This study focused on the cognitive conflicts experienced by young children in using software programs that provided them with tools to create and/or combine individual graphic elements into larger structures. Six 5-year-old children, none with prior computer experience, were observed using three programs--Kids at Work, Picture Perfect, and Springboard. Through 12 sessions, each child spent 15 to 20 minutes per week interacting with the microcomputer and the same program. Observations revealed several types of conflict caused by software constraints when a child began to build a conceptual picture: only one of the programs (Kids at Work) allowed the children to rearrange what they had already done; none of the programs allowed the children to change the direction faced by individual graphics after they had been put in place; the children did not at first understand the "color fill" function of Picture Perfect and there was no way to correct their mistakes. These results suggest that the constraints of these particular software programs short-circuited the children's interest in and attention to that experience. It is concluded that if software for young children is to maximize their cognitive development, it should provide an opportunity for the child to exercise his intentions, reflect on the results of his actions, and subsequently revise these intentions/actions. The Logo programming language and software which emphasizes kinetic movement are cited as two types of software that might facilitate cognitive development. Fourteen references are provided. (BBM)