Teaching your child how to use a computer and the internet is something you should probably aim to tackle head-on. Why? Well, teaching your child how to use technology and the internet safely is of paramount importance, and with so many children in any given classroom – all vying for the teacher’s attention – you can’t always be sure your children’s questions are being answered. So, where to begin? A simple message of don’t talk to strangers and don’t give out any personal details to people you either don’t know or don’t know very well is a start. But that takes two seconds to say and probably won’t seep into their minds with any meaning. And a tutorial over how to save a file will do wonders … for 10 seconds. Let’s look at valuable ways to teach the next generation IT skills that will last a lifetime.
Let’s begin with the ABCs
Typing is a skill that shouldn’t be overlooked. Take the current older generation, for example. We mean no offence here, but we’ve all seen grandma and grandad, with their flip-open phone covers, typing messages with one finger and taking about half an hour to send back a reply that reads “ok see you, soon . byebyw” – and that’s not because of a lack of mental agility, it’s because typing isn’t intuitive and we all must learn from a standing point of being terrible at it. Open a word document and allow them to type their name, and your name, and the names of any siblings or pets. They will love this challenge (they’ll probably want to print their work, too, so make sure you’re well-stocked on ink – bargains here). If your child is already at a stage where they can type quite well, try a free online typing game. These are super fun and challenge you in different ways to type the word on the screen – like this fairground style typing game.
Kids love music
This sounds like an idea for crazy people, but kids love music and that gives us an opportunity to help them to make a playlist all on their own. Granted, the playlist will be awful. And yes, you’ll have to put up with it (hence why this is a crazy idea). But if you have a smart home device, connecting a music streaming account to allow voice activation of the playlist will encourage children to get hands on with curating the playlist on a daily basis. Every scrap of IT learning helps.
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