Learning to touch type… how not to give up!

I have lost count of the number of times I’ve recommended that an individual I’ve worked with or assessed is supported to learn to touch-type… and I’ve also lost count of the times that this suggestion has evidently crashed and burned. Typing skills are crucial to develop in today's digital age, and even more so if you struggle with handwritten recording or with the process of writing itself. Typing is also known to help sustain focus on ‘writing tasks’ for many children, as well as speed up their output, at least once they’re competent. But – let’s be honest – the learning process can be somewhat boring, so it is understandable that most give up so quickly.

If a child or young person can be encouraged, rewarded, have their typing sessions scheduled thoughtfully throughout the week, and see the impact and importance of their efforts on their ‘writing’, they are much more likely to improve at a pace which will then motivate them to persevere.

Being a fluent typist can ultimately help improve productivity, efficiency, and accuracy when word-processing essays, work-related documents…and of course, it can be a life-saver in exams! So, if your son or daughter (or even you!) could do with developing their typing skills, what is recommended? Here are some tips: 

1. Select a programme which is age-appropriate and suits your child – there are several on the market and there are free options too, although these don’t always ‘save’ your work, making it somewhat more tricky to monitor and consequently celebrate progress
   
   
   • Nessy fingers – current cost is £33 per year – bonus is this includes a spelling programme too! Suitable for 7 years and above.
   • TypingClub – really comprehensive and free (if you don’t mind the ads, that is. You’ll have to pay if you can’t tolerate them!) Doesn’t state an age-range on the website, but I would say 8 to adult.
   • BBC Dance Mat – a lively online programme which includes great characters (including Gary the scouse goat!) but it doesn’t track your progress and can be a bit frustrating because of this. It’s free though…
   • Typing.com – pretty standard touch-typing programme. Free to set up, not especially exciting so would suit a motivated older child really.
   • Nitrotype – for 13+ years this is a ‘gaming’ typing programme which includes racing online against other users. It is essentially a chance to practise your typing and increase its speed, rather than learn to type (and you need to be quite a good reader, ideally) – but it’s fast and furious and would definitely appeal to teenagers. (Includes lots of adverts…hence it being free and requiring the child to be over 13.)
2. Build short and regular practice sessions into their week: like any other skill, frequent and regular practice is key to improving speed and accuracy. Ideally, set aside 10 minutes every day for them to practise – at a time when they will be able to maintain good focus.
3. Have them show you what they’ve learned at the end of each session - without looking at the keyboard! Encourage them to try to memorise the location of the keys on the keyboard, so they can type without looking at where their fingers are.
4. Build in rewards, if required…this will be especially important if their motivation for learning to type is lacking or progress is slow.
5. Promote the use of a word-processor for homework tasks – and encourage them to use the correct fingering at all times. Using a word-processor for specific pieces of work means that they can start to put into practice the skill they are learning, and also see clearly that it is likely to be a much better alternative for them to handwriting…especially in the long-term.
6. If they are doing an extended piece of typed work, build in short breaks as it can be tiring, particularly when you’re just a novice.
7. Liaise with your child’s school – what can they do to work collaboratively with you to help your son or daughter become a more proficient typist? Could they include a handful of practice sessions in the week too? Or, where appropriate, could it be arranged for him/her to word-process work in lessons too, if this removes a barrier to their learning?
8. Also, remember that a word-processor can be used in exams if it is the young person’s ‘normal way of working’. Discuss this with the SENCO at your child’s school for more details no later than the start of Year 10.
9. And… why not learn together! You can then empathise when they get frustrated…and get annoyed when they improve more quickly than you!

So, it’s not really breaking news that developing accurate and fluent typing skills takes time, practice and determination; it certainly doesn’t happen overnight. Just be patient and consistent with your child, and if they can persevere, you will undoubtedly see improvements in quite a short space of time… and one day, who knows, they may even ditch their pencil case altogether!