Does My Child Really Need to Touch Type?

A typing course is not something every child must complete, and anyone who tells you otherwise is overstating the case. Still, many parents wonder whether touch typing is a skill worth the time. This article sets out the evidence on both sides, so you can decide without pressure.

Is touch typing needed for online tests?

No. The NSW Government's page for NAPLAN parents says plainly that touch typing is not a requirement, and the online test is not a measure of keyboard skill. If you were worried that a child who types with two fingers will be marked down for it, that page is reassuring. The page also makes clear that the test is not measuring keyboard skill. Typing practice is therefore not something the test asks for. If you simply want your child to know what the test looks like, XReady offers NAPLAN-style practice papers for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, which help with the format and are a separate matter from typing.

That said, a child who finds the keyboard slow and tiring may have less energy left to think about their ideas, which is one reason families look at typing at all. This is a plausible concern rather than something the page claims. The topic of exam preparation is covered elsewhere on this site, so we leave it there.

Can a child be fast without touch typing?

Possibly. Researchers at Aalto University studied 30 adults with motion capture and found that self-taught typists can achieve performance comparable to touch typists, even when using fewer fingers. In the same study, people who had taken a touch typing course were not necessarily faster than self-taught typists, although the two groups differed in other ways, such as where they looked and how their hands moved. The three things that predicted high performance were a letter always being pressed by the same finger, preparing upcoming keystrokes and minimal overall hand movement.

This is a fair challenge to the claim that touch typing is the only route to speed, though it does not show touch typing to be a poor one: a taught key-to-finger habit remains a dependable way to build what predicted good performance. But keep the limits in mind: the participants were adults, there were only 30, and the study looked at everyday typists, not children learning from scratch.

A much larger online study of 168,000 volunteers found a lot of variation in typing styles, and that most people could be grouped into eight types of typist. The groups differed in performance, accuracy and finger use, so the study does not point to one correct way.

So why would a child learn a method at all?

Here are four reasonable arguments, each with an honest caveat.

1. A method builds a reliable habit. The Aalto result suggests that how consistently each key is pressed matters more than whether someone calls themselves a touch typist. A taught key-to-finger map is a quick way to build one. Self-taught typists can build one too, and the study above shows they sometimes do, though it may take longer without guidance.
2. Schools expect keyboard skills to develop. The NSW syllabus for Stage 3 asks students to navigate the keyboard efficiently and accurately and to monitor their accuracy and rate. A structured start makes those outcomes easier to meet.
3. Structured teaching worked in one study. In a US study of Kindergarten to Year 5 students, both a structured, commercial programme (Keyboarding Without Tears) and free activities improved speed and accuracy, but the structured programme produced larger gains. It was not a randomised trial.
4. Typing can help some students with writing. SPELD NSW, which lists typing programs for parents on its website, says that typing can be a valuable skill for students who struggle with spelling and putting thoughts in writing. It also warns that some students may find it difficult to learn.

When is it probably not worth pushing?

What follows is the XType team's own view.

• When the child is very young and still developing letter recognition and pencil skills.
• When the child is resistant and practice has become a battle. A pause is fine, and the skill can be picked up later.
• When the family's time is tight and schoolwork already feels heavy. Fifteen minutes of calm practice a few times a week is plenty.

What if my child is already fast with two fingers?

Some children are. If their accuracy is good and they are comfortable, there is no emergency. You might still ask whether they look at the keys constantly, whether their hands look strained, and whether longer pieces of writing tire them. If the answer to any is yes, learning a method may help. If not, you can leave it.

How should you talk about it with your child?

Children pick up on adult worry. If you say typing is essential, the lessons can feel like a test. Try framing it as a tool: it is a way to get ideas onto the screen without hunting for letters. Let your child choose when to practise, and let them stop when they are tired. If a sibling picks it up quickly, avoid comparisons. Children learn at different speeds, and a calm start usually beats a fast one.

The balanced view

Touch typing is not a requirement for online tests, and it is not the only road to a good typing speed. It is a sensible, teachable habit that fits what schools ask for and can help children who find writing by hand difficult. Whether it is the best use of your family's time depends on your child, and you are the best judge of that. For more, see how to teach a child to touch type, and for what each school stage covers, read typing in the NSW syllabus.

A calm next step

If you do decide a structured path suits your family, XType offers staged lessons that teach finger by finger, with progress charts and a parent view. Joining is a 7-day free trial, then A$9.99 a month or A$99.90 a year, cancel any time, and the free typing test takes only 30 seconds.