Touch and click — Computing, 4–6 years
A screen can wait for a touch, click or drag, then show what happened. This is how people tell a digital tool what they want.
What touching does
A touch or click is a message sent to a computer. Touching a picture may open it, pressing a button may start a sound, and dragging may move a shape. The computer notices the action and responds.
Why screens need controls
A picture on a screen cannot know what you want just by looking at you. People needed a quick way to choose, open and move things without changing the whole program. Buttons, taps and clicks turn a wish into a clear signal.
Open a picture
First, look for the picture you want. Next, place the pointer on it or touch it once. Then click or tap once, rather than several times. The computer receives that signal and opens the picture in a larger view.
The extra taps
A common mistake is tapping again and again because nothing seems to happen at once. That is reasonable: people expect a hand-held toy to react immediately. Extra taps can open a different thing, start the same action twice or make the screen jump.
Buttons everywhere
You use this idea when choosing a cartoon, pausing music or moving a map. The same action can mean different things in different apps, so look at the picture or label beside the control. A hand or mouse is the bridge between you and the screen.
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