Touch Typing for Kids: Why It’s Important and How to Teach Them
Touch Typing for Kids: Why It's Important and How to Teach Them
As technology becomes more integrated into our daily lives, it’s important to teach children essential skills like touch typing. Not only does touch typing allow kids to efficiently complete assignments and communicate online, but it also helps them develop important cognitive and motor skills. In this article, we’ll discuss Touch Typing for Kids: Why It’s Important and How to Teach Them because in today’s digital age, keyboarding skills are essential for success in school, college, and beyond.
Key Takeaways:
- Touch typing is an essential skill for kids to learn in today’s digital age.
- Touch typing can be fun for kids and engage them in keyboard activities.
- Touch typing improves spelling, vocabulary recall, and learning new words.
- Touch typing can save kids time on assignments and free them from erasing and editing efforts.
- Touch typing is becoming increasingly important as schools shift to online learning.
- Kids with touch typing skills have better communication skills.
- Providing kids with touch typing resources such as books and finger position charts can help them learn.
- Offering rewards and challenges can motivate kids to learn touch typing.
- Touch typing competitions can encourage healthy competition among kids.
- Touch typing quizzes can help kids build confidence in their skills.
Benefits of Touch Typing for Kids
Now let’s discuss in detail the benefits of touch typing for kids and explore tips on how to teach them this essential skill.
Benefit #1: Touch typing is fun for kids and engages them with the keyboard.
One of the primary benefits of touch typing for kids is that it’s a fun and engaging activity that helps them become comfortable with the keyboard. By learning to touch type, kids can enjoy the process of typing without having to look at the keys, which can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience.
Benefit #2: Touch typing helps kids with spelling, vocabulary, and learning new words.
Another important benefit of touch typing is that it can help kids improve their spelling and vocabulary. As they become more comfortable with the keyboard and the placement of keys, they will be better equipped to type quickly and accurately, which can help them recall words and spellings more easily. Additionally, as they type, they may come across new words, which can help them expand their vocabulary and learn new concepts.
Benefit #3: Touch typing helps kids complete assignments more efficiently.
One of the most significant benefits of touch typing is that it can help kids complete assignments in less time. With touch typing skills, kids can type quickly and accurately, which can save them time on editing and erasing. This can be especially helpful for students who struggle with handwriting or have difficulty typing quickly with two fingers.
Benefit #4: Touch typing is becoming increasingly important for online learning.
As schools, colleges, and universities shift to online learning, touch typing skills are becoming increasingly important. Kids who are proficient at touch typing will have a significant advantage over those who struggle with typing quickly and accurately. With the ability to type quickly and efficiently, they’ll be able to complete online assignments more efficiently and communicate more effectively with their teachers and classmates.
Benefit #5: Touch typing can improve kids’ communication skills.
Touch typing can also help kids develop better communication skills. As they become more proficient at typing quickly and accurately, they’ll be able to express their thoughts and ideas more effectively, which can help them in school and beyond.
Benefit #6: Touch typing can save kids time.
Finally, touch typing can save kids a significant amount of time. By typing quickly and accurately, they’ll be able to complete assignments more efficiently, which can free up time for other activities. In fact, touch typing skills can save kids up to an hour a day on school-related activities.
Tips for Teaching Touch Typing to Kids
Here are some tips on how to teach your kids touch typing:
Tip #1: Start early
The earlier kids start learning touch typing, the easier it will be for them to develop good habits and build their skills over time. In addition to this, by teaching kids touch typing early on, we can help set them up for success both in school and in their future careers. It can save time on assignments, and kids become more efficient and effective learners.
Tip #2: Provide kids with a touch typing book.
A recommended touch typing book to consider is “Learn Touch Typing in 12 Simple Lessons” by Muhammad Umar. This book covers the basics of finger positioning, offers practice lessons, and provides helpful tips and tricks to improve touch typing skills. The lessons in the book are structured to cover the home row keys, top and bottom row keys, and numeric keypad, with increasing difficulty levels. It also includes practice lessons for all keys, including alphabets, numbers, punctuation, and control keys such as Shift, Enter, and Backspace. The book is an excellent resource for parents and teachers who want to help children master touch typing. Click here to learn more about this must-have book for touch typing.
Tip #3: Encourage good posture.
Good posture is essential for proper touch typing technique. Encourage kids to sit up straight, keep their feet flat on the ground, and position their hands and arms correctly on the keyboard.
Tip #4: Cover keys with labels
Covering the keys with labels can help trigger muscle memory and teach children the different positions of the keys. This is a simple and effective method to reinforce what they’ve learned through practice.
Tip #5: Practice regularly
Like any skill, touch typing requires practice to improve. Encourage kids to practice regularly, even if it’s just for a few minutes each day.
Tip #6: Model good typing habits
Modeling touch typing for kids is an effective way to encourage them to learn. If you are a touch typist, type at your full speed in front of the kids to inspire them to learn. Once they are interested, train and mentor them as they progress.
Tip #7: Teach kids how to place their fingers on the keyboard
Teaching children how to place their fingers on the keyboard is an essential first step in touch typing. A helpful tool for this is the “Learn Touch Typing in 12 Simple Lessons” book, which includes two finger positioning charts for the left and right hands. Reproduce these charts in a large scale and hang them on a wall or near the computer so that children can see and learn where each finger goes while touch typing.
Tip #8: Motivate and Reward Typing Milestones
Motivate and reward children for achieving certain touch typing milestones. For example, offer a picnic to a beautiful place if they can type 30 words per minute or more.
Tip #9: Give Them Typing Challenges
Give children typing challenges that encourage them to recall and use new vocabulary while touch typing. For instance, ask them to type a paragraph without looking at the keyboard or closing their eyes for a few minutes while typing any words that come to mind. This way they can recall previous vocabulary and practice touch typing at the same time.
Tip #10: Arrange competitions
Organize touch typing competitions among children at the local level, such as among cousins at home, between roommates in class, or between different classes at school. This can help foster a sense of friendly competition and motivation to improve their touch typing skills.
Tip #11: Award certificates
Recognize and acknowledge children’s touch typing accomplishments with certificates of achievement or other appropriate awards.
Tip #12: Type a report or document
Once children have become proficient in touch typing, encourage them to type full reports, documents, or even a short book to make them familiar with typing from an actual paper. Here is the link to a full set of challenges. https://typing12.com/typing-challanges
Tip #10: Practice with quizzes.
Touch typing quizzes can help children build confidence in their basic touch typing concepts and terminology. Consider using quizzes available on our website or other reputable sources. Here’s a link to touch quizzes available on our site https://typing12.com/typing-quizzes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, teaching touch typing to kids is crucial in today’s digital age. With benefits such as increased speed and accuracy, improved vocabulary and spelling, and enhanced communication skills, touch typing is a skill that will serve kids well throughout their academic and professional lives. Use the tips outlined in this article to help your child become a touch typing pro.
Struggling with touch typing for yourself or your kids? Let us help! Our one-to-one touch typing online classes provide a professional and easy-to-understand solution. Our experienced instructors tailor classes to individual needs, resulting in an effective and enjoyable learning experience. Give the gift of touch typing skills and watch productivity and confidence soar. Book your one-to-one online touch typing classes today.
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