Eight recommendations to learn touch typing
Touch typing is the ability to type without having to look at the keyboard. Once learned you will be able to always find the correct letter without thinking. It will feel as if your fingers always “magically” find the right key.
The bad news is that to learn touch typing you will have to practice.. a lot! The good news is that you can reduce learning time by following these eight recommendations.
Say the letter you type out loud when you press the key.
Every time you learn a new letter your brain needs to establish a “connection” between the key and the necessary movement to type it. By saying the letter out loud at the time you press the key you accelerate the learning. The reason is that you not only see the correct letter appearing on screen (visual feedback), but also get auditive feedback because you hear yourself say, for example, “n” at the same time you press n key. It may feel a bit strange, especially if there are more people in the room, but it is worthwhile to do.
Practice 3 times a week.
Consistency is key to learn touch typing. Practicing only once in a while is not enough to automate movements. Try to complete three lessons a week.
Type in the same rhythm.
Typing in the same rhythm means that the time between strokes is consistent. By not varying the speed you will make fewer mistakes and that will not only increase speed, but you will also learn to type error free from the very beginning.
Adopt a correct body posture.
To be able to type at a high speed you have to sit behind the keyboard correctly. In addition, a correct body posture can help prevent Stress Related Injuries such as RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury). In the TypeKids course you will find clear animations explaining the best way to sit at the computer.
Aim for accuracy, not speed!
Once you have learned to type accurately using the correct technique you will find that your speed will increase automatically over time with practice.
Choose a course that is fun.
It is necessary to practice a lot for all movements to become automatic. This repetition can easily become boring and if it is boring you might not follow through. This is why it is important to select a typing tutor that is fun so that you are more likely to practice touch typing on a regular basis.
Stop typing using your own “method”.
Over the years everyone develops their own typing method. When you start learning to type with all fingers your old method is probably still faster. However, this is only in the beginning and temporary. Once you have learned touch typing you are guaranteed to type faster than ever before.
Frequency is more important than quantity.
Once you get started with the course you will probably be very motivated to learn touch typing as quickly as possible. You might even try doing 2 or more lessons a day. However, it is better to do fewer exercises each time you practice and be consistent throughout the entire course. You will learn faster if you practice a little bit every day rather than by doing, for instance, a lot of exercises only once a week.
Follow these recommendations and you will not only have more fun, but also learn to touch type a lot faster!