I think the right way to start with crypto is to have a solid grasp of the main coins. Like the top 10 on http://coinmarketcap.com/ . Also have a solid understanding of how to use wallets for coins. Pick a coin, download their wallet and learn about public and private keys. On coinmarketcap.com it shows a link under each coin for their block explorers. You should be able to use a block explorer a little bit before trying an ICO. And if it's your first time trying an ICO, maybe put a small amount into it just to make sure you are following the steps right so you don't lose a lot of funds.