Keyboard keys explained, for kids and parents
Most typing lessons teach the letters and stop. But kids run into the other keys every day: the one that suddenly makes everything CAPITALS, the one that turns the screen huge, the one that eats letters as they type. Here's a plain tour of the whole keyboard. A simple way to sort them is into four families: typing keys, moving keys, fixing keys, and control keys.
Typing keys
These put something on the screen.
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Letters, numbers, punctuation | Type the character on the key |
| Space | Adds a space. Thumbs rest on it |
| Shift | Hold it for a capital letter or the top symbol on a key, like ! or ? |
| Caps Lock | Turns capitals on and leaves them on. Press it again to turn them off. If everything is coming out in capitals, check this key |
| Tab | Jumps forward, like to the next box on a form. Shift + Tab jumps back |
| Enter (Mac: return) | Starts a new line, or says "go" on a form |
Moving keys
These move the blinking cursor without typing.
| Key | What it does | On a Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Arrow keys | Move one step up, down, left, or right | Same |
| Home / End | Jump to the start or end of the line | cmd + left/right arrow in most apps moves to the start or end of the line. fn + left/right acts as Home/End, which usually jumps to the top or bottom of the document |
| Page Up / Page Down | Scroll a whole screen at a time | fn + ↑ or ↓ |
Fixing keys
| Key | What it does | On a Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Backspace | Erases the character to the left of the cursor | The key is labeled delete and does the same thing |
| Delete | Erases the character to the right of the cursor | fn + delete |
| Insert | Turns "type-over" mode on and off. If letters start disappearing while you type, Insert is probably on! | Macs don't have Insert |
More on these in Backspace vs Delete and the Insert key problem.
Control keys
These don't type anything by themselves. They change what other keys do, or talk to the computer.
| Key | What it does | On a Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Esc | "Never mind." Closes a menu or stops something | Same |
| Ctrl | Shortcuts: Ctrl + C copies, Ctrl + V pastes, Ctrl + Z undoes | cmd does these: cmd + C, cmd + V, cmd + Z |
| Alt | Alt + Tab switches between open windows | option, which can also type accents like é |
| Windows key | Opens the Start menu | No Windows key. control-click works like a right-click |
| F1 to F12 | In a web browser like Chrome, F5 refreshes the page (careful, that can lose your typing) and F11 makes the window full screen. Other apps may use them differently | Often brightness and volume. On a Mac or a PC you may need fn, depending on the keyboard's settings |
| Num Lock | Switches the number pad between numbers and arrows | Apple keyboards have clear instead of Num Lock and normally type numbers. If the keypad moves the pointer, Mouse Keys may be on. Some other-brand pads used on a Mac do have Num Lock |
| Print Screen | Takes a picture of the screen on many PCs | cmd + shift + 3 takes a screenshot |
| Scroll Lock, Pause, Menu | Rarely used today. Menu works like a right-click | Some Mac keyboards have F13 to F15 here instead |
A quick quiz to print
Cover the right column and see how many your child knows.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Everything is in capitals. What do you press? | Caps Lock |
| How do you go back one box on a form? | Shift + Tab |
| Which key erases to the left? | Backspace (Mac: delete) |
| How do you undo a mistake? | Ctrl + Z (Mac: cmd + Z) |
| Which key closes a menu? | Esc |
| Letters are disappearing as you type. Why? | Insert is probably on |
Why this is worth ten minutes
Knowing these keys saves frustration, and it helps kids feel in charge of the computer instead of the other way around.
In Home Row Mojo
The Keyboard Tour lesson in Home Row Mojo walks through every one of these keys on an on-screen keyboard. A switch at the top flips between a PC and a Mac keyboard, so kids learn the names and shortcuts for the computer they actually use. It ends with a recap of the four families: typing, moving, fixing, and control keys. Many Chromebooks don't have some of these keys, so if that's your setup, try the free version first.
Try Home Row Mojo free as a guest. If it fits, $29 once unlocks all 9 lessons for the whole family.