When Something Does Not Work: How I Look for Help
Something will not work? Look at what happened, try the simple fix, note the result and ask for help. If you are unsure, ask a grown-up before trying.
For parents: a one-page guide — dinner questions and a paper help card.
01Remember
Think of an everyday difficulty. Open the answers after thinking of your own idea.
How do you tell what went wrong?
Compare what you expected with what you can see.
What do you do when you are unsure?
Stop and ask a grown-up.
How do you remember what you already tried?
Write the test and its result on paper.
02Story
In our imaginary drawing room, a child is making a sunny card. They choose yellow paper, then a yellow pencil. They move the pencil, but no sun appears. “Nothing works!” they say. They reach out to press everything, then stop. What did they expect? A circle with rays. What can they see? Just the yellow paper.
Before changing anything else, the child looks at the chosen colour. The paper and pencil match. They decide to try a blue line. A line appears! On paper they write: “Yellow on yellow was invisible. I tried blue and a line appeared.” Then they show the note to a grown-up and explain what they noticed.
The grown-up asks, “What if the line still had not appeared?” The child points to the note. “I would tell you what I did, what I expected and what happened. Then I would ask what we could try together.” They keep the note beside the computer for another time. We made up the drawing room and the story.
03Worked example
- Look: I expect “Moon” in the album, but I see the “Sea” section.
- Try the simple fix: look in “Sky”. I do not change system settings — an adult does that.
- Note: “I looked in Sky; the card is there.” If it is not there, I note that too.
- Ask: a parent or teacher first. If we need more help, we open the program’s official help page together. The adult checks that it is official.
“In the imaginary album, I looked for Moon in Sea. I expected the card, but it was missing. I looked in Sky and found it. Could you show me how to choose the section?”
04Try it now
These are our drawings and made-up situations, not real programs. Write only about them, without personal details. Your practice text is neither sent nor saved; reloading clears it. There are no points, timer or rankings.
Predict
Before running the test, what might have happened? Say your guess aloud.
In our imaginary drawing room, you chose yellow and drew a sun on yellow paper. You cannot see the sun.
Simple test: Choose blue and make a test line.
In our imaginary game, you built a tower but it stays still. The instruction card says “Choose the arrow to start”.
Simple test: Try choosing the drawn arrow.
In our imaginary album, you are looking for the “Moon” card. You have opened the “Sea” section.
Simple test: Look in the “Sky” section.
Run: put the steps in order
Use the up and down buttons. You can use Tab and Enter or Space.
Change: write a help message
Describe the situation and result. Even if the simple test helps, practise explaining it. Choose another situation and change your message.
05Without screen: a help card
Take paper and a pencil. Write “Look → Try the simple fix → Note → Ask”. Leave space under “I did… I expected… It happened… I tried… The result…”. Use the made-up tower situation. Explain it to someone you know and keep the card beside the computer. If you are unsure whether a test is safe, ask first.
06Make your own
Make a one-page card for a grandparent, using large letters. Include the steps and sentence starters from the help card. Add “Ask someone I trust first. Then look for official help together.” Leave out personal details.
Show the card and explain how to use it. Ask the person to describe a made-up situation with it. If the letters or words are hard to read, revise them together.
07What I learned
I can describe what happened, note a safe test and ask someone for help. I do not have to fix everything myself.
1. What do you do first?
2. What belongs in a help message?
3. The simple test did not help. What next?
It is yours when you can use the card to describe a made-up situation and explain when to stop and ask. No points, streaks or rankings.
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: When Something Does Not Work: How I Look for Help (DB-RK-22) · Author: Children's Library, East Accelerator Foundation · Source: original content, 2026; fictional story, drawings and situations; practical suggestions, no statistics. · Rights: CC BY-SA 4.0.
- 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.