Keyboarding

During our conferences this month, a few LCs asked about keyboarding programs for kids. Here are a few that were recommended by teachers and parents.

• Keyboarding Without Tears - http://www.hwtears.com/kwt
• Dance Mat Typing - http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/
• All the Right Type – http://www.atrtonline.com/new_index.php
• Power Typing - http://www.powertyping.com/
• Many, many more games and programs - http://typingsoft.com/all_typing_tutors.htm

Keyboarding is a great skill to work on over the summer! The recommendation for elementary students is 15 minutes a day of practice.

When my boys were learning to keyboard. They typed with a box lid over their hands, so that they couldn't look at the keys. This trick helped with speed, memorization and accuracy. Once your student learns the home keys, you may want to try it!

If you have a keyboarding program or game that you like, please let me know and I will add it to the list!