If you want something cute and free, the Dance Mat from the BBC works: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/
I just downloaded Keyboarding Without Tears for my daughter (3rd grade). It's sold by the folks that created Handwriting Without Tears. I downloaded the 2nd grade version based on the description. I feel it's low-cost at $6.50. DD used it this morning and so far, I'm impressed. It's engaging and age-appropriate, using bite-sized lessons for kids to get familiar with where the keys are on the keyboard and where their hands should be. We're only through day 1, but I think this may be a winner. We'll see.
There was a soccer computer game that taught keyboarding. We got it from the library, but I don't remember its name.
Personally, I think it's very important to teach typing. Looking back, I wish we'd included it in our curriculum. As part of my work, I spend much of my time typing - reasonably quickly but only using two fingers on each hand. I would be so much more productive if I knew how to type properly.
We're using Keyboarding Without Tears, too. We're using the 4th grade version right now. So far, so good.
We taught typing instead of cursive. Figured it was more useful. In public school, my daughter did encounter a teacher who wanted her to turn in a report in cursive. It was his class, so I told her she had to play by his rules. I told her she'd have to learn cursive. She came up with a different solution. She typed the report, changed the font to Lucida Handwriting, and traced the report
Keyboarding Without Tears... do you have to start low and work way up or can you jump in at grade level??? Is it for only 1 student at grade level?
Full Disclosure: I work p/t for HWT, so I got the licenses free to try out. I am using the 4th grade HWT book, so I opted for the 4th grade KWT for my son. Each level starts with the basics, it just moves at a pace that is "grade" appropriate. My only issue with HWT in general is the correlation now to the Common Core. I know this opens up a whole can of worms, and hate to mention it since really there are no Common Core objectives for handwriting! But, the company has added some "educational" stuff in the books to say they are common core aligned. I skip over that stuff when using the materials if I feel it is just fluff/busy work.
Thanks ShellChelle.... sounds interesting...is it a lot different than the bbc dancemat? We do that one.
I took a look at what was taught at each grade level and purchased a license at that grade. K and 1 seemed like the developmentally-based activities would be too young for her. DD is doing 3rd grade academic work, but the 2nd grade course covered the whole keyboard, so I went with that. I'm not sure about the licensing for multiple students vs. one student. I just took another look and it seems like it's priced at $6.50 per student -- one student, one license. The website has a link to sample lessons. I didn't use these before we bought, but perhaps they'll give you an idea what it's like to help you decide if it's for you. http://www.hwtears.com/kwt/sample-lessons-main We've now used this for a few lessons and I'm very pleased with the approach. DD also thinks it's quite fun.
We just tried the dancemat one because everyone seemed to love it so much and my six yo and I both found it pretty busy/distracting/hard to understand the accent! We are using a more boringish one... learntotype.net I think it is? (On my phone now, not the computer where I have it bookmarked.) Anyway, both my 6 yo & 4 yo like it much better. It gives lessons key by key instead of just the whole home row at once. Bonus: the key you are supposed to hit next doesn't sit there and shout at you!
We didn't use a specific keyboarding program, but my daughter learns well from games. There are a number of free keyboarding games over at Learning Games For Kids. My daughter liked the Typing Adventures 1 and 2 a lot. My personal favorite was QWERTY Warriors, but I have to admit that one gets a little intense for little kids because of the pace (no bad content or anything, the words just keep coming at you faster and faster for you to type!) Hope this helps.
