Typing and Keyboarding Skills for Kids

Keyboarding in the Digital Age

In the age of tablets and smartphones, even toddlers seem to know their way around a keyboard.

Many kids have a tablet or a phone in their hand before they have a crayon or marker.

They are so good at using these devices we often go to them for tech support!

Even though there has been a shift towards technology and kids are using keyboards at a much earlier age, we are only beginning to teach true keyboarding skills in 2nd-3rd grade.

Usually, the teaching consists of 5-10 minutes of a keyboarding game at the end of a class but no direct instruction, leaving students to learn a lot on their own.

Yes, many students can run circles around me with their tech skills, but when it comes to their typing skills, many struggle.

I think there are many reasons for this, but in my opinion the 2 main reasons are not beginning to teach keyboarding at an earlier age, and lack of direct instruction.

Typing Skills in the “Olden Days”

I am about to date myself, but I remember in middle school getting my “Apple License”.

You were given this special license once you knew your way around a computer.

At that time, students were taught how to use a computer you didn’t just learn by osmosis.

In high school, I took a typing class.

It was a 45-minute class dedicated to learning correct finger placement and memorizing the keyboard on a……wait for it…….typewriter! (Yes it was cheaper to have typewriters for everyone than computers! Can you imagine?).

I’d sit in class and press a a a s s s d d d f f f.

The goal was to use all your fingers and to memorize the keyboard so you could look up at the paper instead of down at your hands.

I’ve got to hand it to Mr. Hall, my typing teacher, he made a boring class fun, and I learned the life long skill of typing.

But ahhh how times have changed, and keyboarding seems to be just another skill like handwriting students are expected to have with no or very little formalized instruction.

An Occupational Therapists Role in Typing

Enter the occupational therapist.

This usually happens around 4th-5th grade when assignments are transitioning from written to typed, and referrals are made to OT because a student is struggling.

I am uncertain how occupational therapists became the go-to therapist for typing, perhaps because it involves your hands, but we did, and now in many places, it’s seen as something that requires direct skilled occupational therapy.

But I’m here to tell you, this is not what occupational therapists should be doing, or if they are they should only be doing it on occasion.

Let me tell you why.

Many students struggle with keyboarding skills not because of a deficit that would warrant occupational therapy like physical impairments, visual impairments, or difficulties such as dyslexia or dysgraphia.

They are struggling with keyboarding because of a lack of instruction.

As they get older, students are asked to write more, then they are asked to type more, but they have rarely been directly taught HOW to type.

So they are struggling to learn the keyboard AND type out their thoughts at the same time, and it understandably becomes a struggle to do both.

Long gone are the days when an entire class is dedicated to learning how to type.

A few minutes are spent in school, and students are expected to do the rest on their own.

This can create a skills deficit, and the occupational therapist is contacted.

If a student struggles with their handwriting, keyboarding is the next option and the occupational therapist is contacted.

Learning how to type takes consistent practice (heck that’s why a whole class was dedicated to it when I was growing up).

There isn’t anything special or “skilled” in the practice, but students should be directly instructed as they are practicing.

I feel for many students, this is something that can be monitored by an occupational therapist if needed, but that does not require direct intervention.

As an OT friend of mine put it “lack of instruction does not always require skilled intervention.”

So where do we go from here?

What’s Next?

Without upending the entire school curriculum what can be done so kids can get more direct instruction in typing? Here are a few suggestions.

-Begin teaching typing at a younger age. Students are already using keyboards. Teaching them at a young age will ensure they move forward with good habits.

-Dedicate time for direct teaching of keyboarding skills. I realize this is easier said than done especially for teachers who are already stretched to their limits.

-Have occupational therapists help monitor keyboarding skills. They will be able to help identify students who truly struggle with keyboarding skills, and then they can work with those students.

-Teach computer knowledge. Students need to be taught their way around a computer. They also need to be directly taught how to use programs such as Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.

-Get parents involved. With the lack of direct instruction at school, parents can help their students by giving some direct instruction at home. This doesn’t have to be one more thing parents need to do but instead incorporated into what their children are already doing. When they want help finding that YouTube video, teach them things like proper finger placement, or using 2 hands to type.

Until next time!