Parents often ask us what a “good” typing speed is for a child. The answer depends on their age and the work they need to do, but it helps to have clear targets. At Searsol we use three levels, measured in words per minute (WPM).

Bronze: about 15 WPM

Your child knows the home keys and can type short pieces of schoolwork without looking down. For many children this is already as fast as their handwriting.

Silver: about 25 WPM

Typing is now quicker than most children can write by hand. Homework and projects take less time, and children can spend more of their energy on what they want to say.

Gold: about 40 WPM

A confident, fluent typist, well prepared for secondary school, state exam coursework, college and work.

Why touch typing beats two-finger typing

Children who teach themselves usually look at the keys and use two or three fingers. That works for short messages but gets slow and tiring for longer work. Touch typing uses all ten fingers and muscle memory, so speed keeps improving with practice.

What the research says

In an Australian study, Carol Christensen gave 13-year-olds 20 minutes of touch typing practice a day for eight weeks. The quality of their writing improved compared with students who weren’t taught. In the United States, Michael Russell found that students who typed their essays wrote longer and more developed pieces than those who wrote by hand.

Especially helpful for dyslexia and dyspraxia (DCD)

For children who find handwriting hard, reaching Silver or Gold can turn homework from a struggle into something manageable.

See where your child is today

Book a free 1-hour trial class at your nearest Searsol centre. We’ll check your child’s current speed and show you how they can work up to Gold. Visit searsol.com/find-centers/ or call 01 630 3384.