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Mouse and keyboard basics

Learn how to point, click and scroll with a mouse, and what the space bar, Enter, Shift and Backspace keys do.

Let us begin

The big idea

The mouse and the keyboard are the two things we use most on a computer. With a little practice they become easy. You can even practise on paper first.

The mouse moves a small arrow on the screen. This arrow is called the pointer. When you slide the mouse on the table, the pointer slides on the screen.

Click means to press the left button once. We click to choose something. Double-click means to press it two times quickly. The right button opens a small list of choices. The wheel in the middle scrolls the page up and down.

The keyboard has letter keys, number keys and some special keys. The space bar is the long key at the bottom. It makes a gap between words. Enter starts a new line. Backspace rubs out the letter before the blinking line, which is called the cursor.

To make a capital letter, hold down the Shift key and press a letter. On most keyboards the keys F and J have tiny bumps on them. Your pointer fingers can feel the bumps, so you know where to rest your hands.

A computer mouseA mouse seen from above. The left half at the top is the left button, the right half at the top is the right button, and a small wheel sits between them. Left button (click to choose) Right button (opens a menu) Wheel: scrolls the page
Left button to click, right button for a menu, wheel to scroll.

Worked examples

See how it works

  1. Typing Asha

    Hold Shift and press A to make a capital A. Then release Shift and press s, h, a. You get Asha.

  2. Fixing a mistake

    You type Ashe by mistake. Press Backspace once to rub out the e. Then press a. Now it says Asha.

  3. Two words

    Type Good, press the space bar once, then type Day. The space bar made the gap, so it reads Good Day.

Try it at home

Paper keyboard practice

You will need

  • a sheet of paper
  • pencil
  • ruler (optional)

What to do

  1. Draw three rows of boxes on the paper. Write letters in the boxes like a real keyboard.
  2. Draw a long box at the bottom and write Space on it.
  3. Mark small dots on the F and J boxes for the bumps.
  4. Tap your first name on the paper keys with your pointer fingers.
  5. Now tap a friend's or your mother's name. Say each letter aloud.

Ask a grown-up: An adult can show you how a real keyboard looks if one is at home. You do not need a computer for this activity.

Practice sheet

Check what you learned

Write your answers in a notebook, or print this sheet and write on it. When you finish, mark your work with the answer key.

Practice sheet: Mouse and keyboard basics (Classes 1-2, Computers and coding)

  1. Which mouse button do we press to choose something?
  2. What is the small arrow on the screen called?
  3. What do we call pressing the left button two times quickly?
  4. Which long key at the bottom of the keyboard makes a gap between words?
  5. Which key starts a new line?
  6. Which key rubs out the letter before the cursor?
  7. How do you make a capital letter?
  8. What does the wheel on the mouse do?
  9. Which two keys have small bumps on them?
  10. What is the blinking line that shows where the next letter will appear called?

Answer key

Answers: Mouse and keyboard basics

Do the practice sheet first, then check here. If an answer is different from yours, read the lesson again and try once more.

  1. The left button.
  2. The pointer (or cursor arrow).
  3. Double-click.
  4. The space bar.
  5. The Enter key.
  6. The Backspace key.
  7. Hold down the Shift key and press the letter.
  8. It scrolls the page up and down.
  9. F and J.
  10. The cursor.

What next

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