At what age should a child start using a computer?

(SPM Wire) - Parents used to worry about their kids never becoming computer literate. Those days are gone. Most children now master computer literacy faster and more naturally than book literacy.

"Today computer chips are as much a part of toys as batteries, even toys for babies. So kids are using miniature computers from the first weeks of life," said Dr. John Laurence Miller, a learning specialist and author of "Mind Magic."

"The real question is when are children old enough to use com- puters as purposeful tools for personal expression and learning," he stressed. "A rough but useful rule of thumb is they are probably old enough to do something online if they are old enough to do it offline."

Children old enough to draw with paper and pencil are also old enough to draw with a mouse. Kids who can write and receive postal mail are old enough to send and receive email.

According to Miller, children who are ready to do research in a children's public library are also ready to use a children's online research tool like "AskforKids" or "Yahoo!Kids." And children who use offline reference works, such as a dictionary or encyclopedia, can use comparable works on the Internet.

"Once they have experience with both physical and virtual media, they and you are in a position to decide when to prefer one and when the other, with proper supervision," said Miller.

For more information about intelligence and learning, visit www.power-your-mind.com.