You know when you have one of those ‘aha’ moments during homeschooling? Well coming across Kidztype.com and Dance Mat Typing was a moment like this! I do absolutely everything on my laptop and my kids also do a lot of their learning online. I am typing this post with four fingers and the kids have also already picked up some bad typing habits. I’ve realized that we all need to improve our typing skills because the way we are typing now, is not efficient at all. And typing will become more and more important in the future.

What is Dance Mat Typing?

Dance mat typing is a game designed to teach kids to touch type. It is divided into levels that practise letters, numbers, as well as simple punctuation and capitalization on the keyboard. As the levels progress, they also learn to type simple words and phrases. After each level, kids earn a badge and the level gets progressively more difficult.

What else can I find on Kidztype.com?

The site is full of typing games for kids. They are so fun and engaging, while reinforcing good typing habits and spelling. Kids can choose their avatar, which row of letters to practise and also the level in some of them. Bull Spell is fantastic because it’s divided into grades one to eight, and kids can spell words at their level.

Apart from the games, there are a lot of exercises, practices and lessons. They are perfect for practising specific areas that need work.

Our Thoughts on Dance Mat Typing and Kidztype.com

We’ve been using the programme for the last month and it’s been great for us. The kids enjoy:

• the colourful interface,
• the fun sounds,
• the badge they earn after each level,
• the short sessions so that they can concentrate,
• all the fun games they can play.

As I mentioned above, I didn’t realize that we actually needed to learn to type correctly. This site really gives the kids all they need to master this important skill.

• Each level of dance mat typing starts slowly so the kids don’t get overwhelmed.
• The interface is fun but not too distracting. The boys are able to concentrate on a session fully.
• There are animated and colour-coded fingers so that it is very clear which finger goes on which key.
• There is so much reinforcement. Each level adds on a few additional letters to the previous ones, so past levels aren’t forgotten.
• My children generally struggle with finger control and are very resistant to writing. But they have progressed so quickly and it has really made them feel proud of themselves.

KidzType has a sister site called TypeDojo where your kids can use the free typing test and typing speed test.

I would recommend trying out these free sites for yourself. Remember to bookmark and pin them for later.

Extra Typing Resources

There is also this quick video that explains how to teach yourself touch typing. Watch this video and learn how to Touch Type with Kidztype.com and TypeDojo.com.