While you might think this is a frivolous expense when your children aren’t even out of primary grades yet, there really are some very good and practical reasons for setting up a kids’ computer station. If recent history hasn’t driven this point home quite yet, maybe it’s time we look at what is going on in our world at the present time. These are some of the reasons why you might want to actually get on that today!
1. As Covid Makes Its Rounds Yet Again
In some parts of the world, Covid is surging at levels close to, or even above, those of last summer. Cousin after cousin of the highly contagious Omicron variant keep emerging and this is leading to concerns over whether or not schools will be shut down in the autumn. The positive side of all this is that the 2021-22 school year is drawing to a close but as for summer school and various day camps, there is yet no word whether or not these will be in session. If students from summer school are asked to work from home, then this is the time to set up that computer station complete with all the kids computer accessories such as printers that they will need for their schoolwork.
2. School Shootings and Violence
In a recent article in The Guardian, this online version of a UK newspaper questioned if the gun problem of the United States is becoming Canada’s problem as well. The article states that in a country where hunting is quite popular, Canada has some of the world’s highest numbers in gun ownership. With relatively few mass shootings in comparison to their neighbors to the south, Canadians are still concerned over the safety of their children. Should there be a school shooting or other violent event at a school, the doors may be locked for a period of time while investigations go forward. In the event that something like this should occur, kids will once again be doing classes online, even if only briefly.
3. Activities for Inquisitive Minds
How many times have you walked over to the family computer only to see that someone had been ‘playing’ with the settings? Font sizes were changed and shortcuts on the desktop were either missing or rearranged. Little people like to play and if you haven’t limited their access in parental controls, you never know what you might find when you next sit in front of that monitor.
Even so, that is not the only reason to set up a kids’ computer apart from the one accessed by adults. There may be times when the kids have homework to do while adults need to go online to pay monthly bills. It never hurts to have a computer designated for the kids. It is easier to set permissions when you first load the OS, so maybe having a kids’ computer isn’t a bad idea after all.
Many parents learned the hard way early on in 2020 when everyone in the family needed screen time. Parents were working from home and kids were doing their lessons online during lockdowns. Don’t let that happen again. Remember, forewarned is forearmed and you have been warned!
