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When we were kids, we didn’t learn to type until we were much older. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t take a typing class until I was at least in junior high. I even took a blow off beginner typing class in high school Ssh, don’t tell my parents.
These days, kids have plenty of resources at their disposal, and they’re not boring like ours were. There are so many free typing games for kids to choose from that they may even have a hard time choosing which they want to play first!
It’s important to immerse your child in learning how to type early, before they pick up bad habits that are hard to break. If you want your child to learn how to type, sit them down at a computer, and pull up any of these games.
#1 Dance Mat Typing
The best way to start is with the home row. This game is sponsored by BBC, and will help kids learn where all the letters are on the keyboard, starting with the home row, and advancing as they’re ready.
They’ll be guided by singing animal friends, who will act as their personal letter coaches as they move through levels one, two, and three to learn the top and bottom rows as well. At the end of every level, your child can print out a certificate to show off their hard work and accomplishment.
In the last level, they will add capital letters using the shift key, as well as a slash, a period, and an apostrophe. They’ll be encouraged to keep proper hand positioning throughout, which is the most important skill to learn.
Picking up bad hand positioning now can be a hard habit to break later, and can set them up for failure from the beginning. This game will help them do it right from the start.
#2 The Typing of the Ghosts
I’m not even ashamed to admit that I think this game is a blast. It’s definitely for older kids (or adults) who already know how to type but want to get faster. There’s no way to change the difficulty. You simply start playing, the game gets faster, and you go until you can’t go anymore.
The point of the game is to type the words as they appear on the screen. While you’re typing, a ghost behind the word continues to get bigger until you finish typing the word, at which point the ghost will disappear.
The words continue to appear faster and the goal is to type them fast enough that the ghosts don’t take them away. You have five lives. If you get five words taken away, the game is over.
The words are all Halloween-themed and, of course, ghosts are involved. Play the game yourself first to make sure it’s not too scary.
#3 KeyMan
Much like PacMan loves eating dots, KeyMan loves collecting keys, coins, and treasure. Instead of using arrows to move KeyMan through the maze, you have to use the letters that appear to change his direction.
But, every time you make a move, the letters change. It keeps you on your toes and definitely makes it challenging. It even took me some time to get the hang of the game, so don’t be discouraged if it takes a while.
The goal is to collect as many keys as you can and then make your way to unlock the treasure chest. You can also capture the fish along the way for extra points. Once you reach the treasure chest, it will release the coins, at which point it will start a countdown timer.
Collect as many coins as you can before the timer runs out for even more points.
As you advance through the levels, you’ll face off with piranhas who eat your letters and red barriers that will require you to think ahead. Hopefully, your child will have so much fun that they’ll forget they’re learning.
#4 Keyboard Ninja
Your little karate kid will love this game. It’s super fun and challenging. You can slice fruit like a pro, but watch for the bombs. If you accidentally type a letter above a bomb, the game is over.
While speed in typing is important, this game will also teach your child to think before typing something incorrectly. They’ll have to pay attention, even at the first level. I have a tendency to type before I think, and it’s even tricky for me!
Kids can choose which row they’d like to practice. The options are home row, upper row, lower row, number pad, or all rows. Then they can choose easy, medium, or hard.
Even older kids or adults who want to improve their typing skills can play this game on the hardest level. It’s harder than you think.
#5 Type-a-Balloon
The idea behind it is simple, but it can get tough. Type the letters on the balloons before they float away. You can only let five balloons escape before you lose the game.
You can choose easy, medium, or hard, and you can choose which row you want to focus on, including the number pad or all rows. Typing incorrect letters will deduct points, but you won’t lose a balloon.
It’s great for all ages. Even parents or older children can improve their skills. It’s undeniably satisfying to pop balloons, but it’s the same thing over and over again, so after a while, it may get boring for more experienced typists.
#6 Tommy Q: Zombie Defender
If you or your kids like Plants vs. Zombies, this is similar. Rather than planting flower weapons and collecting sunshine, you move up and down the ladder and shoot zombies by typing letters.
Take zombies out and protect your backyard during the zombie apocalypse by practicing at any level you want. Unfortunately, you can’t choose which row you want to focus on, and some might find having to navigate up and down the ladder a bit distracting.
While it may detract from practicing your letters just a bit, in the end, hopefully what it does is teach your child that there will be times when they have to navigate away from the home row to push other buttons or use the mouse.
It may help them learn how to find the home row again with efficiency and pick up typing again without missing a beat.
#7 Type Type Revolution
This game uses music to get your child excited about typing, but it is better for kids who already know how to type and want to get better at typing without looking. You have to type the correct letter before it reaches the top row.
You can pick from one of ten songs to get your fingers dancing, and the game tests your letter recognition skills really well. The only downside is that you can’t play it on a Mac because it requires Adobe Flash.
#8 Typing Car Rider
In this game, you are the police. You have to speed down the road, collecting coins and navigating other cars. Use your letters to switch lanes, but beware. Every time you switch lanes, the letters switch, too.
Select your theme from the beach, the dessert, the snow, or the mountains. Then choose which row you want to practice and catch those bad guys.
You have six lives, and every time you run into another car, you lose one. As you progress down the road, you start driving faster and the obstacles become more plentiful. No matter which level you start on, the game eventually gets pretty difficult.
#9 Spacebar Invaders
I bet you can’t guess what game this is based on. Rather than shooting the aliens, you have to type the words underneath them to get them to disappear. The aliens move back and forth across the screen and each time they hit the wall, they begin to move faster.
Every now and then, there’s a bonus UFO flying across the top that will give you extra points for the word or letters.
Not only can you choose which row you want to focus on, but you can choose from 40 different variations of the game, including the home row plus different combinations of letters, emphasizing the left hand or the right hand, commonly misspelled words, or classic tales, that will have you type out a story.
It also helps you practice punctuation, capital letters, and numbers. There’s a 10-key setting and a German, French, and Spanish setting as well.
Final Thoughts
With websites like typing.com, education.com, freetypinggame.net, abcya.com, kidztype.com, and so much more, you’ll find an unlimited supply of free typing games for kids to get them excited about learning to type.
There are also plenty of advanced lessons they can use to keep practicing and get better. You may even find some of them fun. Challenge your kids to see who can type the fastest and improve your skills while you do it!