Computer Tutorial for Kids
So your kid wants to start using the computer. Soon enough he'll probably be showing you a thing or two, but for now, he's never even turned the machine on before. Where do you start? Showing and telling him about hardware, software, input, processing, storage and output will help your child best understand and start using computers.
-
Computer Hardware
-
The hardware is the physical part of the computer. You may have different types of computers around the house, so show them to your child and explain and how they differ. The main two will be laptop and desktop machines.
These days, the term "desktop" refers to a machine that pretty much stays in one place, whether it actually sits on your desk, on the floor or a stand. This is also the type of computer your kid might see if she visits your office.
Laptop computers, also known as notebooks, are meant to be portable. However, lots of people use laptops exclusively, whether or not they're planning to take them anywhere.
Explain to your child that computers are inside many of the things we use today, such as the grocery checkout, the ATM, the gas pump, the refrigerator and your mobile phone. Also tell her that no matter what the computer looks like, it does four basic things: accepts information from an input device, processes data, produces output and stores the results.
Computer Software
-
Next, turn your computer on and show your child that software is any nonphysical part of the computer: the instructions and programs that tell the computer what to do, including the operating system (do you have Windows XP? Windows Vista? Mac OS X?).
Explain that the operating system is the main program that helps software communicate with different pieces of hardware, such as the motherboard, video card, sound card and printer. It's also important to know that the operating system works with other software in different ways, so anytime a new program is loaded, you have to choose one that's compatible with your operating system.
Install a kid-friendly software program, and show him how it works.
Information Input
-
Everything we tell the computer to do is called input; show your child how input can mean instructions from the program you just installed or commands from the hardware. The most popular input hardware is a keyboard or mouse, but it could also be a touch screen, graphics tablet, joystick or other device.
Let your child touch the input device and practice with it. First have her type a few words on the keyboard or practice moving the mouse and clicking on a file to open it. Then start her software program, and show her how to interact with it.
Processor and Memory
-
Tell your child that while you're using the computer, its brains are processing what you're doing and giving you the appropriate results. At the same time, information is being stored in the computer's memory, which includes the hard drive and RAM. Also show him how to transfer information from other devices to the computer using portable memory devices, such as an SD card from your digital camera.
You don't need to go into detail on the computer's processors and memory, as this is the most complicated aspect of the computer; as long as he knows that the computer has a brain and memory just like he does, he'll have a better understanding of how it all works.
Information Output
-
Finally, after you have inputted information or a command, and the computer has processed it, you get a result known as output. That can be something displayed on the screen, called a soft copy, or something printed onto paper, called a hard copy.
Show your child how using a graphics program like Paint, or typing some letters into a document with the keyboard, produces something that you can see right away on the screen. Then print what she's created, so she can hold the results in her hand.
-
