When Should Kids Learn to Type? How to Start at Home
Students use keyboards earlier than ever, often before anyone shows them how. That is how hunt-and-peck habits start. Here is when real typing lessons make sense, what to do before then, and a simple plan to start at home. For speed goals by grade, see our guide to typing speed by age.
The short answer: around 3rd grade
Many schools begin formal keyboarding lessons around 3rd grade, at about age 8. One Virginia school district's keyboarding guidance, for example, does not teach formal keyboarding until at least grade 3. (Newport News Public Schools, PDF)
The school standards point the same way. The Common Core writing standards expect students to type at least one page in a single sitting in 4th grade, two pages in 5th grade and three pages in 6th grade. (W.4.6, W.5.6, W.6.6) Starting in 3rd grade leaves a year to build that skill before it is expected.
A US Department of Education practice guide on elementary writing also recommends teaching students to be fluent with handwriting, spelling, sentence construction, typing and word processing. (IES What Works Clearinghouse) Typing is part of writing, not a separate computer skill.
Before 3rd grade: play, and keep the pencil
Younger students can still use the keyboard. Keep it short and playful:
- Find the letters of their name.
- Use the space bar between words.
- Hold Shift for a capital letter.
- Type a short sentence they just said out loud.
Do not drop handwriting. In a small study of preschoolers, the group that practiced handwriting did better at writing words than the group that practiced typing. (Kiefer et al., 2015) Handwriting builds letter knowledge that typing later uses.
Signs a student is ready
Age is a guide, but these signs matter more:
- They can read and spell simple words.
- Their hands are big enough to rest on the home row (A S D F and J K L ;) without stretching.
- They can sit and focus for about 10 minutes.
- They are starting to write longer pieces, and handwriting is slowing them down.
Teach touch typing from the start
Touch typing means using all ten fingers, starting from the home row, without looking at the keys. It is easier to learn this way once than to fix a hunt-and-peck habit later. Typing.com reports that students who hunt and peck average about 27 wpm. (Typing.com Blog)
To be fair, a large 2018 study found that some self-taught typists who use fewer than ten fingers can be as fast as touch typists. (University of Cambridge) But for a beginner, the home row is the clearest path.
Set up the space
A comfortable setup makes practice easier. OSHA's computer workstation guide describes a neutral position: feet supported on the floor or a footrest, back supported, elbows close to the body and bent between 90 and 120 degrees, and hands, wrists and forearms straight and roughly parallel to the floor. (OSHA) For a young student at an adult desk, a cushion on the chair and a box under the feet often do the job.
A real keyboard helps. A laptop is fine. A tablet's glass keyboard is harder for touch typing, because fingers cannot feel the keys.
A 4-week plan, 10 minutes a day
Short and regular works better than long and rare. Spreading practice over time is one of the two most useful study methods in a major review of learning techniques. (Association for Psychological Science)
Week 1: the home row. Find the small bumps on F and J. Rest the fingers on A S D F and J K L ;. Type short letter patterns and words like "sad," "lad" and "ask," eyes on the screen.
Week 2: the top row. Add E, I, R, U, T and O. Words get more interesting fast: "tired," "route," "story."
Week 3: the bottom row and Shift. Add the rest of the letters, Shift for capitals, and the period. Now the student can type real sentences.
Week 4: real text. Type short stories and sentences. Check accuracy at the end of each session.
Each day, use the same shape: 2 minutes of warm-up, 6 minutes of typing, 2 minutes to check accuracy and stop. Five days a week is plenty.
Accuracy first, then speed
Typing.com advises that accuracy matters more than speed at first, and suggests at least 85% accuracy for grades 3 to 5. (Typing.com Help Center) A good rule: raise the speed goal only after the student meets the accuracy goal. Then try a 1-minute test once a week and write down the result.
What to say while they practice
- Praise the habit: "Your eyes stayed on the screen the whole time."
- Name the next step: "Let's get accuracy to 90%, then we'll speed up."
- Skip "hurry up." Rushing brings mistakes, and mistakes slow everything down.
Make it a game
UpOnly Learning presents The Stories You Type, a free typing game. Students type short stories and see their speed and accuracy as they go, on a computer keyboard or a phone-style keyboard, in English, Spanish or Portuguese. There is no account and nothing to install. Play The Stories You Type, and use the typing speed by age table to set a goal that fits your student.
Common questions
What age should kids learn to type?
Many schools begin formal keyboarding lessons around 3rd grade, at about age 8. Younger students can explore the keyboard in short, playful sessions while they keep practicing handwriting.
Should young students learn typing instead of handwriting?
No. Keep both. In a study of preschoolers, handwriting practice did better than typing practice for writing words. Typing becomes more useful once students write longer pieces, usually from 3rd or 4th grade.
How long does it take to learn touch typing?
Most students can learn where every letter is in a few weeks of short daily practice. Building speed takes longer, usually months. Accuracy first, then speed.