Learn to Type for Kids

Welcome, young typists

Typing is a skill like riding a bike. It feels wobbly at first, and then one day your fingers just know what to do. These lessons use short drills and simple words, so you can learn a little at a time and have fun while you do it.

Step 1: Find your home

Put your fingers on the middle row of letters. The left hand goes on A S D F and the right hand goes on J K L ;. Your thumbs rest on the space bar. Feel the little bumps on F and J. Those bumps are like a welcome mat for your pointer fingers.

Step 2: Meet your fingers

• The pinky fingers are red.
• The ring fingers are orange.
• The middle fingers are green.
• The pointer fingers are blue.

The colors on the on-screen keyboard match these fingers, so you can peek at the picture whenever you forget.

Step 3: Practice in small pieces

1. Type the drill above one word at a time. Say each word out loud if you like.
2. After every key, wiggle your finger back to its home spot.
3. Try to look at the screen, not at your hands.
4. When you feel tired, stop and stretch. Five minutes of good practice beats half an hour of tired practice.

Easy words to start with

These words use only the home row, so they are a great place to begin: ask, sad, dad, fall, flag, glass, shall, salad, flask, alfalfa. When they feel easy, try words that reach upward, like type, pet, tree, power, pretty.

Good habits

• Sit with your back straight and feet on the floor.
• Keep your wrists floating above the keys, not pressed on the desk.
• Press keys gently. You do not need to push hard.
• Be patient. Mistakes help you learn.
• Celebrate small wins, like finishing a drill without looking down.

For parents and teachers

Young learners do best with short, regular sessions of ten minutes or less. Encourage accuracy before speed, and praise effort rather than numbers. Avoid comparing a child to classmates, because every learner grows at a different pace. Sit with them for the first few sessions to check posture and finger position. Our pages are free to use and do not ask children for personal information.

Once the home row feels comfortable, move through Lesson 2: Top Row Keys and the rest of the Learn to Type lessons at your child's pace. A typing test for kids with easy words gives a gentle way to see progress, and the typing games collection turns practice into play.

When to move on

Move to the next lesson when the current one feels comfortable, not when a timer says so. It is fine to repeat a lesson several times. Typing is a long game, and steady practice wins.

Want to see all the finger colors in one place? Look at the typing finger placement chart.

Frequently asked questions