Turn On, Shut Down, Restart — the Right Way
A lamp has one switch. A computer has three different ways to “rest”. Today you will learn which one is right, and when.
For parents: a one-page guide — dinner questions and a game without a screen.
01Remember
We start with things from home. Think first, then open the answer.
How do you switch off a lamp?
With one switch: it is on or it is off. A computer is more complicated — it has more choices.
What does a film do when you press “pause”?
It waits. It is not switched off — when you press again, it carries on from where it stopped.
Have you ever played a game and started it again from the beginning?
You leave the game and press “Start” again. Soon you will see that a computer sometimes starts again too.
02Story
Imagine you are painting a picture and Mum calls you for dinner. You have three choices.
You can stop for a little while: you leave the picture on the table, the brushes are in the cup. After dinner you carry on from exactly where you stopped.
You can finish completely: you put everything away in the cupboard and switch off the light. Tomorrow you start clean.
Or you can start again: you put the brushes away and take them out again straight away. Sometimes that sorts everything out.
A computer has the same three choices. And one important rule: whatever is not saved can be lost.
03Worked example
You are drawing a sun on the computer. You have not saved it yet. Here is what happens with the three choices:
Sleep
For a short rest. The computer uses very little power, and when you wake it, you are back where you were. Microsoft's own help says the same: sleep is for when you are away from the computer for just a little while.
Shut down
The computer turns off completely. What you saved stays in storage. What you did not save can be lost — so you press “Save” first.
Restart
It turns off and straight away turns on again. Save first here, too. A restart happens when an adult decides it is needed — for example after an update.
The names of the buttons differ between systems and languages. In Windows the path is Start → Power; on a Mac it is the Apple menu. The sources are at the bottom.
04Try it now
Everything here is a drawing and a game. Nothing really switches off and nothing changes on your own computer.
1 · Predict
You go to dinner for 10 minutes and then come back to your drawing. Which is the best choice?
2 · Run: the menu on a drawing
This is an imaginary computer with an imaginary menu. Press “Save” or not — then choose one of the three. See what happens to your drawing.
3 · Change: which situation?
Read the situation and choose. Choose “I ask an adult” when the job is for an adult. There is no clock rushing you.
05No screen: “When do I restart?” cards
You need: 8 slips of paper, a pen and one more person.
On four slips write: SLEEP, SHUT DOWN, RESTART, I ASK AN ADULT.
On the other four write situations: “A break for water”, “End of the day”, “The program does not respond”, “An update message appears”.
Draw a situation. Your partner puts the right answer on top and says why. Swap roles.
Do you disagree? That is fine. Read the story again and try once more.
06Make your own
Make a “Which button?” card for your home computer.
- Draw three small pictures: a moon (sleeps), a circle with a line (shuts down), two arrows in a circle (restarts).
- Under each, write in your own words when you use it.
- Show it at home and ask: “Is this right?” If an adult says something different, work out together why.
07What I learned
- Sleep — for a short rest. Shut down — completely. Restart — it turns off and on again.
- I save my work first. What is not saved can be lost.
- A frozen computer, an update message and anything that needs force are jobs for an adult.
A computer sleeps to save power. How do you know when it is time for you to rest?
Check yourself
1. You go for a quick snack and then come back to your work. Which is best?
2. A program has not responded for several minutes. What do you do?
3. What do you do first, before switching off?
It is yours when you can explain to someone when a computer sleeps, when it shuts down and when it restarts — and that you save first. No points and no rankings — just a skill.
08I have a question
Do you still have a question? Write it here. It goes to your parent, not to strangers. Your parent confirms their e-mail first.
The form is loading… If it does not appear, write your question on paper and show it to a parent or teacher.
·Sources
- Title: Turn On, Shut Down, Restart — the Right Way (DB-RK-01) · Author: Children's Library, East Accelerator Foundation · Source: original content, 2026 · Rights: CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Checked on 2 October 2026 (links only, no content copied): Microsoft Support — “Shut down, sleep, or hibernate your PC” (Start → Power → Shut down; sleep is for a short break) and “Restart (reboot) your PC” (Start → Power → Restart).
- Apple Support — “Shut down or restart your Mac” (Apple menu → Shut Down or Restart; forcing a shutdown with the power button may lose unsaved changes).
- “Windows”, “Microsoft”, “Mac” and “Apple” are names of products and companies; they are only mentioned here.
- School link: Bulgarian curriculum, Computer Modelling, grade 3 — digital devices ⚠️ not checked against the current programme.
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Children's Library, East Accelerator Foundation, 2026. You may share and adapt this lesson if you credit the author and keep the same licence. Learning is free forever.