Touch Typing

[79onOrange]

I hope you don't mind me asking a question here, but would appreciate your collective wisdom. My DD is soon to be 8 and I'm thinking of investing in an online touch typing course for her over the summer holidays. With the amount of time we all spend online these days, it seems to me that strong touch typing skills will help her as she progresses in her education. She doesn't have any SEN.

My question is there a particular online programme you recommend/ use at your school?
Thank you in advance for your advice.

There's loads of free ones online, just let her have a go.

I think it's a really useful skill and am sure your daughter will enjoy it but doubt you'll get many recommendations as it's not on the primary national curriculum and as such won't be taught in many schools.

I think you have absolutely the right idea about increasing speed and accuracy of typing. I can only see it getting more important as time goes on, and I think it's a skill that should be taught and should be on the National Curriculum, rather than letting children scrabble to search for individual letters. I took an elective touch typing course before going to uni and am SO glad - it's made things much easier. I also find muscle memory comes into play - this will help children with Spellings. It also helps with proof-reading - I feel a typo before I've finished typing a word and correct it straight away.

Anyway...

BBC Dance Mat is recommended to us whenever we have a child with fine motor difficulties (the idea is train them to type fluently rather than nag about handwriting which gets in the way of content.) KS2 seem to like it.

We use Nessy at school for dyslexia children - although its main focus is spelling and phonics, there is a bolt-on typing element. Haven't seen it used and no idea of cost, but children love Nessy generally as earn points to trade and has cartoon style characters and funny games in main part.

Have also seen EasiKeysi used for a child with a visual impairment and cerebral palsy. Seemed v efficient and could be used to consolidate spelling of target words - but looked pretty basic and uninspiring to be honest.

I'd suggest giving BBC Dance Mat a shot first.

PS - using phone, any errors are mine or predictive text, not touch typing!

As a school we use BBC dancemat and use it in a lot of computing lessons across the school. Like you say so much time on computers it's a useful skill. Kids love using it.

Yes - the children like Dance Mat.

Back in the 90s we used Mavis Beacon, which was dull to look at but otherwise excellent. Probably not available today...

Yes it is! Looking far more colourful than the version I remember!

typingtraining.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIovHo5dvV9wIV0d_tCh0UkAjrEAAYASAAEgKqvPD_BwE

The children in my class love "dance mat typing" on the computer :)