“Keep typing, but tell me what you did at the weekend.”
I sometimes say this to students during a typing lesson.
They usually look at me as if I’ve asked them to do two completely incompatible things!
But then they start talking to me and something rather lovely happens. Their fingers carry on typing.
Often, they’re quite surprised when they realise what they’ve just done.
For me, this is one of the signs that a student is becoming a proper touch typist. They’re no longer having to consciously think about where each letter is on the keyboard. Their fingers are beginning to know where to go automatically.
So when parents ask me, “What is a good typing speed for a child?”, my answer isn’t simply a number.
Speed matters, of course. But accuracy and technique matter just as much.
Is 30 words per minute a good typing speed?
At Type IT!, I use 30 words per minute with at least 95% accuracy as a useful benchmark.
For me, that’s the point at which a student is really starting to become a touch typist.
They know where the keys are. They’re using the correct fingers and they’re no longer having to consciously work out how to find every letter.
That’s why I like my little conversation test.
If a student can continue typing accurately while having a fairly ordinary conversation with me, it shows that the physical process of typing is becoming automatic.
Of course, I wouldn’t expect them to discuss something complicated that requires all their concentration while simultaneously writing an essay!
But the point is that finding the keys no longer requires their full attention.
And that’s exactly what we’re trying to achieve.
But 30 WPM is only the beginning
I think this is something parents sometimes misunderstand.
If a child finishes a touch typing course at 30 WPM, that doesn’t mean they’ll always type at 30 WPM.
Far from it.
Once they’ve learned to touch type properly, they’ve acquired the technique. From there, regular use and practice can continue to build their speed.
I’ve taught many young students who have gone on to type comfortably at 60 or 70 WPM, including children who started learning as young as eight.
The important thing is that they now have a technique that allows them to keep improving.
It’s a bit like learning to ride a bike. Once you have mastered the skill, you don’t have to relearn how to balance every time you get on. You simply become more confident and efficient the more you do it.
Touch typing is very similar.
“But my child can already type really quickly”
This is where it gets interesting.
I assess lots of children who can produce what looks like a very good typing speed.
Sometimes I’ll see 50 WPM and think that sounds great.
Then I watch them type.
They’re looking down at the keyboard, perhaps using two or three fingers and making lots of mistakes. They’re constantly pressing backspace, finding their place again and then carrying on.
So that headline figure doesn’t tell me the whole story.
A child typing at 50 WPM with lots of errors may actually be less efficient than a child typing more slowly but accurately.
This is why accuracy is so important.
Every time you make a mistake, you have to notice it, stop what you’re doing, correct it and then get your thoughts back on track.
That all takes time.
And, perhaps more importantly, it interrupts your concentration.
Touch typing and looking at the keyboard are not the same thing
Some children become remarkably quick at typing while looking at their hands.
They’ve used a keyboard for years, so naturally they’ve got better at it.
But that doesn’t make it touch typing.
If you’re looking down to find the keys, your eyes are still involved in operating the keyboard. They have to move between the keyboard and the screen and your attention is continually switching too.
With touch typing, the aim is very different.
Your fingers learn where the keys are through repeated movement until you no longer need to look.
That’s what eventually allows you to type while thinking about something else.
And it’s why I don’t just teach children to type faster. I want them to type in a way that will allow them to become faster and more efficient in the future.
Why accuracy matters just as much as speed
If I had to choose between speed and accuracy when someone is learning, I’d choose accuracy every time.
Speed comes with practice.
Poor habits are much harder to undo.
We aim for at least 95% accuracy, but ultimately I’d like students to be as close to 100% as possible.
I regularly see fast typists who have learned to accept lots of errors as part of the way they type. They type a few words, backspace, type some more, backspace again.
It might look fast, but it’s not particularly efficient.
Learning to slow down initially and type accurately can actually make you faster in the long run.
What typing speed does a child need for exams?
This is where I think the conversation about typing speed becomes much more important.
The ultimate aim isn’t really to achieve a particular number on a typing test.
It’s to be able to type at the speed of thought.
Imagine a child sitting an exam. They know what they want to say and the answer is fresh in their mind.
Ideally, we want them to be able to get those thoughts onto the screen without the keyboard becoming another thing they have to think about.
They shouldn’t be thinking:
Where’s the T? Which finger do I use for P? I’ve made a mistake. Where’s backspace? Now, what was I going to write?
The keyboard needs to become the tool rather than the task.
This can be particularly important for children with dyslexia or ADHD
Many of the children we teach at Type IT! have dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD or other additional learning needs.
For some, holding onto an idea while also thinking about spelling, sentence structure and how to physically get the words onto the page can already require a huge amount of effort.
If they then have to consciously search for letters on a keyboard, we’re adding another demand.
This is something recognised in UK guidance too. The British Dyslexia Association suggests helping children who find working on a computer easier than handwriting to learn to touch type. Monmouthshire Council’s guidance on touch typing and dyslexia also explains that handwriting can take up considerable concentration and effort for some pupils and that touch typing can allow more concentration to be focused on the content of their work.
Their guidance also makes an important point about working memory: children can become overloaded when they’re trying to manage too many keyboarding skills at once, so those skills need time to become established in long-term memory.
That’s very much what I see in my own teaching.
When the fingers know where to go, the child can concentrate much more of their attention on what they want to say, rather than how to physically type it.
And in an exam, when time matters and ideas can disappear as quickly as they arrive, that can make a real difference.
So, what is a good typing speed for a child?
If you’re looking for a number, 30 WPM with at least 95% accuracy is the benchmark I use for a student who is becoming a competent touch typist.
But I wouldn’t stop there.
Thirty words per minute isn’t the finish line.
It’s the starting point.
Once the technique has become automatic, speed can continue to grow through everyday typing and practice. Thirty can become 40. Forty can become 50. And for many of our students, 60 or 70 WPM is perfectly achievable.
So if you’re looking at your child’s typing speed, don’t just look at the number.
Watch them type.
Are they looking at their hands? Are they using the correct fingers? Are they constantly correcting mistakes? Can they keep their eyes on the screen?
And perhaps try my test.
Ask them a question while they’re typing and see what happens.
You might both be surprised.