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Typing letters with a keyboard — Computing, 4–6

You can make words appear on a screen by choosing keys in the right order. Computing, 4–6 years.

A key can make a letter appear

A keyboard has keys marked with letters, numbers and signs. When you press a letter key, the computer puts that mark where the blinking line is; the space key leaves a gap, and Backspace removes a mark.

Why keyboards help us write

Before screens, people mainly wrote with pencils or pens. A keyboard gives the computer a quick way to receive exact letters, so you can write a name, a message or a label without drawing every letter with a mouse or finger.

Type CAT

First, click where the word should go. Next, press C, then A, then T; each letter appears after its key. Press Space once to make a gap, and then type DOG. If you press the wrong key, use Backspace once and choose the right one.

A long press is not always one letter

You may hold a key because a real pencil keeps making a line when it stays on paper. On many computers, though, holding a key repeats the letter: C can become CCCCC. Press once for one letter, and look at the word before carrying on.

Words for real tasks

Typing is useful when you label a drawing, write your name on a project or tell a search box what you want. It also helps you send a short message. The computer keeps the letters as text, so they can be moved or changed later.

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