Typing Test for Kids: Assessing Your Child's Typing Skills

Using Typing Tests to Help Your Child Master Keyboarding

Learning to Type at School

Times have changed a lot when it comes to learning to type. For one thing, it's rarely referred to simply as 'typing' anymore. The more recent term that your child will most likely encounter is 'keyboarding'. 'Keyboarding' lessons focus not only on typing, but also on your child's mouse skills and overall ability to operate a computer.

It's likely that typing will be covered in his or her computer class. The level of typing expected of your child depends on a few factors, including your child's age and grade level, the type of school that your child attends and the school district. Get in touch with your child's school to find out specifically what kind of typing tests will be administered.

Practicing Typing at Home

There are many typing games available for free online that your child can use at home to practice his or her typing skills. Many of these games are very visual, which can help your child keep his or her eyes off of the keyboard. For example, a game might be similar to 'Space Invaders,' with aliens attacking and your child controlling a spaceship defending the Earth with his or her typing. Most of these games vary in difficulty to meet your child's ability level.

Typing Tests

Typing tests for kids are similar to those for adults. Although they may not always report a wpm (words per minute) score, they do assess speed and accuracy. Many of these tests are similar to the typing games that are available online.

Some typing tests for kids involve the memorization of the keyboard. For instance, students may be required to fill in a blank keyboard chart on paper with ordered key references, such as 'QWERTYUIOP,' 'ASDFGHJKL' and 'ZXCVBNM'. Other typing tests also assess the use of a mouse, the ability to open and close documents and the ability to find applicable programs.

Typing tests are mostly useful for increasing speed and the ease at which your child can type. The ultimate goal is that your child is able to type without looking at the keyboard and without searching for individual letters. The less that your child must focus his or her energy on the act of typing, the more your child can focus on the content.