The 7 Best Typing Programs for Homeschool

Typing isn’t a subject that I had originally planned to include in our homeschool curricula, but I decided to add it when both girls expressed interest in learning to “type fast like mom.” I personally learned to type on an electric typewriter in school, so I didn’t have any knowledge of virtual or computer-based typing programs for homeschool, but I know how important touch typing is in today’s world and how valuable this skill can be.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are ‘affiliate links’. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I may receive an affiliate commission.

Why You Should Teach Keyboarding at Home

In today’s world, communicating electronically has become the fastest and preferred method of communication. Being able to type while expressing thoughts and constructing a message fluently is an extremely important skill for learners of all ages.

Keyboarding skills are being used more frequently than pencil and paper in most learning models. For homeschoolers, having great typing skills improves efficiency and prepares them for their careers beyond school. But how do you get from home row basics to fluent typing? Read below for more tips and resources on teaching typing and what typing programs for homeschool we found.

Typing Programs for Homeschool

With a little research, I located several typing programs for homeschool that are designed to teach children touch typing and help improve speed and accuracy. Here are some that I think are worth checking into if you are looking for a typing program or individual typing lessons for homeschool.

Typesy

Typesy is the first program we came across when Amelia expressed interest in learning to touch type. This program features over 2,500 lessons in subjects like science, math, social studies, and more – so the kids aren’t just typing meaningless sentences. You can even download grade-appropriate spelling lists or upload your own spelling words for extra practice. (I upload our list each week from the Evan Moor Spelling program we are using!)

Typesy offers a parent dashboard so you can view progress and spot trouble areas quickly – as a homeschool mom I love anything with a dashboard! Progress is monitored, and lessons are adapted based on the kid’s needs. There are lots of games and awards to be achieved, which keeps it exciting.

The platform is on a subscription basis and is ad-free, so no distractions or accidental clicks. You can log in from any web browser and the kid’s progress is synced. It’s accessible on desktop or laptop computers, iPads and other tablets. You can even download the desktop app so your kids can log in directly without having to access a web browser.

Typesy also offers additional video courses that you can assign to your students like digital citizenship, vocabulary and web skills.

Typesy offers a few different plans: individual monthly or a Typesy homeschool plan. The price is on the higher side for the homeschool plan at $67 for 4 student accounts or $97 for 10 student accounts, but this includes 5 years of unlimited access, which is great for homeschool families – which is why we chose and still use this program after 3 years! You can use this program for multiple grade levels and allow it to grow with your students.

Type Kids

Type Kids offers a free trial of their first three lessons for free with no credit card required. The program is laid out as a pirate-themed adventure and prompts kids to earn coins by completing lessons that they can later use to play typing games. There are also badges that can be earned by hitting specific milestones in the course.

The instructional videos are very easy to follow and provide lots of great tips and instructions. You have a progress report available to view progress and areas that need improvement. The program also uses an algorithm that adjusts the program to focus on areas that need more practice. This program is a bit on the pricier side at $99 for the full course per user. There is a sibling discount offered if you need more than one license.

Keyboarding Without Tears

Keyboarding Without Tears, or typing without tears as my kids call it, is a program broken into Kindergarten through 5th-grade level segments and includes 36-week lesson plans for easy homeschool scheduling and planning. The lessons are colorful and very easy to use. Ultimately, the format of this program is similar to that of Handwriting Without Tears by the same publisher, so if you use that curriculum for handwriting, this might be an easy transition for keyboarding lessons. Typing can be a frustrating skill to learn for some, so learning typing without tears sounds promising and is a great price point!

This video gives a general overview of how you can use Keyboarding Without Tears in your homeschool lineup or just as a supplemental typing program for home.

Dance Mat Typing

Dance Mat Typing was highly recommended by other homeschool families. It offers 12 stages of typing lessons for kids with fun animations and characters. Each level provides a progress bar at the bottom so you can see how far you’ve come in that level. The characters are all from different geographical backgrounds and provide vocabulary words, music and facts about their origins.

The typing lessons are free and there is even a few fun games on the same wesbite. However, this program does include ads and there isn’t a way to save your progress.

Typing Club

Typingclub.com has one of the most user-friendly platforms of the programs I looked into. You can access the lessons without a log-in or create a free log-in to save progress and see a plethora of stats and reports. You earn badges that are displayed in your account plus access several different lesson plans that focus on different typing skills or are geared to different age groups. There are even lesson plans in multiple languages.

The videos are fun and colorful to hold the kid’s attention plus very straightforward in instruction. You can upgrade your membership to premium for roughly $9 per month to access more games, no ads, more detailed reporting, and more customization options.

Typing.com

Typing.com offers a robust touch typing program for free that includes the option to create a log-in to save progress. Lessons are broken down in Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced modules and offer a printable completion certificate for each unit. There is a section of typing practice exercises as well as typing tests.

Achievements are recorded in multiple categories, giving kids plenty of goals to work toward such as accuracy, speed, time spent, and games played. There’s even a dashboard in your account that keeps a running record of your WPM, accuracy and time spent typing.

Typing.com offers their services for free with the inclusion of ads on their site. For $7.99 you can get lifetime access to the site without ads. This may be a deal maker for those wanting a low cost typing program without the distraction of ads.

Typing Trainer

Typingtest.com offers several typing games and tests as well as a program called Typing Trainer. Typing Trainer walks you through the lessons with screens that explain how to place your fingers, typing tips and more. There are some interactive slides and short exercises as well. You can create a free account to save your progress through the 30 lessons offered. This program is not quite as engaging and eye-catching as others and I don’t believe it would hold my girls’ attention very long.

There are ads in the lessons and on the site that you can pay to remove, depending on how long you want to use the program.

Education.com

Among thousands of other lessons, worksheets, printables, games and activities, Education.com offers guided typing lessons in addition to their free typing games. These guided lessons are only available to Premium Users for $15.99 per month or $119.88 for a yearly subscription.

In addition to the guided typing lessons, premium users receive access to thousands of other lessons and activities as well as a dashboard for tracking progress. Although priced on the high end for typing lessons, this membership may benefit you if you take advantage of the dozens of other resources available.

Stand Alone Typing and Keyboarding Games

If you aren’t looking for a full typing curriculum or set of lessons but just need some typing games or short exercises for extra practice or to gauge your skill level, check out some of these websites:

• Alpha Munchies
• Education.com – tons of typing games
• Keyboard Ninja
• Tommy Q
• Z Type
• Type a Balloon
• Type Toss
• Keyboard Zoo
• TypingGames.Zone
• Nitro Type

Tips for Teaching Typing to Kids

• Start slow, and don’t try to accomplish too much at once
• Offer fun sentences and paragraphs to practice (we like to practice lines from our favorite movies or books!)
• Ask kids to type grocery lists, letters, and other things around the house
• Make sure you have a keyboard that is suitable for kids

Read my additional tips on how to use these typing programs for homeschool or just extra practice at home.