Learn to touch type: 24 free lessons
A step-by-step touch typing course that starts on the home row and ends with the whole keyboard, numbers and symbols. It runs in the browser, works with UK and US keyboards, and puts accuracy first and speed second. No login, no adverts, nothing to install.
The 24 lessons
Progress is saved in this browser.
Each lesson has a warm-up, a set of words, a sentence and a mini test. Lessons take about 10 minutes. The mini test is passed at 90% accuracy, and you can repeat any lesson as often as you like.
How the tutor works
- Accuracy first. The tutor waits for the right key before moving on, and shows a gentle hint if a child is rushing. Speed (words per minute) is shown at the end of every exercise but is not part of the pass mark unless you switch on Speed goals, which we suggest only for children aged 9 and over.
- Not timed. Lessons never count down. The speed test has an untimed option as the default, with optional 1 and 3 minute tests.
- A colour for each finger. The on-screen keyboard colours every key by the finger that presses it, lights up the next key and shows the finger on a pair of hands.
- UK and US keyboards. Choose your keyboard at the top of any lesson. On a UK keyboard the speech marks are on the 2 key, the at sign is next to the semicolon and there is a pound sign on the 3 key.
- Help for different needs. Large keys makes the text and keyboard bigger. Read out the next key announces each key for screen reader users. Everything works with the keyboard alone.
- Words per minute is worked out the standard way: every 5 characters count as one word, divided by the minutes taken. Accuracy is the share of key presses that were right first time.
- Little fingers
- Ring fingers
- Middle fingers
- Pointer fingers
- Thumbs (space bar)
Printable finger chart (UK and US) · Download the PDF
A good sitting position
Children's bodies are still growing, and most desks and chairs are made for adults, so a few small changes help. The back, shoulder, keyboard and screen tips are adapted from the Health and Safety Executive's guidance for adults at computer screens. The feet and wrist tips are common typing advice, offered as suggestions.
- Sit back in the chair so the lower back is supported. A cushion behind the back helps if the chair is too deep.
- Feet flat on the floor. If they do not reach, use a footrest: a sturdy box or a pile of big books works.
- Relaxed shoulders. The keyboard should be just below elbow height so shoulders do not need to shrug. A higher chair or a cushion to sit on can help.
- Wrists floating just above the keys, not resting on the desk edge while typing.
- Screen straight ahead, about an arm's length away, with the top of the screen roughly level with the eyes. On a laptop this is hard; a separate keyboard and raising the laptop on books helps.
- Keyboard and screen in the middle, so the child does not twist to one side.
Taking breaks
Short breaks, taken often, are better than one long break. For adults, the Health and Safety Executive gives the example of 5 to 10 minutes every hour. For children we suggest shorter sessions: about 10 to 15 minutes of typing practice, then stand up, stretch, shake out the hands and look at something far away. Practising a little most days works better than one long session a week.
What age should children start?
We offer this course from about age 7. This is our suggestion rather than an official guideline: by then most children can read simple words, and their hands are usually big enough to rest on the home row. We did not find a UK body that sets an age. Younger children can play Lantern Letters to learn where the letters are. Handwriting still matters: typing is an extra skill, not a replacement.
Games, test and certificate
- Word Rain: catch falling words by typing them. Words stay still if reduced motion is switched on.
- Lantern Letters: light up 10 lanterns, one letter at a time. No time limit.
- Speed test: untimed, 1 minute or 3 minutes, with three levels of text.
- Certificate: print a certificate showing how many lessons have been passed.
Moving to another computer
Progress is saved only in this browser. To carry on somewhere else, make a progress code here, copy it, then paste it into this box on the other computer.
Questions
Do children need to create an account?
No. There are no accounts and nothing is sent to us. Progress is stored in the browser on the device and can be moved with a progress code.
Will this work on a tablet or phone?
Touch typing needs a physical keyboard. On a phone or tablet without one, the lessons show a friendly message. A tablet with a keyboard attached works.
Why does the tutor not let my child delete mistakes?
The tutor waits for the right key instead. This keeps attention on the correct finger and stops errors piling up, which builds accuracy first.
My keyboard is not UK or US. Will it work?
The tutor checks the character typed, so most English keyboards work. The on-screen keyboard shows the UK or US layout, so some symbol keys may be in different places on other layouts.
Sources for the sitting and break advice: HSE: good posture at a workstation and HSE: work routine and breaks. Lesson 21 and 22 words are from the national curriculum in England, English appendix 1 (Open Government Licence). All practice sentences are our own.