How to Teach Touch Typing in the Classroom

Children type more and more for school work, but few of them are ever taught to do it properly. The good news for teachers: touch typing does not need a lot of lesson time. It needs short, regular practice, a focus on accuracy, and a quick way to see who is stuck.

Why teach typing at school at all?

From the upper elementary grades on, more and more writing happens on a keyboard: reports, presentations, online tests. A child who hunts for keys with two fingers spends their attention on the keyboard instead of on what they want to say.

In the US, the Common Core writing standards expect pupils to have enough keyboarding skill to type at least one page in a single sitting by grade 4, two pages by grade 5 and three by grade 6. Most curricula, however, leave open how children learn it. Without a plan, many kids teach themselves a hunt-and-peck habit that is hard to unlearn later.

When to start: grades 3 to 6

Around age 8 (grade 3), most children have big enough hands to reach the home row and can concentrate for ten minutes. That makes grades 3 to 6 the natural window. Younger pupils can get familiar with the keyboard, but real touch-typing technique usually comes later. More on this in What age should kids learn to type?

How much practice: short and often

Touch typing is muscle memory, and that grows from repetition spread over time. A simple rule of thumb for school: three times a week for fifteen minutes, for example at the start of the day or as a fixed rotation station. That beats one long lesson a week. Pupils who also practise at home go faster, but it should not depend on that.

Accuracy first, speed later

The most common mistake is to celebrate speed too early. A child who types fast with the wrong fingers bakes in the error. Judge pupils on accuracy (aim for 90% or more) and on the number of letters they type without looking. Speed follows on its own once the fingers know the way.

What to keep an eye on per pupil

In a class of 25 to 30 you cannot watch every pair of hands. Look for four signals instead:

• Not practising: a child who has not played for a week falls behind quickly.
• Low accuracy: below about 85% usually means looking at the keys or rushing.
• Stuck on the same letters: no new letter for two weeks means a short one-on-one helps more than more practice.
• The class's hardest letters: if half the class misses the same keys, give a five-minute instruction to everyone.

Shared Chromebooks without accounts or emails

Many typing programs need an account per pupil, often with an email address or a Google login. On shared Chromebooks that causes friction: forgotten passwords, the wrong child still signed in, data left behind on the device. A short personal code on a printed card works better for young children, and typing the code is already a small exercise. Make sure the program signs the child out at the end, so nothing remains on the device for the next pupil.

How Typcoon fits in

Typcoon is a typing game in which children switch a blacked-out city back on by typing. With a school account the teacher makes a code per pupil, prints the login cards, and sees per child the letters learned, accuracy, speed and practice time, with notes for the four signals above. Diplomas for the whole class print in one go. Pupils only need a first name or a number. The first 35 pupils are free. After that you buy codes: €9.95 per pupil, €7.50 from 100 codes, valid for 2 years. See Typcoon for schools.

Learn to type while you switch a city back on

In Typcoon: Nightcode, every command your child types switches a piece of a blacked-out city back on. Typing neatly earns the most, so your child learns to touch type without even noticing. Free to try, no account needed.

▶ Play free

Typing for Kids: The Complete Guide →