In the reality of today’s world, there is a computer at almost every home. The computer attracts kids watching their family members activate it. Thus, it is worthwhile to channel children’s natural curiosity into exploration through this multimedia.
In this article, we will discuss the characteristics of infancy, how they are expressed in Comfy’s keyboard and software products, which childish needs Comfy serves, and how Comfy’s products can be wisely utilized for children and their parents.

The Connection of Toddlers’ Characteristics to Computer Use

Toddlers strive to cope with the task of discovering and understanding our complex world. From the moment they are born, they are overwhelmed with information, stimuli, experiences, and interactions. Parents help their children by a process of regulation - sometimes by exposing them to stimuli and sometimes by preventing over exposure, and by giving meaning to these stimuli. During the first year of life, the sense of sight is refined and toddlers’ developing motor abilities allow more mobility and active exploration of the world. When toddlers approach their first year, most of them are able to cope with the flood of information, as well as walk their first steps of independence, and manifest a higher verbal understanding than expression.

            Toddlers engage in observing adults who surround them. Accordingly, it is unsurprising that some of them are attracted to the home computer, where they observe their parents and often their older siblings spend a significant time of the day. The home computer is an existent object among other house appliances to which our kids are born into. Unsurprisingly, toddlers and young kids express curiosity and interest in the computer. Thus, if your children demonstrate interest and attractionin the computer, it will be wise to offer them such an experience. Through copying, babies gain in experience and broaden their range of abilities. Parents can facilitate this learning process by experiencing the instrument that will later be modeled by their child.  

In addition, an early familiarity with the software enables to understand its advantages and disadvantages for your own kid, to foresee difficulties or needed skills for operation, and also to consider which contents can attract your child.

The Proper Use of Comfy and the Ways It is fitted to Serve Toddlers’ Needs

Comfy constitutes a mediating device between children’s needs to explore and experiment and between the interface and applications of computers designed for adults. The unique keyboard, which has been designed with toddlers in mind to comfortably use, and the variety of software, which has been designed to explore an environment without too many frustrations, create a computer that is specially fitted for children’s skills. This way the young child can actively influence and guide his or her play; that is, each child creates his or her own unique world.

Comfy’s software is based on children’s needs to cope with challenges and to find ways for growth and development. Human growth is maintained by experiences of optimal frustrations (challenges that demand effort and investment yet are still attainable). Imagine a girl that tries to reach a toy shelf that is a bit higher than her. She stretches her whole body, stretches out her hand, stands on her tiptoes, and finally reaches the wishful toy. This might demand time and effort; nevertheless, had she not experienced the effort inherited in the task, she would have never felt such great satisfaction and sense of accomplishment. Indeed, the possibility to gradually increase the level of difficulty and to slowly expand the range of attention allows a proper assignment of challenges for toddlers.

Naturally, the challenge needs to be fitted for children’s abilities; the colorfulness and size of Comfy fit the child’s level of visual perception. We recommend checking the contents in advance in order to make sure that they are appropriate, exciting and fulfilling and that there are musical elements and vocal effects that are suitable for your child. Comfy has created a fit between the contents of specific age periods and the various developmental phases through professional teams that worked with psychologists, who supervised the production of the variety of software, and through observations on children activating the keyboard. Comfy has even created an organized chart that guides the parents in how to choose the appropriate software product that altogether considers the child’s specific age, his/her interests and his/her developmental level. Of course, parents are responsible to properly choose the most suitable software for their kid; however, Comfy provides them with all of the necessary tools to easily do so. Parents should bear in mind that there is great variance between children; you should consider the personal attributes of your child when matching the software to him or her. We recommend beginning experiencing the computer when the child is one year old. We do not recommend setting frustrating challenges and it is important to check that the software is fitted for the toddler’s age. Indeed, the knowledge in developmental psychology has been constantly expanding and this knowledge has been incorporated into Comfy.

            The Comfy experience gives voice to the natural drive of curiosity in each and every child. The tendency to discover the world, to behave like a young scientist, who is eager to experiment and explore, is reflected in the excitement of children when approaching the computer. Without any fear or hesitation, young kids check the received feedback and the ways they can recreate the same reaction. In fact, their parents can sometimes feel fearful and hesitant in front of the computer. This is another advantage of the computer: it can teach us something about ourselves and our kids and on each side’s readiness to endure unknown and new experiences.

The Parents’ Role in Operating Comfy

Even if the parents sometimes feel like strangers in a territory where their children feel familiar and safe, it is important and crucial to stay together, to accompany the process and be full partnersin your child’s computer experience. Here lies another basic principle in the development of children’s self: the ability to be together and to receive a positive, impressed and encouraging feedback from a significant figure. In addition to the feedback that the software provides, parents should definitely provide positive significant feedback to their children through sound and words. The accompanying eye of the parent provides more significant feedback than any other adult, peer, or software can. Thus, it’s important that parents will also conceive the computer as another way to spend time together.

