Tips on Getting Your Child Excited About Learning How to Use a Computer

Computers are very complicated, and difficult to learn. It is much better to learn at an early age then at a later one. So the question becomes how do you get your child interested in using the computer before it is too late?

The best thing to do when you have a young person who is just starting to learn how to use a computer is introduce them to simple computer games. The best choice for computer games are educational ones that are not completely educational. Start your young pupil off with a simple steering game, one where they have to move a space ship away from asteroids or a fish away from danger by using the arrows. Try to avoid moth games because they tend to get very boring when they just punch numbers over and over again to watch the little avatar move up and down the screen.

Slowly increase the number of buttons they have to use so that they will start to get used to using more and more fingers at the same time. Do not get exiting shooter games for them because they are to stimulating and when they go onto a computer all they will want to do is play the shooter game. Stick with learning games until they grow older, because they are exiting enough to hold there interest, but not exiting enough to make them want to do them all the time.

Once they have started to do this, they are ready for more computer programs. It will be difficult to convince them to learn how to type but it is a very necessary skill to learn. You might want to get a program that will teach them the proper way to type. Most schools teach typing in middle school so you might not have to.

You will want to teach your children how to find the programs themselves so show them how and where you put them. Also remind them that every computer is slightly different so they may have to hunt for a program when they go to a different computer. A good way to get them introduced to other computer programs other then games is to start them off on a Print Shop type program. Do this around a holiday so that they will be exited about making a happy whatever card for a relative.

If they are quite advanced, the best thing you can do is buy older games that have been reformatted for the new computer. The Monkey Island series by Lucas Arts is a very good choice for Adventure games can be good because they usually require you to use the key board to type in answers. Older ones are usually better then newer ones. Games that use the mouse are also good. Pick ones that meet your child's reading capabilities.