Many children who come to our clinic struggle with poor handwriting issues.  We have a successful handwriting program and many children demonstrate great improvement after receiving this treatment.  But with new technologies being used in the schools, workplaces and daily lives, many parents ask us to recommend a program to help children successfully learn to use a computer keyboard.  I thought I would find out more about some keyboarding programs.  I am a Mac/iPad user, so all of my investigations were done there.  However, I did check each computer program to see if it was Windows compatible or if the apps were available for other platforms.  As I began to explore, I found that these programs are written and sold from any country.  So while the games might look fun, the voices might have accents, making the spoken word hard for a child to understand.  In the same vein, some of the programs were written in Europe and feature the British-English spellings for words – like “colour” for color.  Both of these aspects may cause additional confusion for children with phonological and orthographic processing deficits.  I found free apps and computer programs, but free is not always free.  Some of those “free” apps are only sample lessons.  If you want to advance further into the lesson sets, you will need to pay a fee.  I did not purchase and give a full trial to any of the programs.  My purpose is to provide you with some tips on what to look for if you decide to try a keyboarding application or program.

First I looked at the Apple App Store on my Mac.  Here I found several computer programs I could download right to my computer from the Internet.  Some of these programs were specifically designed for children, while others were not.  The reviews for game-based keyboarding tutorials were mixed.  Some programs move the child through the process too quickly, not allowing the child time for mastery.  Others had elements of the program that would let the parent or the child control how long they stayed at any one level to obtain mastery.  Some programs had related websites where the buyer could learn more about the program, view videos and play a few sample games.  Other programs were linked to websites that didn’t even look like they were related to the program.  Some programs for my Mac also had related applications for my iPad.  And one program also had an online game-based tutorial.  I found programs that were free, some that could be purchased outright, and others that required a subscription.  Most of the computer programs I found were compatible with both Macintosh and Windows operating systems.

Some parents have asked about typing applications for the iPad or other tablet devices.  A search for typing apps brought up many options.  Some of the options were strictly games, intended to encourage the user to become a faster typist, but perhaps not a more efficient typist.  Some applications were compatible with attached external keyboards and others were not.  Further inspection found many of the same characteristics as the computer programs; access to websites, sample lessons, and a variety of price points.  I imagine that a similar search on a Windows based tablet would find much the same results.

I also tried a web search for typing programs and was inundated with responses, with similar characteristics as the computer based programs and the personal device applications.  So how does a parent select the best program?

1. Set your expectations.  How proficient do you want your child to be?  Are you looking to ensure that your child is using the ten-finger method of typing or do you just want your child to become more familiar with the keyboard?  Ensure that the program or application is developmentally appropriate for your child.  As in mastering any skill, practice is the key.  The typing programs are not capable of monitoring your child’s hand placement on the keyboard, so mastery of the ten-finger method will require some parental monitoring.

2. Set your budget.  Free programs and applications can be found, but you often get what you pay for.  Look at user reviews and see if the program has a related website.  Will the free program fit your needs?  Do you want to purchase the program outright or buy a subscription?

3. Explore the features.  Some programs provide excellent feedback to the child when an error is made, while others do not.  Some programs allow for progress monitoring and incentive feedback for the child.  Can you, as the parent, make adjustments to the program or application to fit your child’s needs?  Look on the website for videos of the lessons or sample lessons that you can try yourself.

Here is a list of some of the programs and applications I explored:

Computer Based Programs

Name: Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum
Seller: Individual Software Inc.
Price: This program was listed at $19.99 through the Apple App store.  The online application has a subscription schedule – $.95 for 7 days, $6.95 monthly, $14.95 for 3 months, $29.95 for an annual fee.
Age Range: 6 to 12
Platform: App purchase for Mac through Apple App store (no iPad app) or online membership
Related website:  www.typinginstructorforkids.com

Name: Disney: Mickey’s Typing Adventure
Seller: Individual Software Inc
Price: 17.99 – $29.99
Age Range: none listed
Platform: App purchase for Mac through Apple App store (no iPad app) or purchase online from the website or other sellers (Amazon), Mac or Windows compatible
Related website:http://www.individualsoftware.com/software/typing_instruction/disney_mickeys_typing_adventure/

Name: Typing Fingers LT and Typing Fingers
Seller: Marek Ledvina
Price: Free (for LT – Sample lessons) and $4.99
Age Range: none listed
Platform: App purchase for Mac through Apple App store, iPad application or purchase online from the website – Mac or Windows compatible
Related website:   http://www.foriero.com

Name: Typing Tournament
Seller: EdAlive
Price: $19.99 (Apple store price), $52.10 (online purchase price)
Age Range: 6 to adult
Platform: App purchase for Mac through Apple App store (no iPad app), or purchase online from the website – Mac or Windows compatible
Related website:   http://www.edalive.com/products/typing-tournament-v2

Name: Typist
Seller: Takeshi Ogihara
Price: Free
Age Range: none listed
Platform: App purchase for Mac through Apple App store (no iPad app)
Related website: none

Name: Keyboards and Aliens
Seller: X04 Studios Inc
Price: Free
Age Range: none listed
Platform: App purchase for Mac through Apple App store (no iPad app)
Related website:  http://www.x04studios.com/keyboardandaliens.html

Name: Keyboarding without Tears
Seller: Handwriting Without Tears and Get Set for School
Price: $6.50 for each grade level
Age Range: grades K through 5
Platform: PC’s Macs, interactive whiteboards, iPads and other tablets
Related website:  www.hwtears.com

iPad Applications

Name: ABC Keyboard
Seller: Glenn Collins
Price: .99
Age Range: none listed
Platform: iPad application
Related website: none

Name: Typing JR
Seller: T.C.T. de Boer
Price: .99
Age Range: none listed
Platform: iPad application
Related website: none

Name: Tap Typing and Tap Typing Suite
Seller: Flairify LLC
Price: free (for sample application) $3.99
Age Range: none listed
Platform: iPad application
Related website:   blog link from app store

Name: Keyboard Explore
Seller: Susan Hossack
Price: free
Age Range: none listed
Platform: iPad application
Related website:   www.ot-care.com

Links to free software at:   www.gnu.org