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Teach Typing Skills with These FREE Programs

July 29, 2018 By Heather Greutman 5 Comments

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Affiliate and Referral links are used below to promote products I love and recommend. I receive a commission on any purchases made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details.

In this age of technology, typing skills are important for students to have, especially as they get older. Many students who struggle with handwriting also benefit from typing as an accommodation in their IEP (Individualized Education Plan). I want to share some ways you can teach typing skills with these free programs!

Teach Typing Skills with these Free Typing Programs

Teach Typing Skills with These Free Typing Programs

Typing involves using bilateral coordination, visual motor skills (such as eye-hand coordination) motor planning, and fine motor skills such as finger dexterity and isolation. If you have a student struggling with these skills, I would suggest working on building strong bilateral coordination and visual motor skills before introducing typing or as a warm up to typing.

1 || www.Typing.com

Typing.com is a free website that has a student and teacher login area that is free to sign up for. They include typing games, typing lessons, and tests. There are also three skill levels, beginner, intermediate and advanced. This is a no-frills program that would be good for children who become easily distracted by too much on the screen or cartoon type characters.

2 || Dance Mat Typing

This one was highly recommended by many pediatric Occupational Therapists in a Facebook group I am part of. It includes 7 different levels beginning with the home row and increasing the difficulty as you move along. You are able to create a login on the BBC website, but I am unsure if you are able to save where your students are in each level. So you may need to keep track of that yourself.

3 || Tux Typing 

This is a free download program that includes different typing levels and challenges.

4 || Touch Typing by Doorway Online

This program looks like an excellent option for students who can only use one hand. They have a single-handed option that teaches proper typing technique to those only able to use one hand.

5 || Kidz Type 

Kidz Type focuses on levels that begin with the home row keys and get harder as you advance through each level. It does require having Flash Player downloaded on the computer you are using in order to play. There are also lessons, games, quizzes, and tests. It does not require you to have a login to play, but it also doesn't save where you are in the levels, so you would need to keep track of that on your own.

6 || ABCya! 

ABCya! is an education website that includes some typing games on their website. You will need to click the link above and type “typing” into the search bar to find them all. They include suggested grade levels for each game.

7 || Nitro Type 

This is a game format for typing that includes races that you can do to compete against different users.

8 || Typing Club

Typing club is unique in that it has different languages other than English (French, Italian, Greman and more)! It also allows you to sign up for a free profile so you can monitor progress.

9 || Typing Games Zone

Typing Games Zone is just what the name suggests, typing games for all skill levels. The site is ad heavy though, so it may look odd on a school computer with ad blockers. It includes typing courses and tests.

10 || Sense-Lang

This is a great program to use with an entire class. The teacher can sign up with a login and assign each student a special code to login, assign different lessons and tests and keep track of progress.

I'd love to hear if you have a favorite free typing program that didn't make the list. Leave a comment below and let us know! 

Need more bilateral coordination activity ideas? My Occupational Therapy blogger friend at OT Mom Learning Activities has a great bilateral coordination activities ebook to give you more pediatric OT suggestions.

OT Mom's Bilateral Coordination Activities

Check out my Pinterest board below.

 

Follow Heather | Growing Hands-On Kids's board Bilateral Coordination Activities on Pinterest.
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Filed Under: Fine Motor Tagged With: Child Development, For Parents, For Teachers, For Therapists, Kindergarten, Typing Skills, Visual Motor Activities

 

CONTENT DISCLAIMER: Heather Greutman is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant.All information on the Website is for informational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical advice from a physician or your pediatrician. Please consult with a medical professional if you suspect any medical or developmental issues with your child. The information on the Websites does not replace the relationship between therapist and client in a one-on-one treatment session with an individualized treatment plan based on their professional evaluation. The information provided on the Website is provided “as is” without any representations or warranties, express or implied.Do not rely on the information on the Website as an alternative to advice from your medical professional or healthcare provider. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment as a result of any information provided on the Website. All medical information on the Website is for informational purposes only.All activities outlined on the Website are designed for completion with adult supervision. Please use your own judgment with your child and do not provide objects that could pose a choking hazard to young children. Never leave a child unattended during these activities. Please be aware of and follow all age recommendations on all products used in these activities. Growing Hands-On Kids is not liable for any injury when replicating any of the activities found on this blog.YOUR RESPONSIBILITY The Website was developed strictly for informational purposes. You understand and agree that you are fully responsible for your use of the information provided on the Website. Growing Hands-On Kids makes no representations, warranties or guarantees. You understand that results may vary from person to person. Growing Hands-On Kids assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions that may appear in the Website.

Comments

  1. Jennifer says

    July 29, 2018 at 8:55 pm

    I was going to look into a website called Typetastic. Carissa from 1+1+1=1 did a review of it on her blog.

    Reply
    • Heather Greutman says

      July 29, 2018 at 10:23 pm

      Oh great! Will check it out.

      Reply
  2. Pamela says

    July 30, 2018 at 12:31 pm

    I use Typing Club with two clients and we love it. I really like the focus on positioning for home row. The graduated exercises are great and the visual cues support working both hands and all digits through their learning process. Very good program, though I thank you for the list and will try some of the others, especially with games to keep expanding their skills.

    Reply
  3. tan says

    July 30, 2018 at 1:28 pm

    you can check https://www.typedojo.com/ were students can track their scores, also they have typing course on grade basic

    Reply
  4. Denise says

    August 1, 2018 at 9:26 am

    Hi there,

    I have been reviewing the 10 typing activities, whch look great, but all have the same problem – the semi-colon key is on the bottom row so children will not be able to continue the activity. On Spanish keyboards and laptops the key next to L is different.
    such a shame

    Denise

    Reply

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Welcome to Growing Hands-On Kids, a site dedicated to parents, caregivers, educators, therapists or anyone who works with children. My name is Heather and I’m a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant with experience in school-based Occupational Therapy. I use my background to share child development tips, tools, and strategies through hands-on activities. You can read more about me by clicking here. I’m so glad to have you here!

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