{"id":361,"date":"2018-03-30T10:27:58","date_gmt":"2018-03-30T16:27:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.typing.com\/?p=361"},"modified":"2022-08-29T11:24:25","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T17:24:25","slug":"age-kids-developmentally-reading-typing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.typing.com\/age-kids-developmentally-reading-typing\/","title":{"rendered":"At What Age Are Kids Developmentally Ready for Typing?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Up to a certain age, children\u2019s brains are like sponges.<\/p>\n

Studies show that children have a much easier time learning a second language if they start before their third birthday.<\/p>\n

This early start will help them reach better levels of fluency and retention than if they start later in life.<\/p>\n

Additionally, some studies even indicate that learning multiple languages at a young age can lead to cognitive benefits in critical thinking and creativity.<\/p>\n

Like learning a second language, there can be serious benefits to introducing children to typing at a young age.<\/p>\n

Is a child ever too<\/em> young to take a stab at keyboarding?<\/p>\n

At what age should you start to introduce typing to kids?<\/h2>\n

There isn\u2019t a clear-cut answer for what the ideal grade is to begin keyboarding instruction.<\/p>\n

Obviously, there is a big difference in the motor dexterity of a 1st grader versus a 5th grader, so our expectations of what each grade level can accomplish<\/em> on a keyboard need\u00a0to to be realistic.<\/p>\n

Experts agree, though, that there\u2019s no harm in starting students early on typing, even if it\u2019s only for a small chunk of time per week.<\/p>\n

Many teachers and parents have found that kindergarten is a great time to get kids familiar with typing.<\/p>\n

Since students are learning to read and write letters, learning to type the same letters can be a great way to reinforce letter recognition.<\/p>\n

In fact, there is some evidence from research that learning the same information through multiple means (reading, writing, typing) can benefit children in terms of cognitive development.<\/p>\n

How to introduce young kids to typing?<\/h2>\n

So while there\u2019s no right answer to when is the best time to introduce students to typing, there\u2019s general agreement there\u2019s no harm in starting early.<\/p>\n

Introducing very young students to keyboarding will need to look different from teaching the skill to middle schoolers.<\/p>\n

Young students don\u2019t yet have full command of their motor skills, and some may have hands that are too small to feasibly rest their fingers on the home keys.<\/p>\n

Thus, the goal here is to\u00a0help familiarize young students with where keys are on a keyboard and how typing works, not to push touch typing at this age.<\/p>\n

Once students reach second or third grade, then it makes sense to start them in on touch typing instruction.<\/p>\n

Using a program such as Typing.com is a great way to help students learn the foundational skills of hand placement, posture, and letter sequence to help them avoid falling into the trap of hunt and peck typing.<\/p>\n

An online typing platform is also ideal as it allows students to move at their own pace, monitor their progress, and practice typing in fun and engaging ways.<\/p>\n

Recommended typing benchmarks for very young kids<\/h2>\n

If you decide to take the dive to teaching keyboarding with young kids, it\u2019s essential to have reasonable expectations of what they should be able to accomplish.<\/p>\n

Many schools and districts have developed benchmarks for what typing performance<\/a> should look like at each grade level.<\/p>\n

While these may vary slightly from school to school, the following are general grade level typing benchmarks for accuracy and WPM.<\/p>\n

3rd grade: 85% – 100% accuracy, 15 WPM<\/strong>
\n 4th grade: 90% – 100% accuracy, 20 WPM<\/strong>
\n 5th grade: 90% – 100% accuracy, 25 WPM<\/strong>
\n 6th grade: 90% – 100% accuracy, 30 WPM<\/strong><\/p>\n

These guidelines are a great place to start when it comes to setting goals and getting kids motivated to improve their typing.<\/p>\n

So consider giving your students a leg up by introducing them to typing well before they reach middle school.<\/p>\n

With a little practice, they\u2019ll soak it right up!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Up to a certain age, children\u2019s brains are like sponges.<\/p>\n

Studies show that children have a much easier time learning a second language if they start before their third birthday.<\/p>\n

This early start will help them reach better levels of fluency and retention than if they start later in life.<\/p>\n

Additionally, some studies even indicate that learning multiple languages at a young age can lead to cognitive benefits in critical thinking and creativity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":362,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education"],"yoast_head":"\nWhen Are Kids Ready To Start Typing? | Typing.com Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is a child ever too young to start typing? Many parents and teachers start their children in kindergarten, though it doesn\u2019t hurt to start even earlier. 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