Dance Mat Typing So Kids Can Learn to Type for Free!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I was compensated for my time in writing this review. All opinions are honest; I was not required to post a positive review.
My two oldest kids are in college and the next two are in high school. Many years ago I used a free online typing site called Dance Mat Typing to help them learn to type for free! For the middle kids, I turned to some other paid programs, but we headed back to KidzType Dance Mat Typing this summer to help my youngest child begin learning to type.
What is Dance Mat Typing?
Dance Mat Typing is a fun and colorful way to teach young kids to type. My 8-year-old daughter used it this summer and is really getting good now.
She did the lessons which taught her to type, but she especially enjoyed the games like this one called Keyboard Booster Rows where the mermaids swim through the water coming upon certain letters that she needs to type!
I had no trouble encouraging her to head over to do her typing lesson daily, even during the summer when we don’t homeschool. She enjoyed it that much!
How Dance Mat Typing Can Help Kids Learn to Type
You can see from this video that the instruction at the site is clear and colorful. My daughter actually learned to type using this free site.
Dance Mat Typing is very systematic in both the initial teaching of the typing skill and the practice to get faster and more accurate. See this infographic to understand more about their approach.
Learn Touch Typing With KidzType
More Free Typing Practice For Kids
Another great site I’d love to recommend for typing practice for kids is Type Dojo. I used this site a couple of years ago with two of my middle kids after they knew how to type but needed to practice typing for accuracy and speed! See our review of Type Dojo here.
I love these features of Type Dojo:
- There are so many options for the specific typing test you pick. First, choose whether to take a 1-Minute, 3-Minute, or 5-Minute test. Next, choose a Grade Level from Grade 1 to Grade 8.
- If you create a profile for each child (it’s free and is not required to do any of the tests), it will list all they have done so you can see the progress your child has made. You can also print any certificates you’d like that are listed there at a later date.
- Several of the typing tests combine other subjects with typing. The kids aren’t just typing random words, but typing sight words or various subject’s academic vocabulary words. So, these typing tests are also helping students to read and spell better!
Include Typing in Your Curriculum this year!
If you haven’t thought about including typing in your homeschool curriculum this year, put it on your schedule! It doesn’t take too much time (15 minutes daily will grow your kids in speed and accuracy), and now you have two sites that are free! Head over to KidzType Dance Mat Typing and Type Dojo Typing Practice For Kids and decide which you’ll start with!
Related Posts:
- How to Get Your Students Typing Faster and More Accurately
- 2020-2021 Homeschool Curriculum Choices for 3rd – 11th Grades
- 100+ Online Courses for Homeschoolers
