Preschoolers have always been active learners, and it is the duty of parents as well as educators to provide them with several opportunities to learn various aspects of life. Learning computers is also a basic education in today’s technological world. By the end of preschool, the basic computer skills should be mastered through interactive learning sessions, with the opportunity to acquire experience throughout the learning process.
What are the basic computer skills that a preschooler should be taught? Some of the common basic computer skills that a preschooler should learn include typing, painting, and mouse practice. Typing skills need not be around words; they should be able to learn how to use a keyboard for typing. Being able to recognize the different keys on the keyboard is a skill that is important as the first step to computer knowledge. Painting could include simply selecting a colour and dragging and dropping the paint brush to the area that needs to be coloured. However, this would also need the skill of mouse practice, which needs to be taught to children before they are taught to paint.
Benefits of learning computer skills:
Computer skills are being utilised in every job known, and hence, it is important to begin skill development associated with computers right from preschool. In addition to this, parents and children should be made aware by the educators about the various benefits of learning computer skills. This will motivate and encourage the children to learn with curiosity and excitement over time.
Below are some of the benefits of learning computer skills for a preschooler:
- Learning computer skills can help preschoolers develop their ability to scaffold information.
- It would encourage children to explore technology and build interests to learn further about skill development and enhancement, thereby assisting in thinking ability development.
- It would encourage children to think independently and make decisions about the ways the cursor should be used (for example) and other activities related to computer skills.
- It would also increase the scope of creativity as they explore the software and tools during the class.
- It has a high scope of having a bright career in the field of computer science and is also vital in any industry from a job point of view.
The importance of computer skills for children:
The new generation has seen the latest advancements in technology, and therefore, the children of this generation should be able to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the field of technology. This can enhance learning outcomes and develop competitiveness across the globe. Learning computer skills provides an edge on skill development that is beyond academics, and such a skill would remain with a preschooler forever.
Below are some of the reasons why learning basic computer skills is important for children:
- It promotes thinking ability and decision-making for various tools to be used for performing tasks within the computer system.
- It helps them learn cyber safety and ethical use of computers and the internet while being taught the basics of computer skills.
- Coding has become a popular skill set for students, and learning basic computer skills could make advanced learning opportunities easier.
- Scientifically, learning basic computer skills has been known to improve cognitive skills, memory skills, and information retrieval.
How to teach preschoolers the basics of computer skills:
Parents and teachers can strategize creative ways to teach preschoolers basic computer skills. Because preschoolers may have a shorter attention span, it is important to make teaching such skills creative. Additionally, teachers and parents can also conduct hands-on practice sessions where students learn in groups to make learning fun. Nevertheless, basic computer skills are vital for children to learn to increase their knowledge on technology as they advance further into education.
Below are some of the strategies or simple ways to teach the basics of computer skills to preschoolers:
- Introduction session:
- Discussion of hand and mouse coordination:
- Computer hygiene:
- Start with simple tools:
Introducing a child to a computer is the first lesson to be taught to the preschooler. This can be done in the form of storytelling or live demonstration of a computer to familiarise the child with the entire system set up. There are several videos available online that can help in the teaching process as an educational aid.
The mouse is a very important component of the entire computer system, and hence, it is a basic computer skill to be taught in the beginning. This can again be done by practice sessions for the child, where the child is asked to move the cursor to a particular fruit or vegetable displayed on the monitor screen. Another way could be a role-play session where a child is able to teach a group of students in his class about the image seen on the monitor using the mouse as a pointer rather than the finger.
It is important to teach children about switching off the computer system when not in use and turning it on when they must use it. Turning a computer system on and off is a basic learning skill which could help students boost confidence about computers as their learning continues. Directing them to follow basic computer hygiene, including dos and don’ts, can motivate them to further learn about them.
preschoolers tend to explore software as they grow inquisitive about the entire learning process. The use of simple tools like Microsoft Word, WordPad, Paint, etc. could help them in their learning journey as they are simple to use.
Hence, how to learn basic computer skills is totally dependent on the teaching strategy that parents and educators might use. At Kangaroo Kids International Preschool, we aim to develop these basic computer skills as part of our curriculum. Contact us today to enrol your child in our futuristic curriculum that will teach your child all the basic computer skills needed to build a bright future.
References:
Alam, A. (2022, March). Educational robotics and computer programming in early childhood education: a conceptual framework for assessing elementary school students’ computational thinking for designing powerful educational scenarios. In 2022 International Conference on Smart Technologies and Systems for Next Generation Computing (ICSTSN) (pp. 1-7). IEEE. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9761354/
Çiftci, S., & Bildiren, A. (2020). The effect of coding courses on the cognitive abilities and problem-solving skills of preschool children. Computer science education, 30(1), 3-21. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08993408.2019.1696169
