The Microsoft Office is ubiquitous, being used in schools, homes, and businesses around the world. As such, some parents might wonder at what age kids can use the suite of Microsoft Office applications from.
The answer isn’t really that straight-forward, but we know of kids as young as five that have started to use the Word processing application, and some children of six years old who have used in Excel at home.
As it happens, our TechPro course includes advanced Word and Excel topics, but typically its kids who are bit older who take that course, after completing our other term-time courses.
If your children are still young, here’s a lowdown on how they can use Microsoft Office at home before they possibly sign up to a FunTech course.
How kids can use Microsoft Office
The Microsoft Office suite of software applications includes the programs of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Whilst they might seem like applications only adults and teenagers can use, that’s not actually the case.
For example, Microsoft Office has a range of features that can help kids with their schoolwork. With Word, kids can create essays and reports, while Excel can be used to create charts and graphs. PowerPoint can be used to create presentations, and OneNote can be used to take notes and organize information.
One of the great things about Microsoft Office is that it’s ease of use. The interface is intuitive, and most of the features are self-explanatory. This means that even young children of five and six years old can learn how to use Microsoft Office with a little guidance.
The benefits of kids learning how to use Microsoft Office
Education including writing and maths
Using Microsoft Office can enhance a child’s learning for school (and a future career). For example, Microsoft Word lets them write essays, reports, and other assignments. The built-in features of spell check, grammar check, and thesaurus will help kids improve their writing skills.
Microsoft Excel can be used to create spreadsheets, graphs, and charts, which can help kids understand and analyse data, improving their maths skills.
Creativity
Microsoft Office can also help kids develop their creativity. For instance, Microsoft PowerPoint can be used to create presentations, which can be a fun and engaging way for kids to share their ideas and express themselves.
Kids can also use PowerPoint to create slideshows with images, videos, and animations. Microsoft Publisher is another program that kids can use to create flyers, brochures, and other documents that require a creative touch.
Skills acquisition
Using Microsoft Office can also help kids acquire valuable skills that they can use later in life. For example, learning how to use Excel can help them develop their analytical and problem-solving skills. Learning how to use PowerPoint can help them develop their communication and presentation skills. And learning how to use Word can help them develop their writing and editing skills.
There are also some age-specific features which will benefit kids using Microsoft Office. One such feature is the Word Immersive Reader. This feature is designed to help children improve their reading skills. It includes functions such as text-to-speech, font spacing, and syllable highlighting.
There’s also dictation which lets kids dictate text instead of typing it, making it easier for them to create documents.
For older children and teenagers, the Researcher feature can be very useful. It lets them search for and add relevant content to their documents without leaving the application.
In conclusion, Microsoft Office is a powerful suite of tools that can be used by people of all ages, including children. With the right resources and guidance, kids can learn how to use Microsoft Office to create documents, presentations, and spreadsheets that can help them in school and in their personal lives.
If you have a child who is showing an interest in tech and computing, please browse our latest holiday time courses.
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