I didn’t learn to type until I was in 7th grade. Back then, we had big, clunky electric typewriters and if we got consistent high grades, we might be able to type on the computer word processor for a couple of lessons!
Well, times have changed and typing skills is something our children are needing at earlier and earlier ages. When my son began expressing an interest in using the computer for more than just Lego Star Wars, I knew I needed to get him some sort of learn to type software.
Enter Typing Instructor for Kids.
This software is easy to use and can keep track of the progress of multiple students. Children go through a series of typing lessons to increase speed and accuracy in order to reach the castle. The very basic lessons are of the very simple “copy the text” variety, but also included are various games which also improve skills.
One of the best features of Typing Instructor for Kids is the ability to change the goal words per minute (WPM) for each student. You can set the goal WPM at any time to reflect the students ability. Once the student reaches the goal WPM in each lesson, they may advance to harder lessons.
Once the student logs in, they are automatically taken to where they left off during their last session. They may choose more practice, to play any of the games or to practice their skills by typing one of several children’s novels. Some of the games are very challenging and engaging, and I even created a user name for myself so that I could play, too (and increase my own typing skills!).
I did discover one area that could have been better. When the student doesn’t meet their goal WPM, the software simply tells you to keep practicing. They leave it up to the student to decide how to get that practice. At 8 years old, my son was choosing the games, which were fun but short, and not really giving him the practice he needed. As a result, he was frustrated at not making any progress. It wasn’t until I stepped in and told him that he needed to repeat the actual lessons, not play the games, in order to increase his competency. From then on I required him to work on lessons for 15 minutes before he could play a game. By doing that he was able to make his goal WPM and move on to harder lessons.
Now that my son has reached the castle by meeting or exceeding his goal WPM in all the lessons, it’s time for me to increase his goal WPM!
The recommended age for Typing Instructor for Kids is 7 to 12 years old and I’d say that’s about right. Minimal teacher supervision is needed – perhaps only to make sure the student is practicing enough and not just playing the games! There are versions of Typing Instructor for Kids for either Windows XP/2000/98 or Windows ME.
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Lorri can be found typing about her life as an Army wife and mother of four at The Mac and Cheese Chronicles.
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We’ll have to try this! We are currently just using some cheap typing games that we got from the library. But, we really need to work on typing some more.