            Due to the contribution of play to children’s development, it is important to maintain an experience of fun and excitement while playing and not overemphasize the learning aspect. The best method for children to learn from is through playing. In opposition, a rigid teaching of knowledge may cause lack of responsiveness, reduction of natural curiosity, and withdrawal. Comfy is also an opportunity for you to have fun with your kid; it’s not another parental task that must be done. Accumulation of positive experiences with the most significant figures is important for learning in later life phases. This is also one of the reasons that we highly recommend to set limits to the extent of computer use and to allocate proper time frames. Children require a variety of experiences: physical activities in open space, meeting other figures, various experiences near a desk, and handwork. The computer and Comfy are another important experience, yet they should not be the sole focus in toddlers’ lives. This is why the variety of Comfy’s software products emphasizes complementary activities in additional environments. Kids and parents also receive offers through Comfy’s developmental chart in relation to “off screen” activities connected to the children’s lovable software.

Developing Skills and Additional Nurturing Domains

            The variety of software and keyboard also nurture skills in the visual motor domain according to the developmental level. For instance, eye-hand coordination, another significant developmental element, is reinforced by pressing the large icons on the keyboard. In the beginning of their lives, toddlers’ self confidence is acquired mainly by feeling bodily confidence; in other words, by the ability to control the body in order to achieve goals in the world. Reinforcing the physical capability is vital in any attempt to reinforce self confidence in infancy.

            The cognitive development of children in infancy is rapid and environmentally influenced. Nurture and enrichment in this age period are usually more significant than those that are received at a later age. Comfy has software products that apply to a variety of experiences, concepts, and knowledge that are based on developmental psychological knowledge on thought and cognition. Being exposed to spoken language and rich vocabulary through songs, stories, and conversation is highly significant in infancy. These elements are encouraged by Comfy’s contents and parents are of course invited to add their own input after the activity. In addition, the possibility to experiment a variety of different languages and to be exposed to a second language is available and simple. This sort of exposure is highly significant for children who grow up in a bilingual environment, for example, children living abroad or children whose family is about to relocate to a different country. The play and colorfulness that are part of the learning turns the latter into an attractive and pleasant experience.

All of the above guidelines indicate one superior goal: building self esteem and confidence as well as capability to face a complex world. The software products also include various elements that are essential for the nurturing of emotional intelligence; for instance, children are asked to act based upon identifying with another character, with its needs and worries. The variety of software exerts emotional experiences along with pedagogic contents designed to develop an understanding of the emotional spectrum and a verbal ability concerning interpersonal feelings and situations. Children who experienced themselves as capable human beings, identified with an ideal close character, and experienced a mediating and impressed observation from the most significant figures, will grow to develop a healthy, flexible, and broadened self. The emotional aspect constitutes the most significant infrastructure for intellectual learning. It is well known today that emotional intelligence is responsible for establishing success and academic learning not less than classical intelligence, which is the one that has been normally tested. We recommend that you nurture the emotional and interpersonal ability of your kids and remember that there is no one single correct way, you should try to find the way that works for you and your kids.

In Conclusion, we described some typical behavioral patterns; cognitive and emotional needs of toddlers. We explained that Comfy’s keyboard and software products enable the nurturing of toddlers’ skills in various domains. We also portrayed how the three C’s – Curiosity, Challenge, & Confidence – as defined in Comfy’s 3c Developmental Cycle are manifested in activating Comfy:

1. Toddlers’ curiosity is one of their most evident characteristics. This curiosity enhances their motivation to play and to discover the world around them.
2. The use of Comfy’s keyboard and software is introduced to the children as a challenge – the different tasks attract, motivate, and set a certain level of difficulty that can be handled.
3. The result of using Comfy is an increase in the child's confidence and their sense of capability. This activates a positive cycle: enhance confidence stimulates curiosity, which in its turn motivates the desire to face the next challenge. Thus, a positive magic circle continues as the infant gathers more positive experiences and refines different skills.  

We will end by stressing the importance of parental involvement in the process; yet, computer use should not be exaggerated and we strongly recommend diversifying the child’s activities to coincide with it.

Authors:

Orit Godkar is a senior educational psychologist and a psychotherapist of parents and children. She is also a PhD student in Gender Studies and engages in motherhood, virtual communities, and virtual culture. In addition, she is the director of “Hebrew Psychology” portal.
This article has been written under the supervision of Prof. Amiram Raviv.

Amiram Raviv, Ph.D., is a professor at the Psychology Department, Tel Aviv University, Israel, and has served as Head of the Psychology Department. He has published over 80 articles and chapters and has co-edited and written five books regarding children in stress situations. He served as head psychologist at the School Psychology Service in the Ministry of Education in Israel. He has also written and consulted in the preparation of enrichment books for toddlers and kindergarten-aged children, as well as guidance literature for parents.