4 Fun Ways to Get Children Talking About Technology

Technology is shaping every aspect of our lives, such as how we learn, travel, play and solve big world problems, to help equip the young people in our lives with the knowledge and skills that they need to succeed in the 21^st century, supporting them with curious conversations about how tech works, reading about tech, and discussion around how and why we use it are essential.

Talking about tech helps children to:

Develop confidence about tech and dispel fears
Understand that tech is a useful tool and not a toy
Develop their critical, creative and problem solving skills
See themselves as creators of tech and not just as passive consumers of tech
Prepare for a future where tech touches every job and career

These 4 ways help children to develop tech literacy:

Read books with a tech theme – children like stories! Stories allow for imagination and this is a great way to introduce conversations around topics like robots with personalities, inventors solving problems, using tech tools to solve problems, keeping safe online and also what they can create with tech. In the classroom, teachers can use story time as a launchpad for tech talk. After reading a book, ask open ended questions such as, – How do you think that robot helps people? Or What are the problems in your local area that you would like tech to solve?
Use everyday objects to develop tech literacy – talk to children about tech in the home and surroundings such as a thermostat and use it as the starter of a conversation around the topic of sensors. Then develop the conversation around the use of sensors in other environments. Another idea is to talk about how a smart speaker works and the concept of voice recognition. Teachers might model this by showing classroom devices or discussing school technology. Ask the child, about ways in which voice recognition can be used across society and whom it would benefit or not benefit.
Explore simple and creative play – get hands on with simple inexpensive tech that encourages children to build, explore and experiment, such as building a robotic arm – talk about the design and uses of the robotic arm. This can be a classroom station or STEM challenge, encouraging children to tinker and ask questions.
Exchange stories about real world tech – make a game up where you and the child exchange examples of real world tech that each of you has seen or heard of, such as – doctors using machines to see inside the body, farmers using sensors to save water, self-driving cars being deployed onto the roads for safety purposes. Discuss benefits and downsides of all tech. Teachers can use this as a warm-up activity, circle-time discussion, or exit-ticket reflection.

These are just a few ways to get tech conversations started, so that children do not see tech as mysterious or complicated but rather as accessible and as a creative tool. This in turn will help them to feel empowered, build their imaginations and confidence along with helping them to navigate the world and prepare for the future without pressure. Adding these approaches into everyday teaching moments can help make tech literacy feel natural, playful and inspiring.

Ready to take these tech conversations further?

The Ava and Chip book series is designed to spark curiosity about how technology works and how it shapes our world. Each story encourages children to think critically, ask questions and imagine what they could create.

Perfect for home bookshelves and classroom reading corners, the series supports tech literacy in a playful and empowering way.

Explore the books and bring technology to life through story.