GUIDE · ONE WEEK
A 1-week mouse practice plan
Five minutes a day, one skill at a time. One example.
This is one example of a plan that covers the five mouse skills in a week, at “one skill, five minutes a day.” Five minutes is our rough guide, not a rule. Feel free to swap days, pause, or go slower to suit your child.
The week at a glance
| Day | Skill and game | Something to say |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Move Make flowers bloom | “Slowly, to the light” |
| Day 2 | Click Feed your friends | “Softly… pop!” |
| Day 3 | A rest day, or play Day 1 and 2 again | “Which was more fun?” |
| Day 4 | Double-click Hatch the egg | “Click, click” |
| Day 5 | Drag Put the babies to bed | “Once you grab it, don’t let go” |
| Day 6 | Scroll Zoom to discover | “Round and round” |
| Day 7 | Wrap-up All in the meadow, or a favorite game | “Which one do you like best?” |
Day 3 is a rest day. It is fine to skip days, or to play every other day.
How to run each day
- Sit next to your child. Your child holds the mouse, and you watch. Speak up without taking the mouse.
- Let the hand on the screen show first. Every game starts with a hand showing how to move.
- Stop at about five minutes. Stopping on “I want to do more” makes them want to play tomorrow too.
- Praise how, not just the result. For example, “you moved it slowly” or “you kept pressing to the end.”
If a day doesn’t go well
On a day that doesn’t go well, just go back to the previous day’s game and play it briefly. If it stays hard, take another look at the setup (seat, mouse size, pointer speed). Tips for each skill are in these guides:
- Click practice for kids
- Double-click practice for kids
- Drag and drop practice for kids
- Scroll practice for kids
To see how far your child has come, use the “Mouse skills checklist.”
Free · No download · No sign-up · No ads on the game screen
FAQ
What if we can’t do it every day?
Every day is not required. Every other day, or weekends only, is fine. Go in whatever way is easy to keep up.
Will my child be able to do everything after a week?
How fast children pick it up differs. This plan is one example for touching all five skills once, and it does not promise they will have learned them in a week.
What age is this for?
Hajimari Garden is made with ages 5–7 in mind. Anyone who is new to computers can play.