How to teach computer skills at home

You might love computers, gaming or the technology that goes into it. Or you may be completely bewildered by words like algorithm and debugging. Either way, BBC Bitesize has resources for every age and stage of learning computing and computer science.

Chances are, your child may already understand more about computers than you do, but there are specific things they can learn that go beyond gaming or social skills, and into more essential life skills.

Encourage them to be curious and explore this wide-ranging topic!

Andrew Russell is Head of Computer Science at King Edward VI Aston School in Birmingham. He describes computer science as: “How computers and the software on computers works. It’s learning how computers communicate with other computers, using networks, the internet, how things work inside the computer, what the different components do, and how software gets written – what we call programming.”

One of the best ways to teach computer science is in a practical, hands-on way. That will likely mean you need a computer at home or at the library for your child to practise on.

There are also games and activities you can do which don’t require computer access. And some of it is just about honest discussions with your child around things like online safety or how computers and the internet work. Don’t worry if you don’t know yet, you can learn along with your child.

Mr Russell says computing on the primary National Curriculum in England focuses on the basics of “computational thinking, problem-solving techniques, what computers get used for in society, and e-safety”.

Start with the basics around things like computer systems, computer networks (how computers can be connected) and how we use digital devices.

Then, with slightly older children, you can move on to some fun activities like programming a robot and learning to touch type.

You can also practise logical reasoning, using a set of rules to think about and solve problems, by playing noughts and crosses, checkers, chess or sudoku, or asking your child to explain the rules of a game to you, if they’re able to.

Be sure to check out these Bitesize resources for more ideas:

• Dance Mat Typing for 7-11 year olds
• Computing - 5 to 7 year olds
• Computing - 7 to 11 year olds
• BBC Bitesize for Teachers: Cracking Computing

Computational thinking is about understanding what a problem is and the different ways it could be solved.

There are four key techniques, or cornerstones, to computational thinking:

• decomposition: breaking down a complex problem or system into smaller, more manageable parts
• pattern recognition: looking for similarities among and within problems
• abstraction: focusing on the important information only, ignoring irrelevant detail
• algorithms: developing a step-by-step solution to the problem, or the rules to follow to solve the problem

The good news is, these four key elements of computer science learning are also good skills to learn for wider life.

Decomposition is a great life skill: breaking something down into more manageable tasks. Mr Russell gives an example: “In English, if you’re exploring themes of power in Macbeth, instead of just writing a random mass of information, you might break it down into different characters: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, the witches, and write a paragraph on each character.”

You can practise this in everyday life with your child, whether categorising toys or games by theme, alphabetical or colour order. Or you can ‘decompose’ a problem your child faces, such as how to start tidying their room or prioritising their learning tasks before doing a different, relaxing activity.

While pattern recognition in computer science tends to be taught in schools at ages 11 to 14, it’s something you can start with your child at home from a young age, whether that’s making shapes, comparing patterns with 2D and 3D shapes or identifying polygons.

You can play games like pairs, discuss words that rhyme or talk about different patterns inside and outside your home, such as bricks on a wall or spirals on a snail or spider’s web.

Observing and drawing animals or objects, if they’re able, can also help with pattern recognition, as your child starts to notice that a house, for example, has common characteristics or ‘patterns’ such as a roof, door, windows.

Once your child can draw one house, they can draw others, using this pattern and then adding specific details to the type of house, such as how many windows and how many floors it has.

Spotting patterns helps us to solve problems in computing more quickly because we can apply the same problem-solving method to something with the same pattern.

Abstraction is keeping a note of the general characteristics of a problem and filtering out the details we don’t need. This is another approach that can be applied to many areas of life.

If your child has a written question in maths, for example, giving information about how many pieces of fruit three people have, and they’re asked to work out how they can give each person the same amount of fruit, your child will be ‘abstracting’ the numerical information they need to solve the equation… rather than worrying about what type of fruit each person has got!

You can practise abstraction through maths and science, but also in English literature and drama when discussing a character or trying to figure out the subtext to a scene. Chat to your child about context when you’re watching TV or reading together, or use computer games to recognise patterns and focus on the important bits needed to progress.

You can also simply help your child understand and overcome a problem they face with friendships or another area of their life through practising this ‘filtering’ or abstraction process: discuss with them what’s important and what is less important in a situation.

Algorithms are essentially a set of rules to follow to solve a problem. Computers use algorithms, for example, to scan documents and search through data quickly.

Mr Russell says you can practise in a fun way with your child: “Pretend to be a robot and get the student to write instructions to guide you from one location to another.” For example, if they want you to move from the front door to the kitchen, they’d say:

• 'take three steps forwards
• turn 90 degrees to the left
• take two steps forwards, etc.’

Or if they’re instructing you to move around the living room:

• ‘walk forwards until you’re 10cm away from the coffee table
• turn 90 degrees to the right
• walk forwards until the coffee table is no longer to your left.’

It’s up to you if you also decide to walk and talk like a robot!

For older children, Mr Russell explains there are two types of searching algorithm: linear search and binary search.

Using the example of looking for one card in a deck of cards, Mr Russell says a linear search would involve taking out one card at a time and putting it back, until you find the card you’re looking for.

In a binary search, if you’re looking for the number five, for example, you’d put the cards in number order, look at the middle card in the pack and if you found a number seven, you’d then only continue searching the lower half of the pack, and so on.

Mr Russell says you can play a similar game with your child. Think of a number between one and 100. Your child has to work out the smallest number of steps to get to the number you’re thinking of, but you can only answer yes or no to their questions.

If your child asks ‘is it odd or even’, or ‘is it more or less than 50’, these are helpful questions as they narrow it down to half the pack straightaway. Asking ‘are you thinking of the number 37?’ could mean the game takes a little longer!

Playing games like Guess Who? and Who Am I? can practise a similar style of binary searching.

You can take a similar approach to computer science with a neurodivergent child and those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities as you would with any other subject: understand what kind of learner your child is and how/where they learn best, and tailor their computing experience to that.

Make the most of assistive technology (AT) and text-to-speech tools, etc, depending on your child’s individual needs.

If you search online, you’ll find free computer science education platforms you can use, which have accessibility features already built in.

Mr Russell says: “If your child is preparing for Computer Science GCSE, programming can feel quite intimidating. But it’s not as intimidating if you do a bit of programming regularly and break it down like that.”

That approach, of breaking things down into smaller, regular tasks, can apply to learning computing at all ages.

Mr Russell adds: “Don’t assume your child is doing computer science work if they’re on their computer – it’s easy [for them] to get distracted by games, emails, etc, which aren’t doing the work!”

Use the BBC Bitesize Computing and Computer Science areas to help you navigate this topic:

• Computing resources for: 5 to 7 year olds | 7 to 11 year olds | 11 to 14 year olds | All resources
• The ultimate guide to teaching your child to touch type
• Jobs of the future: What will our children be doing in 2040?

The BBC Bitesize home education collection is designed to support you and your child’s learning at home with free resources for early years and foundation stage (EYFS), primary and secondary-age students.

Bitesize Parenting is the go-to place for the whole parenting community to find stories, expert advice and fun activities.

If your child has special educational needs and / or disabilities, be sure to check out the Parenting SEND collection. Bitesize also has a collection of Sensory Stories, an immersive video series that transports you on unique sensory adventures, for children with additional or complex needs.

For more information about home education, these BBC News articles cover the rise in families deciding to educate their children at home and, from 2021, the impact of Covid on home education.