A phone and the number pad climb in opposite ways.
The big ideaThe pad is a calculator on the keyboard. Rest on four, five, six, then reach.
How it works
The number pad is a calculator grown right into the keyboard. It sits at the right, so the right hand can work it alone, and its keys are close together.
On the pad the numbers climb up from the bottom: seven, eight and nine along the top, and one, two and three along the bottom.
The pad has a home row too, four, five and six: pointer on the four, middle finger on the five and ring finger on the six. The five has a little bump, and the thumb rests on the zero.
A laptop with no pad can use the number row, which does the same job a little slower.
➕plus: adds➖minus: takes away✖️star: times➗slash: divided by🔘point: decimal point
The keys along the right edge.Adding with the pad, step by step.
Example 1: Find home on the pad
Feel for the little bump on the five.
Rest your middle finger on the five.
Put your pointer on the four and your ring finger on the six.
The thumb rests on the zero.
Example 2: Reach for a number
Start at home on four, five and six.
To type 8, reach up one row with your middle finger and tap.
Come back to the middle row.
To type 2, reach down one row with your middle finger, tap, and come back.
Example 3: Type a price
Rest on four, five and six.
Type 12.50 by tapping 1, 2, the point key beside the zero, then 5 and 0.
The point key makes a decimal point, like twelve point five zero.
Example 4: Add with the pad
Type 4, then the plus key at the right edge, then 5.
The pad is a shortcut for numbers: 4 + 5 = 9.
Star means times and slash means divided by.
Words to know
number pad
A block of number keys at the right of a keyboard, like a calculator.
bump
The little mark on the five that helps a finger find home.
decimal point
The point key makes dollars and cents, like 12.50.
Watch out
A phone puts 1 2 3 along the top, but the pad does the opposite, with 7 8 9 along the top.
Find home by the bump on the five, not by looking down at your hands.
On the pad, star means times and slash means divided by.
If your laptop has no pad, that is fine: use the number row.
Try it
Where does the number pad sit?
Which key on the pad has the little bump?
Which finger rests on the four?
What does the star key mean on the pad?
Answers: 1. At the right of the keyboard · 2. The five · 3. The pointer · 4. Times
Try at homeAsk a grown-up to show you a full keyboard with a number pad. Put your pointer, middle and ring fingers on four, five and six, and feel the bump on the five. If your laptop has no pad, that is fine: use the number row instead.
For grown-upsA full keyboard is needed to feel the bump on the five; if the laptop has no number pad, practice on the number row and let your child know that is fine.
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