The How, When, What, Who, and Where of Learning Touch Typing

Image by tookapic from Pixabay

In this millennium, there’s no way to escape the keyboard. No matter where you look, kids everywhere are typing, typing, typing!

Now, look at your children. That’s right, they’re next. And it’s your job to teach them.

Not sure where to start? We can help. Let’s start by answering the five most basic questions you may have: What, When, Who, Where, and How?

What is touch typing?

Touch typing describes an ability that people develop to navigate keys on the keyboard with looking by using muscle memory.  Touch typing is a skill, something to be perfected through practice. It is this generation’s version of handwriting. And, if you were born just recently, it’s something that will be required of you in your personal and professional life. We’ll expound on that in the next question…

When can you learn touch typing?

You can learn how to touch type at any age. However, as we mentioned above, typing is now required to be taught in schools. The Common Core for students as established by the Department of Education states that a student must have started learning the skill of touch typing by the third grade. Third graders aren’t expected to master the skill, but they should grasp the basics. These days, touch typing should be learned at a young age, so kids are meeting their educational benchmarks. Parents can start teaching their children once they’ve reached elementary school, ideally around the first grade. Of course, if you’re older than this, don’t worry – you can still learn this important skill!

Who can learn touch typing?

There is no age limit as to who can learn touch typing, but it is recommended to people as young as 7 years of age. In the words of Hannah Montana, you just have to “do it again till you get it right.”

How can you teach touch typing?

Choose your device. Although you can touch type anywhere, it is most effective when you use a full keyboard, rather than your phone’s tiny screen. Make sure to allot time regularly to practice touch typing with your kiddos. 30 minutes each week would be most advisable (or more if your kid wants). Practice typing posture, then teach them about the home row. Give them practice materials like song lyrics or book extracts to copy over. If all’s well, you can move on to…

Where can you touch type?

There’s a wonderful typing program online called Typesy that teaches kids how to learn while having fun. With their numerous courses, kids can watch typing videos and practice the necessary skills at the same time! Their games are highly educational and addicting, so your kid will type and type – and enjoy it. Typesy is cloud based so you can have up to five user accounts in any device. Typesy ensures mastery in less than two weeks with only five minutes of use daily.

Now that you know, it’s time for you to go to it. Happy typing!