iPad and Preschool Children
Dr. Linda Chmiliar
Athabasca University
iPad Research
Initial Exploratory Project
 6 preschool children
 Mild to moderate difficulties
 Situated in a rural area of Alberta
Canada
 Attending an inclusive preschool
program
Objectives
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Examine the use of early learning applications on the iPad and
their impact on the preschool and readiness skills of preschool
children with learning difficulties
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Examine the use of early learning applications on the iPad and
their impact on child/parent interactions
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Examine parent perceptions of digital technologies and
whether their willingness to use technologies changes through
use of early learning applications on the iPad
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Examine which early learning applications work best for
preschool children and their families and why
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Examine what resources parents require to effectively use
early learning applications on the iPad with their preschool
children
Study
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6 children between the ages of 3 to 5
Received an iPad with 86 early learning
applications
Parents interviewed at beginning of study
and at the end
Parents kept track of iPad use
Each child received 15 – 20 minutes of
guided use at the beginning of the study
Families had the iPads for a period of 6
weeks
Parents

Found that they had no difficulties
using the iPad or the apps
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They had previous experience with
mobile technologies
The child figured out how to use the iPad
and did not need help from the adult
Parents
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Were interested in owning an iPad
themselves and downloading apps for their
child
Indicated that they would like to have a list
of “good apps” for their child
Spent less time with the child in learning
activities than previously
Felt that the activities on the iPad were
better than TV
Children
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All learned to navigate very quickly
Two of the children needed 2 or 3 sessions to
master the navigation, the rest learned immediately.
All used the iPad independently and did not need
help from an adult
They were able to navigate the 86 apps themselves
and find the apps that they wanted to use (parents
reported that the children tried all or most of the
apps, then identified the ones that they liked.)
Explored all the features of the iPad that were
accessible to them
Children
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Majority of the children were able to pay
attention to what they were doing on the
iPad and there were no struggles to get the
child to play learning games
Improved attention to books, songs, and
other learning activities
Shared their interests and successes with
other family members
Children

Positive skill changes in many areas (many
surprised parents)
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Letter and number recognition
Counting
Tracing of letter and ability to write letters and
name
Puzzle completion
Problem solving and faster thinking while solving
problems and playing games
Improved memory
Improved language skills
Children

The children were even demonstrating
the skill outside of the app situation
Children
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What apps capture the children’s
interest
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Immediate interesting consequences for
their actions
Lots of reinforcement
Music, sound, and pictures
Apps with familiar themes such as Elmo
and Thomas the Tank Engine
Apps where they created new items
Drawbacks
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Parents felt that the iPad might be too engaging for
their child
That there needed to be some balance between the
use of the iPad and other activities
Child would easily spend more time on the iPad
than allowed.
A couple of the children abandoned the iPad in
favor of other technologies in the home
environment – where they could play favored
games
1 child was reluctant to “work’ at learning apps.
Implications
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iPad could be a valuable tool for families with preschool children with
disabilities.
It can be used independently by the family so resources need not be
set aside by community organizations to provide technical support
Families are willing, when financially able, to purchase the iPad and
the apps, reducing a burden on community organizations to provide
technology tools
Families need support as to the apps that would be suitable for their
child at any specific point in time
Preschool community organization need to have knowledge of the
applications that are available and their suitability for specific
children.
For children with difficulty engaging in tasks, playing with apps on an
iPad may be an avenue in to stimulating their interest in learning.
Comments
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Small study – few participants, short
duration
However, results surprisingly positive
Further exploration of use of the tool in
necessary
“This project is supported by the Alberta Rural
Development Network (ARDN)”