Upon the close of their first full week back to school, I asked my kiddos the typical Mom questions:
What’s one new thing you learned so far?
Who did you play with at recess?
What do you think your favorite subject will be this year?
How long do we have until all that fundraising paperwork comes home?
My first-grader regaled me with stories about butterflies on the playground and the poor Kindergartners who cried just like she did last year.
Then, my second-grader confessed he no longer likes computer class because “it’s not games any more. We’re learning how to type and it’s boooooring.”
My stoic husband countered with, “Everyone has to know how to type! Kids used to learn to write in cursive, now it’s more important to learn typing!” The kid slumped away mumbling something about “no fun.”
While I absolutely believe it’s important for students to practice and ultimately master typing, I also believe it’s possible to teach it via fun educational gaming. So I checked out TypeTastic!, a new series of typing games aimed at students around the same age as my kiddos, and this is what I learned.
TypeTastic! Makes Sense for Teachers
TypeTastic! was created in response to what wasn’t working in the elementary computer classrooms. The new pedagogic approach, engaging interaction, and appealing visual style keeps students motivated. As a result, their learning is more efficient. TypeTastic! also takes into account young kids’ narrower eye span, adorable little fingers, and still-developing attention spans by moving away from the traditional ten-fingers-on-the-home-row to groups of color-coded keys. This allows students to memorize the keyboard in small sections, and we educators know how much better our students digest bite-size nuggets of information. Hey fellow teachers, click HERE to check out TypeTastic!’s school site.
TypeTastic! is FREE for Schools
Teachers, simply sign up to have access to the free, ad-free version! TypeTastic! is free for the 2017-2018 school year (and the foreseeable future!), so hop on this bandwagon. Click HERE to sign up.
Kids Love TypeTastic!
My kids took TypeTastic! for a test drive and I’ve gotta say I was surprised at their level of interest. No one even whined that they had to learn stuff on a weekend! I worried my three-year-old was too young, but I prevented a “ME DO TOO!” meltdown and let her go first. She blew me away, you guys!
Me: You know your letters so well! Did you like that game?
3yo: 
Then came her big sister, the first-grader. Seeing as how this one has previously hand drawn a “keyboard” and put it on her desk to be like Mommy…
…I figured she’d be down for the game. And I was right.
The games build on one another, teaching basic skills first. We started with first Keyboard Builder game, where the kids actually built a keyboard. Then we graduated to the Frog Pond Patrol game that guides your eye movements to find the correct key. In the third Cupcake Bugs game, the kiddos actively remembered the location of the keys with the help of visual key groups, then–as with the girls above and my 8-year-old below–they moved on to tapping the actual keyboard. Because the boy had more experience than his sisters, we started working on home row fun:
Speaking of iPads, TypeTastic! works on both on computers and tablets. No installing, plugins or updates ever!
It’s not just my kids who enjoy the game-based approach to learning typing and keyboarding skills: every month, over 4 million people in more than 160 countries use TypeTastic! and its sister typing apps and services. Teachers, get your free, ZERO annoying ads version now!
It’s true that I’m participating in a paid partnership with TypeTastic!, but I swear on my adorable kids they truly enjoyed playing the games! EVEN ON A NON-SCHOOL DAY YOU GUYS.
Your two-cents here: