Balancing equations,help?????

Can someone please explain how to balance equations as if you were talking to a 10 yr old please?!?! I don't understand it at all.)':

Balancing equations aren't too hard, just don't overstress about them. Lets take an example like:
Na+Cl2-->NaCl
Then we see how much of each element we have on either side:
Na+Cl2-->NaCl
1Na 1Na
2Cl 1Cl
Now as you can see, there is more Cl on the left side than the right side so we just need to make them equal:
Na+Cl2--> 2NaCl
1Na 2Na
2Cl 2Cl
So now the Cl balance, however, the Na don't so now we make the Na equal
2Na+Cl2--> 2NaCl
2Na 2Na
2Cl 2Cl
And now the equation is balanced. :D

Well the point is that you should have the same number of atoms on the left and the right side.
Make sure you balance the metals first, then the non-metals, then Hydrogen and in the end the Oxygen (it should be balanced already after you do all this stuff, unless you have O2 or something). That's it, and I guess you're capable of doing the counting.

you have a reaction, the reactants and products are listed, all you have to do is make sure there's the same number of atoms on each side of the equation

for example

H2 + O2 = H20

equation you have 2 hydrogen and two oxygen on the reactant side but only 2 hydrogen and one oxygen on the recant side.

if we double the amount of hydrogen on the reactant side you get

2H2 + 02 = 2H2O

there are now 4 hydrogen and two oxygen on the recant side and 4 hydrogen and 2 oxygen on the product side. the reaction is now balanced.

For every element on one side, there has to be the same number of the same element on the other.

For example....... H2 + O => H2O is balanced because there are 2 Hydrogens and 1 Oxygen on both sides.

H + O -> H2O would be unbalanced because there are more Hydrogens on one side then the other.

Imagine each type atom is a brick of lego on a set of scales you have to get the same amount on both sides for the scales to balance by multiplying the reagents and products by coefficients, these don't have to be integers.

It is a two step process:

First you write all the formulas correctly. (I'm not certain a 10y/o has the knowledge to do so.)

Second, you add coefficients to obey the conservation of mass from one side to the other.

(Redox reactions are a bit more complicated.)