Our teenagers, I recently learned, type 90 words per minute consistently! All of this typing knowledge was obtained without me having to put “typing” on a schedule, or ask them to practice it! Because they found a program that makes it fun! They first learned how to type through a typing “course” (free, of course), and then they played a typing game (also free) to become faster at typing.
A free typing course
Typing.com is a “free online typing tutor.” There is a Teacher Portal for you, as well as a separate login for students. In this free typing course, your student will learn finger placement and basic keyboarding.
To begin, your student will create an account, which is simply a username and password. No email or other information is required to create a student account.
Here is a screenshot of what your student will see on the first day:
Visit Typing.com to create an account for yourself as teacher, or for your student/s.
A free Typing game that will help you type fast!
Even our teenagers, as I’ve mentioned, play NitroType, a fun typing game against other players. At NitroType, as you type, your car races to the finish line. The content of the ‘game’ is educational (though you may not always agree with it, it does provide discussion points!).
I suggest you play the typing game first, to see if it’s a good fit for your children. You’ll be able to ‘friend’ each other, and play alongside one another (I do this often with our kids!).
Visit NitroType.com to create an account and begin racing against other typists.
I hope you’ll enjoy learning alongside your students as much as we do in our homeschool!
Two other free typing programs
In the past, I have highlighted two other free typing programs. One is a course called Peter’s Online Typing Course, and one is a game-type learning typing program especially for elementary-aged learners.
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