Computer Skills for Kids
Computers have become a big part of most people’s daily lives. Maybe you have one at home, or maybe you use one in the computer lab at school. Even if you don’t have a computer, you’ll still need to learn a few different things to be able to use one well and use it safely. Once you master these skills, you will be able to use a computer at home or at school to do all sorts of things easily!
Typing/Keyboarding
One of the most important skills to learn on a computer is how to type. Typing is very important because it’s how you enter things into the computer. If you are searching online for information, you will need to be able to type in what you are looking for, and as you get older, you’ll need to type up essays for school. Being able to type well will help you get things done on a computer more quickly.
- Text Type 2: Learning to type can be tricky, but this tutor shows kids the way.
- Dance Mat Typing: Learn typing skills with this computer game. As you improve, you can work your way through new levels.
- Keyboarding Skills: Become a master typist by playing this fun game.
- Keyboarding Zoo: As you work through this game correctly typing each letter, you are rewarded by seeing an animal whose name begins with the same letter.
- KeyboardBuilder: Play this building-themed game to improve your typing ability!
Mouse Practice
Learning how to use the mouse is the most basic computer skill, but it is also one of the most important to learn. The mouse, like typing, helps you tell the computer what to do. It can be a little bit hard to get used to controlling the mouse at first, but practice will have you clicking around the screen in no time!
- Mousercise! Challenge your mouse-moving skills by clicking where the instructions tell you to.
- My Computer Mouse: This fun song and activity teaches you about your computer mouse.
- Peg + Cat : 3-2-1 Snack: Use your mouse to click around and help Peg give Cat a snack!
- I See You!: Practice moving your mouse around the screen to see Baby Rose’s eyes follow.
Beginner Coding
Computer coding is becoming more popular for people to learn. In the future, it can even help you to get a good job, if you enjoy doing it! Coding is the language that controls how a computer works. If you learn how to write code, you can control what a computer does. Computer coding is also important to learn if you want to create cartoons or video games.
- Code Monster: The monster walks you through learning to code. Follow his directions and see how changing the code changes the image on the screen.
- Challenge: Waving Snowman: See if you can make your snowman move!
- Intro to Code Studio Video: Watch this video to learn all about how you can learn coding skills. Click continue to move forward and begin practicing.
- Scratch: Catch Game: Follow along to learn how to code your own falling objects game.
Computer Art
Now, you can create art on a computer too. Many times, the posters and ads you see have been created on a computer using art software like Photoshop. Practicing creating basic art on a computer can be the first step to learning how to create more detailed art.
- Picassohead: Use your computer skills to create fun faces.
- Art Lab: Restore paintings that have been damaged in this game.
- Sand Painting Game: Create your own moving paintings by clicking the elements on the side to change how your brush works.
- Build Your Snowman! Create your own snowman by using your mouse to select parts and build it.
- Pattern Pictures: Design colorful pictures with this game. Once you create a picture you like, you can save it and print it out.
Emailing
Email is a popular way to send messages to friends or family members. When you are older, you might also use email to talk to the people you work with. Learning how to use email is important, but it’s also important to learn how to use good manners when writing emails.
- Teaching Email Etiquette: Being polite in an email is very important, and this video can teach you more about email etiquette.
- Email Etiquette and Safety Tutorial: Learn about email safety on this page.
- Spam and Scam Email: Find out all about the types of emails that could hurt your computer or you and how to spot them to make sure you stay safe online.
Building/Fixing Computers
If you enjoy building robots or other things, you might enjoy learning how to build a computer. There are many parts to a computer that you will need to learn about first, but once you understand what they are and how they work, you can get started putting your own together. Computers sometimes have problems even when they are built correctly, so learning how to fix basic computer problems is also a good idea.
- My First Computer: Learn how to build a computer with this online game.
- Parts of the Computer: A computer has many parts. Read all about the most important parts and what they do in this guide.
- How to Fix the Most Common Computer Problems: Sometimes, a computer has trouble running. This guide can teach you all about common problems that can come up and what most people do to fix them.
Going Online Safely
Using the Internet can be a lot of fun: You can play games online, email friends, and do research to learn new things. As you get older, you will need to know how to find information online for school projects. But it’s important to remember that there are things and people online that are not safe. Some websites can give your computer viruses that make it not work properly, and some people you meet online might be dangerous people who are lying about who they are. It’s important to know how to use the Internet safely and avoid strangers online just like you avoid strangers in real life.
- Doing Internet Research at the Elementary Level: If you have a research project but you need to learn how to do research online this guide is a good place to start learning.
- Safe Cyberspace Surfing: Learn all about how to browse the Internet safely.
- The Kids’ Guide to How the Internet Works: Indy the Internet guide shows kids the basics of the Internet, from researching safely to using social media.
- Wise Kids: Guide to Net Etiquette: Read all about the dangers of getting into fights online and how to avoid them.
- Basic Internet Safety: Read all about what to look out for online and find tips for staying safe.
- KidRex: Use KidRex to search for information or games safely.
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