Building Early Digital Literacy with Microsoft 365 for Kids / Activity Analysis

Core Skills Analysis

Technology Skills

• Understood the basic functionalities and navigation within Microsoft 365 applications such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.
• Learned how to create, save, and edit digital documents, enhancing digital literacy.
• Experimented with formatting tools, building foundational computer skills relevant for academic tasks.
• Explored collaboration tools possibly included in Microsoft 365, such as sharing documents or using cloud storage.

Tips

To deepen understanding of Microsoft 365 and digital literacy, incorporate projects where the child can create and personalize documents such as a family newsletter or a simple presentation about their favorite animal. Encourage exploration of different apps within the suite to develop versatile skills. Additionally, introduce basic typing games to boost familiarity with the keyboard and speed. Lastly, guide your child to use templates to foster creativity while reinforcing structural organization in digital documents.

Book Recommendations

• Helping Children Learn Computer Skills by Bobbie Kalman: A beginner-friendly book that introduces young children to fundamental computer skills through simple, relatable activities.
• My First Book of Computer Science by Dale Lane: A colorful and engaging introduction to the basics of programming and technology concepts for young learners.
• Awesome Word Games & Puzzles for Kids by Scholastic: Fun word-based activities that support literacy and keyboard familiarity, useful alongside digital document practice.

Learning Standards

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.6: With guidance and support, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.5: Use digital media to produce and publish writing, and to interact and collaborate with others.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.7: Interpret information presented visually in digital formats.
• ISTE Standards for Students 1.6: Creative Communicator - Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using digital tools.

Try This Next

• Create a simple Word document about your favorite day and practice changing font styles, colors, and inserting pictures.
• Design a basic PowerPoint presentation to tell a story with images and bullet points.

Growth Beyond Academics

This activity fosters growing independence and confidence in digital environments, encouraging curiosity as children explore new software tools. It may also support patience and problem-solving when figuring out how to use different features, contributing to persistence and attention to detail.