Organising and Analysing Information: Flow Charts

Flowcharts are use to break tasks or sequences down to a series of single events. They are used in many places from providing directions or instructions, analysing cause and effect in accidents, to computer programming.

The ability to follow a flowchart, or follow instructions is essential in many jobs. The ability to analyse a task and break it into logical steps is essential for problem solving in all areas of life.

Creating flowcharts accurately is a skill that takes practice. Errors or carelessness can cause many problems.

Children can learn these skills at a very young age. The flowcharts below are intended to show how a simple instruction to fetch a book is more complicated than it first seems. Let children have some fun pretending to be "dumb" robots just following instructions and learning flowcharts can be fun.

• Simple Flowcharts: this simple flowchart is suitable for any age.
• Simple Flowcharts 2: add a complexity.