[jaylynch]

I've always found it helpful to explain a pointer as exactly that - a pointer, ie. a person standing there pointing at something.

If you need to keep track of something and know that no matter where you put him he's always going to be pointing at the same thing, sometimes it's going to be easier to move him around than, say, the 72-story building he's pointing at.

If you need to explain it more technically then the simple truth of them tracking the memory address of something has always seemed the best approach - then start learning what that actually means if need be. Anyone hoping to end up using C for much and not be shooting yourself in the foot constantly should be learning at least the basics of such things anyway.