Typing is the one skill that almost every child in school will use every day for the rest of their life, yet it is rarely taught explicitly and often left entirely to chance. Children who learn to type properly in primary school have a significant and lasting advantage in secondary school and beyond.
Why typing matters more than most parents realise
By secondary school, almost all written work is submitted digitally. Essays, lab reports, coursework, emails to teachers, and presentations all require typing. The difference between a child typing at 15 words per minute and one typing at 35 words per minute is enormous in practice:
- Written assignments take twice as long at the lower speed
- The cognitive load of hunting for keys competes directly with the cognitive load of composing sentences
- Revision and editing are more likely to happen when typing is easy
- Confidence in written work is higher when the mechanical barrier is lower
None of these advantages require exceptional typing speed. The difference between 15 and 35 words per minute is the difference between struggling and comfortable, and it is achievable through consistent practice.
Touch typing vs. hunt-and-peck
Most children who have not been taught touch typing use a two-fingered hunt-and-peck method. This is adequate for short messages but becomes a significant bottleneck for extended writing.
Touch typing, using all ten fingers with specific fingers assigned to specific keys, allows children to look at the screen rather than the keyboard. This is the critical difference. Touch typing enables:
- Composing and typing simultaneously rather than alternating
- Faster editing because eyes stay on the screen
- Less fatigue during long writing tasks
Keyboard Explorer introduces home row position and basic finger placement for beginners. It is the natural starting point for a child who has never consciously learned where their fingers should be.
Building speed through games
Once basic technique is established, speed comes through repetition in engaging contexts. Typing Game uses falling letters to create low-stakes urgency that builds key-finding speed without the pressure of formal tests. Letter Rain provides similar urgency with a slightly different mechanic.
For children who are ready for word-level practice, Word Typer and Animal Typing introduce full words in an engaging themed format. The progression from individual letters to full words is important: letter-level fluency must precede word-level fluency for the skill to develop properly.
Research by Salthouse (1986) and later confirmed by multiple studies shows that typing speed plateaus when learners develop idiosyncratic habits early. The plateau is usually around 40-50 words per minute for hunt-and-peck typists, versus 80-100 words per minute for touch typists. The advantage of learning proper technique early is that the ceiling is dramatically higher.
The right age to start typing
Most children have the fine motor control and letter knowledge needed for typing practice by age 6-7. Starting formal typing games at this age, even briefly, establishes finger-position habits before bad habits form.
Ages 6-8 are ideal for Keyboard Explorer and Typing Game, which are accessible and visually engaging for younger learners.
Ages 8-12 benefit from Speed Typer Challenge, which increases demand progressively and is appropriate for children building fluency toward secondary school readiness.
A practical typing routine
A simple daily routine that produces results:
- Ages 6-8: 5-10 minutes per day, three to four times per week, on Keyboard Explorer or Typing Game
- Ages 8-10: 10 minutes per day, four times per week, on Word Typer or Animal Typing
- Ages 10-12: 10-15 minutes per day, five times per week, on Speed Typer Challenge
Consistency matters far more than session length. Ten minutes every weekday beats 60 minutes once a week.
Games on KidsGames for typing practice
All free, no login, appropriate for different stages:
- Keyboard Explorer: Home row introduction. The right starting point for complete beginners.
- Typing Game: Falling letters build key-finding speed. Ideal for ages 6-9.
- Letter Rain: Letter accuracy under mild time pressure. A good alternative to Typing Game for variety.
- Animal Typing: Word-level typing with a fun animal theme. Natural progression from letter games.
- Word Typer: Common word typing. Builds the finger patterns for the most frequent words in written English.
- Speed Typer Challenge: High-demand typing for ages 9-12. The best game for children targeting secondary school readiness.
Start with Keyboard Explorer if your child has never typed intentionally. Otherwise, try Typing Game tonight and note the score.