In a world that is increasingly digital, the journey toward technology literacy begins with a single click. This week, our Year 1 students at Bromsgrove International School Cambodia (BISC) stepped into the ICT lab for a lesson that proved learning “the basics” can be the highlight of the school day.
The Art of the Click
While touchscreens are intuitive for many children today, the precision required to operate a traditional computer mouse is a vital fine motor skill. Our latest play-based ICT lesson was specifically designed to help students master the left-handed mouse click.
By shifting from the broad movements of a tablet to the micro-movements of a mouse, students are developing:
- Precision: Navigating small arrows to trigger specific actions.
- Hand-Eye Coordination: Synchronizing what their eyes see on the screen with what their hand does on the desk.
- Digital Confidence: Gaining a sense of agency over a computer interface.
Learning Through Gameplay
Rather than repetitive drills, our Year 1 pupils engaged with interactive games that turned technical practice into a digital adventure. The classroom was buzzing with focus as they:
- Navigated with Arrows: Practicing accurate cursor movement.
- Built with Colors: Choosing and placing digital elements to create art.
- Controlled Vehicles: Steering on-screen cars to understand real-time digital response.
Why Play-Based ICT Matters
At BISC, we follow a British Curriculum approach that recognizes play as the primary vehicle for learning in early years. When a child “drives” a car on a screen or clicks an arrow to change a color, they aren’t just playing a game—they are building the neural pathways required for complex computing tasks in the future.
These lessons provide the “building blocks” of ICT, ensuring that as our students progress, they have the manual dexterity and confidence to use technology as a tool for creation, not just consumption.
