Typing practice for kids: home row to every key

How the drills work

There are 18 short drills in three sets. Each one adds a pair of keys to everything you've learned so far, so kids review old keys while they learn new ones:

Each drill mixes repeated letters (fff jjj), short letter patterns (fj jf) and, once there are enough keys, real words that use only the keys learned so far (dad, flash, glass). That's the same order most keyboarding courses follow, without logins or a set path: pick any drill, any time.

The keyboard under the drill colors each key by the finger that presses it and raises the next key you need, so kids can glance down at the screen instead of their hands. When a drill ends, the results show WPM, accuracy and combo, plus a heatmap that turns the keys you missed red. A drill with 90 percent accuracy or better gets a check mark, saved on this device.

Good typing posture

Technique is easiest to learn at the start. Before the first drill:

• Sit back in the chair with feet flat on the floor or a footrest, and the screen at eye level or a little below.
• Elbows at the sides, bent about 90 degrees. Wrists float just above the keyboard rather than resting on the desk.
• Curve the fingers and rest them lightly on the home row. The bumps on F and J let you find home without looking.
• Thumbs on the space bar. Either thumb works; most kids pick one.
• Eyes on the screen. It feels slow at first. That's normal, and it's the whole point.

A simple practice plan

There's no need for a schedule, but this rhythm works for most kids from about 2nd grade up:

1. Week 1 to 2: home row drills, a few each day, until each one is checked off. Finish with a round of home-row hero in typing games for kids.
2. Week 3 to 4: top row drills. Go back to a home row drill whenever accuracy dips below 90 percent.
3. Week 5 to 6: bottom row drills and the all-letters drill. Try falling words at your grade level.
4. Then: a typing test for kids once a week to track speed, and drills for any keys the heatmap shows red.

Ten to fifteen minutes most days is plenty. Stop before frustration starts; a good session ends while your child still wants one more go.

What's a good speed for my child?

Speed comes after accuracy. Typing.com's guidelines are about 15 WPM with 85 percent accuracy or better in 3rd grade, rising by about 5 WPM a grade to 30 WPM in 6th grade. In K-2, the goal is knowing where the keys are. Common Core doesn't set a speed, but it expects 4th graders to be able to type at least a page in one sitting. Our average typing speed guide has the full chart by grade and age.

Common mistakes and quick fixes

• Looking at the keys. Cover the hands with a dish towel, or play home-row hero, where looking down costs you.
• Using the wrong finger. Check the color on the guide keyboard. If a key is always red on the heatmap, repeat the drill that introduced it.
• Hands drifting off home. After every reach, bring the finger back. The F and J bumps help.
• Rushing. If accuracy drops under 90 percent, slow down. Speed follows accuracy, not the other way around.

When kids are ready for more

These drills cover every letter, but a full keyboarding program goes further, with numbers, symbols, capitals, hundreds of lessons and progress reports. TypingClub and Typing.com are free full courses from the early grades through high school. Keyboarding Without Tears is built for K-5 and pairs with Handwriting Without Tears, and Typesy adds video lessons and parent reports. Compare them on our best typing programs for kids list, or browse typing programs for kids. If a paid program fits better, some states' scholarships and ESAs can help cover it; check scholarships in your state and save the programs you like to your wishlist.