Fun Ways to Improve Typing Speed With Typing Race Games

In the modern world we live in, typing is an essential skill that all students must master.  The sooner the skill is acquired, the more success they will have in their academic life.  That’s why consistently working to improve typing speed will help your students once their minds mature.  

Begin around age 7 and focus on helping your students to build typing foundational skills.  You can find a free typing test online to assess your current skills.

What is Typing Speed?

Speed

The rate at which your child hits the keys with their fingers is their typing speed.  It has a lot to do with eye-hand coordination and the age of your child.  Kids under 7 often aren’t able to manipulate their fingers at the appropriate range of motion or can’t stretch far enough on a QWERTY keyboard layout in order to rest on the home row of keys.  Speed simply indicates how fast their fingers move on the keyboard.

Accuracy

Accuracy is the correct number of keys they hit when typing.  Someone can type really fast, but have a terrible accuracy rate.  On the flip side, someone can be meticulous to have superior accuracy, but their speed suffers and it takes forever for them to learn to type.

Touch typing relies on accuracy to function.  The goal is to be able to look only at the screen and create words without having to copy from a page.  Your thoughts should appear on the screen as your fingers type words, which is quite a fascinating experience.

Fluency

Fluency is the golden key to typing, measured in words per minute (WPM).  It combines both speed and accuracy for a WPM score that indicates how proficient a typist your child is.  

Fluency takes a while to achieve, but once they become fluent, they will never look back.  The idea is to be able to type without looking at the keys or to be able to transcribe from one item to another.  An average typing speed can be achieved with consistent practice.

With enough practice, your fingers and hands will develop muscle memory and your brain will be used to directing them where to type.  This skill is essential for any child in the 21st century, where typing with more than your thumbs can be the solution to their future.  

What Are Fun Ways to Improve It?

Daily Practice

You simply need practice with both typing speed and accuracy to achieve optimum fluency.  First, try an online typing test to establish a baseline.  The goal is to be typing faster while making fewer mistakes.  Typing games are a great way to get in this quality practice time.

Then, encourage your child to type for at least 15-20 minutes every day for 2-3 weeks and watch how quickly they pick up the skill.  Your fingers and brain need multiple opportunities to practice in order to train the body to hit the keys your brain is thinking. 

It is more difficult for younger students to type what they’re thinking, because they don’t have strong reading and spelling skills just yet, so they will do better simply transcribing, or typing letters that they see on paper or on the screen.  Older students benefit by beginning with transcription and then moving to free typing from their thoughts.  Typing tutorials can help students to strengthen their skills.

Typing Race Games

Nothing is more fun than a typing race game that encourages students to type as fast and as accurately as possible in order to win the race.  Typing practice is no longer boring with Turtle Diary games at your disposal.

Turtle Diary offers an amazing option – Typing Race Game for Beginners – plus more advanced options the more proficient your child becomes. Students can see their accuracy and speed in WPM as their timer ticks away.  

The graphics make the race exciting with intense colors and eye-catching movement.  Three other cars race along with them as their drivers type quickly and accurately to make them move.  Encourage your child to challenge themselves by teaming up with another student or a friend and take turns seeing who can make their car move the fastest.  

You can also challenge your kids yourself to see who can type the best.  Kids love to play against adults to see whose WPM is higher. Offer to play the game with them and set a fun reward for the fastest typist.  Our games are like typing speed test, but with more fun components.

Set Goals

To encourage consistent practice, set some goals for your child (and maybe even yourself!).  Try to increase WPM each day by playing fun games online at Turtle Diary and help them to achieve their goal with reminders and positive reinforcement.  If students type for at least 15-20 minutes a day for 2-3 weeks they will be well on their way to success.

Typing games are a great way for students to have fun practicing their typing skills while gaining fluency in the process.  Encourage your child to start with the beginning levels of Turtle Diary’s game and then explore the site to see the other amazing typing options.