Teaching a toddler all the keys of a fully-fledged keyboard may not be a simple task, given the cognitive capacity of kids less than 4 years old. Showing them how a color-coded keyboard can be used for surfing the Web is a much easier alternative.
Jumboard is a keyboard specially designed for children aged between 1 and 4 years, as they are not able to coordinate their motion very well. Besides that, another reason why kids that young would not be good with using full keyboards is the poor hand-eye coordination. Language and reading also play an important role when learning the keys of a normal keyboard. This is why the designer opted for colors, which are easier to identify.
This keyboard has a design that permits it to be easily placed over a laptop keyboard. The Jumboard portal includes on-line games and activities that will help children to develop their cognitive and motor capacities. The elements displayed on the screen have the same colors as the buttons on the keyboard, so making an association and triggering various actions is very easy.
The part of the keyboard that includes the buttons can be easily detached. This way, kids are able to use Jumboard on the go, too, not only when they are at home. At this point, it is still unknown how exactly the Jumboard is connected to the computer. Possible options include a USB connection, but a toddler wireless keyboard would be fantastic.
Behind this concept there is a team of pedagogic experts and educators, as well as animators, software programmers and designers. It is presumed that after the age of 4, kids are able to use full keyboards. However, it would not be a bad idea to see more complex color-coded keyboards for children aged, say, 4 to 10.
If you liked this post, please check the hopscotch calculator and this easy-to-read keyboard.
