Keyboarding for Kids: Teach Your Child in 10 Easy, Fun Lessons

Ray Covell was a librarian in Kelowna, British Columbia.

The philosophy behind this book is that children under 12 can and should learn to type, because the computer is going to be an integral part of their future. Lessons are set up for two 10- to 15-minute periods each day and are designed for independent instruction at a fourth-grade level for the basic skills, and a fifth- to sixth-grade level for the advanced skills. Any child of ten or more should be able to learn to type.

It is suggested that the children mark their fingers with the letters of the keys they will use. There is nothing revolutionary about the lessons themselves. Fortunately, most of the letters to be typed are actual words, so the student gets practice at real skills; the ten lessons are designed for morning and evening sessions, so the child could learn to type within a week!

The advanced skills consist of additional finger practice, plus lessons on the tab key, type size, centering, and special symbols. An appendix on using the book in the classroom is included.

There is no doubt that children should learn to type at an early age; the advent of computers means that anyone who wants efficient use of the keyboard should learn to type, and what better age to start than ten or twelve? Handicapped students, too, can learn to type.

There are several computer programs, such as Mastertype, that aim to teach typing as a game and that have the advantage of scoring words per minute automatically. But for students who learn on a typewriter instead of a computer, or whose parents don’t wish to spend $50 on a computer disk, this book may be the answer. If you have a keyboard and a kid, try getting them together with this book; if it works, your kid will grow up to thank you for providing a basic skill in the computer age.