was an added bonus.. it does take a bit of time and patience to begin with, but most get there.. trouble is they expect an immediate response and click too many times.. which usually freezes the computer as it tries to catch up with the commands.. good luck.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Thanks Inge :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fimbo Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 what about a simple paint type programme -where they can just use the mouse initially to draw lines, squiggles etc, pick colours. i know there is just the basic one that came as standard installed on our machine at playgroup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 We have one installed on our lap-top it's called 'Splosh' - just right for early 'mouse skills' the children love it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catma Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Maybe they just don't have the control yet? It could just be too soon for them? Mouse control requires several simultaneous movements, laterally as the hand goes from side to side from the shoulder and then fingers up and down, plys the hand eye coordination to watch the screen and move the mouse which is very complex. Maybe a different controller like a trackball type designed for children with limited control would make it easier? http://www.inclusive.co.uk/hardware/mouse-alternatives Cx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louby loo Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 We've noticed that they are more confident with the touch-pad nowadays. Maybe the mouse is becoming redundant - he is in our home anyway.. ......... well not the one's in the loft!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catma Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 That's true - by the time they get into the workplace the mouse will be a historic artefact!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hudsod03 Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 we use an internet website called poisson rouge which is free I really recommend it desgned specifically for mouse control I always suggest it to new parents - manageable enough to use with a whole class of 3 year olds in an I.C.T suite! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmileyPR Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Nowadays you don't see children using a "normal" computer anymore... only tablets (iPads and similar), iPod Touch, PSP, smartphones, etc). It is not only affecting their mouse-control skills, but also their pencil grip! Look on how they hold a stylus pen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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