If your child struggles with handwriting, you may have been relieved when their school suggested using a laptop. No more worrying about illegible writing, aching hands or pages full of crossed-out words. Surely typing will make everything easier?
Well, yes. It certainly can.
But there’s something I often find when children come to us for touch typing lessons. They’ve been given a laptop to use at school but nobody has actually taught them how to type!
And while they’re perfectly happy using a keyboard to play games, search online or send messages, typing a whole paragraph or essay is a very different matter.
A Laptop Is a Tool, Not a Skill
Imagine giving a child a musical instrument and expecting them to play it without lessons.
Of course, they might work out a few notes by themselves but learning the correct techniques would make a huge difference.
It’s much the same with typing.
Many children develop their own way of using the keyboard. Some use just two fingers. Others have a few favourite fingers and stretch them across the keyboard. Most spend a lot of time looking down to find the next letter.
And because they’ve been using keyboards for years, they often believe they can type perfectly well.
But being familiar with a keyboard isn’t quite the same as being able to use it efficiently.
What Happens When a Child Has to Think About Every Key?
Think about everything a child has to do when they’re writing an essay.
They need to understand the question, plan their answer, think about vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and sentence structure and then get all those thoughts onto the page.
That’s quite a lot to think about!
Now imagine that every few seconds they also have to stop and look down at the keyboard to find a letter.
Their attention is constantly switching between thinking about what they want to say and working out how to type it.
For some children, particularly those with dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD or working memory difficulties, that extra demand can be especially challenging.
This is one of the reasons I believe learning to touch type is so important.
When children gradually learn where the keys are and which fingers to use, typing can become more automatic. They no longer need to give quite so much attention to finding individual letters.
That leaves more room to concentrate on what they’re actually trying to say.
But My Child Can Already Type Quite Quickly!
This is something I hear quite often from parents.
And sometimes they’re absolutely right. Their child can produce an impressive number of words per minute.
But speed doesn’t tell us everything.
I would always want to know how accurately they’re typing, whether they’re looking at the keyboard and whether they can maintain that speed when writing something of their own.
There’s quite a difference between copying a familiar passage and composing an answer to a question in class.
I sometimes ask students to carry on typing while they tell me something about their weekend. It’s a lovely way of seeing whether typing is becoming automatic.
If they have to stop typing every time they speak, it may be a sign that finding the keys still requires a great deal of concentration.
You can read more about this in my article What Is a Good Typing Speed for a Child?.
Why Touch Typing Can Be Particularly Helpful for Children With Additional Learning Needs
At Type IT!, we teach lots of children who have been given laptops because handwriting is difficult, tiring or slow.
For some, the physical act of handwriting takes so much effort that it becomes difficult to concentrate on the content of their work.
A laptop can help reduce that difficulty. Children can edit their sentences, move text around and produce work that is easier to read.
But if they’re struggling to find the keys, they’ve simply swapped one challenge for another.
Touch typing isn’t an instant solution and some children will need considerably more practice and support than others.
We often adapt our teaching for children who have difficulties with coordination, memory or concentration. This might mean smaller learning steps, more repetition, visual reminders or additional time to practise new keys.
The aim isn’t simply to make children type faster. It’s to help them use their keyboard with greater confidence and less effort.
What About GCSEs and Exam Access Arrangements?
This is another important consideration, particularly for children who use laptops because of special educational needs.
Under the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) regulations, schools can allow eligible students to use a word processor in examinations where it reflects their normal way of working and is appropriate to their needs.
Simply having a laptop at home or being able to type quickly doesn’t automatically mean a child can use one in their exams.
Schools also need to ensure that students have opportunities to practise using their access arrangements before their examinations.
And this is really important.
If a child is going to type their GCSE answers, they need to feel comfortable using a keyboard under exam conditions.
Imagine spending most of an examination looking for letters or correcting mistakes rather than concentrating on the answers.
My advice is always to start developing typing skills well before those important exams arrive.
For more information about the regulations, you can visit the JCQ guidance on access arrangements and reasonable adjustments.
When Should My Child Start Learning to Touch Type?
Ideally, before they’re expected to use a laptop regularly for lengthy pieces of schoolwork.
That doesn’t necessarily mean they need to start very young. Children develop at different rates and their readiness to learn will depend on factors such as coordination, concentration and confidence.
But if your child has already been given a laptop at school, there’s no need to panic. They can still learn good keyboard habits.
In fact, we’ve taught plenty of children who have been typing their own way for years.
Sometimes we have to undo a few old habits first!
The important thing is to introduce a structured approach, encourage accuracy and allow enough time for the new finger movements to become familiar.
Short, regular practice sessions are usually much more useful than occasional lengthy ones.
How Can I Tell Whether My Child Needs Touch Typing Lessons?
Here’s something simple you can try at home.
Ask your child to type a few sentences about something they enjoy. It could be their favourite hobby, something that happened at school or what they’d like to do at the weekend.
Watch what happens.
Are they constantly looking down at the keyboard? Do they use just a couple of fingers? Are they stopping frequently to find letters? Can they concentrate on what they’re writing or does the typing itself seem to slow them down?
You don’t need to worry too much about their words per minute at this stage.
Instead, think about how much effort typing seems to require.
If they’re spending more time searching for keys than thinking about their sentences, learning to touch type could be a really useful next step.
Making the Most of That Laptop
I’m delighted that more children who struggle with handwriting are being given the opportunity to use laptops at school.
For many, it can make written work much more accessible.
But I do think we sometimes overlook an important part of the process.
A laptop gives a child the opportunity to type. Touch typing gives them the skills to use it more effectively.
And that’s what we want, isn’t it? For children to be able to concentrate on their ideas, express themselves and produce work that reflects what they actually know.
Need Help Getting Your Child Started?
At Type IT!, we teach children of all abilities to touch type, including many with dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and other learning differences.
Our lessons are structured, supportive and adapted to suit each child’s needs. Whether your child has just been given a laptop or has been using one for years, we can help them develop more confident typing habits.
Explore our touch typing courses for children or get in touch if you’re unsure where to start.