Rebecca Smithers
Product: JUMP AHEAD BABY knowledge adventure Requirements: PC: Windows 3.1; 8Mb Ram; Mac: System 7; 8Mb Ram
I was initially sceptical about introducing my daughter Mabel to the world of computers at the tender age of 12 months. But after just half-an- hour of trying out Jump Ahead Baby, she was bashing the keyboard with great gusto, making it difficult to get her back to doing normal baby things – like eating and sleeping.
Jump Ahead Baby – the latest product in the fast-expanding “lapware” software market – is aimed at children from nine months to roughly two years. The idea is for parents to help babies get to know how to use a computer keyboard and mouse through play, encouraging them to interact with the screen by responding to a series of prompts.
Teddy the Bear is your “adorable, animated” host, who guides baby through a colourful, if repetitive, maze of familiar scenes -baby’s room, farmyard and so on – with musical accompaniment. If baby clicks the mouse or presses any key, a whole host of farmyard animals emerge to moo, neigh and bark.
The software features eight different activities, including counting, hide and seek, singing along to nursery rhymes and puzzles. You can also help Teddy get dressed, and even turn a black-and-white colouring book into brightly coloured pictures – without all the usual mess.
Mabel was captivated and kept leaning forward to touch the characters on the screen. After half- an-hour, I’d had enough. But Mabel clearly hadn’t and even I was surprised at how quickly she got to grips with the keyboard. Now she points at the computer when she is in the room. I can feel another half-an-hour coming on.