Typewriting for Tots
Engagement Time
10 Minutes
Typewriting for Tots is designed to improve your little one’s spelling and writing skills along with their ability to identify the placement of letter on the QWERTY keyboard.
Materials Required
Typewriter Paper
Method
Although young children love getting onto the computer and typing away to see their writing appear on the screen they need to print this before they have a tangible copy of their efforts. Using an 'old fashioned' typewriter children can gain a far more rapid sense of how the keys they press translate into printed word. For this activity you may wish to begin by letting your little one play with the typewriter, pressing keys randomly to create a nice sound and letters on the page but once they have mastered the art of hitting the keys you can get them to type a given sentence, the names of family and friends or words which they can spell such as cat, rat, me etc. Note: Most people have long ago disposed of their old typewriters in favour of computers but it is still possible to pick them up very cheaply at car boot/garage sales or via site such as Ebay for under $20 making this a very cheap educational toy. Extension: There are a number of typewriting programs available and it is never too early to teach children to type properly. It is quite possible for a 4 Year Old to touch type at 10 Words Per Minute if they are given regular opportunities to 'play' on their typewriter or a computer.
