10 Free Typing Games for Kids They'll Want to Play

Elizabeth Fraley, M.Ed. is CEO and Founder of Kinder Ready, Inc. She says that learning to type early helps children develop skills they'll use throughout their lives and careers. "These skills not only enhance computer proficiency but also boost productivity as they grow older."

Academic benefits

According to Fraley, learning to type helps students organize and understand their thoughts, notes from class and research. Plus, it prepares them for the growing number of digital exams. Learning to type also boosts self-confidence, improves reading speed and enhances hand-eye coordination.

What to Look for in a Free Typing Games

Skill progression

Kids may not even know where their fingers should sit on a keyboard. To avoid frustration, Brian Galvin, chief academic officer at Varsity Tutors, recommends free typing games that gradually build children’s skills. “Games with adjustable difficulty levels are best because they let kids learn the basics before moving on to harder tasks,” he explains.

Shorter gameplay

Kids have short attention spans. Galvin recommends short, frequent sessions—15 to 20 minutes a day, several times a week—to help kids develop strong typing skills.

He adds that games with engaging stories and clear levels keep kids entertained while improving their typing skills, making it easy for parents to see their progress.

Age appropriate

When choosing the best typing games for kids, it's important to think about how easy the instructions are to understand. Galvin warns that complicated instructions or overly difficult games can make kids lose interest.

Ability appropriate

Another key factor that is often overlooked is ‘ability’. Galvin points out that when games emphasize speed too early in a learner’s journey, it can result in the formation of bad habits.

"For instance, beginners might adopt a “hunt-and-peck” typing style just to complete tasks quickly," he says. "They should concentrate on accuracy and developing proper finger positioning and muscle memory first."

Top Free Typing Games for Kids

1. TypingClub

TypingClub is a free online typing course for kids that blends structured lessons with fun, game-like activities. It also tracks progress to keep learning engaging. This platform offers a variety of typing games, including options for young learners who are just starting.

Target Age Range

• Kindergarten and up

Key Features/Benefits

• 650+ lessons, feedback, tracking, and more.
• Improves speed and accuracy.
• Offers personalized lessons that adapt to different skill levels.
• Includes progress tracking for learners and educators.

2. NitroType

Nitro Type is a fun, online game where players compete to see who can type the fastest. It's a great way for kids to boost their typing speed and accuracy, improve hand-eye coordination, and learn spelling and grammar.

Target Age Range

• Ages 8+

Key Features/Benefits

• Teaches children spelling and grammar.
• Free-to-play, with optional premium features.
• Enhances typing speed, accuracy, and hand-eye coordination.
• Gamification transforms typing practice into a fun game.

3. Dance Mat Typing

This game, developed by the BBC, features vibrant characters and progressively challenging levels. It’s considered one of the best children's typing games for children and teaches kids how to type without glancing at their fingers.

Target Age Range

• Ages seven to 11

Key Features/Benefits

• 12-stage course with 4 levels.
• Builds skills without emphasizing speed or errors.
• Teaches touch typing fundamentals.
• Improves motor skills, memory, speed, and accuracy.
• Enhances spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

4. Typing.com

This free online platform provides a complete K-12 curriculum. It helps students learn touch typing, improve digital literacy, and master coding basics through fun and interactive lessons.

Target Age Range

• Kindergarten and up

Key Features

• Created by educational professionals.
• Covers computer, internet, office, and basic coding skills.
• Offers standardized test prep lessons.
• Monitors student accuracy and speed.

5. ABCYA! Typing Games

This platform offers a variety of educational games for kids. These games use interactive challenges to teach keyboard navigation, letter recognition, and typing speed.

Target Age Range

• Pre-K through 6th grade.

Key Features/Benefits

• 300 educational games
• Suits all skill levels.
• Improves spelling and word recognition.
• Boosts typing speed, accuracy, memory, and coordination skills.

6. Peter's Online Typing Course

This is a free online keyboarding tutorial created by Peter Hudson for typists of all ages. It features exercises for different skill levels and covers keyboarding fundamentals.

Target Age Range

• All age and skill levels.

Key Features/Benefits

• Covers home row, shift keys, and fundamentals.
• Focuses on touch typing:
• Exercises for all ages and skill levels.
• Progressive lessons to improve skills steadily.

7. ZType

A fast-paced space game where you blast enemy ships by typing words. The difficulty increases as players complete each round.

Target Age Range

• Kids and adults with difficulty levels for each age group.

Key Features/Benefits

• Adaptive challenges for all skill levels.
• Cross-platform access (web, mobile, Android).
• Real-time performance monitoring.
• Improves typing and vocabulary skills.

8. TypeRacer

This typing game lets players compete by typing text passages with speed and accuracy. It turns ordinary typing practice into a thrilling competition that tests both skill and reflexes.

Target Age Range

• Ages kids to adults

Key Features/Benefits

• Practices with quotes from books, movies, and songs.
• Tracks performance stats like WPM and accuracy.
• Improves speed and reduces errors through competition.
• Develops essential typing skills, including touch typing.

9. Ghost Typing

This Halloween typing game challenges players to type words or letters to beat ghosts. As you play, more words appear and ghosts move faster, increasing the difficulty of the game.

Target Age Range

• Grades 2-6 (Primary Version).
• Ghost Typing Jr.: Grades K-1 (Simplified Version).

Key Features/Benefits

• Improves typing speed and accuracy.
• Progressive difficulty levels.
• Encourages quick visual recognition and typing response.

10. Jungle Junior

Jungle Junior is a free, interactive typing game designed for Pre-K through 1st-grade students. It uses colourful videos and interactive lessons to teach the alphabet, sight words, word families, and simple sentences. It also teaches students to type each letter with the correct finger.

Target Age Range

• Pre-K through first grade

Key Features/Benefits

• Teaches the alphabet, sight words, word families, and simple sentences.
• 200 videos and interactive lessons.
• Colour-coded on-screen keyboard and hand guides.

Dr. Rebecca Mannis, founder of Ivy Prep, suggests adding quick activities to typing practice to keep it interesting.

“For example, with baseball's Spring Training coming up, kids can use Apple Notes to list their top five games, favourite teams, and best dates to visit the stadium. This makes practice more fun,” she says.

Worried about screen time?

Isabelle Hau from the Stanford Accelerator for Learning says that typing skills are important for achieving success. She also stresses that parents should monitor their child's screen time.

"Kids under 18 months should have no screen time, other than video chats," she notes. "For children 18 to 24 months old, some high-quality content is okay if parents watch with them. Children two to five should have screen time limited to one hour per day. For this age group, choose educational content and watch together."

In addition to managing screen time, it's also important to balance screen time with other activities. She suggests, "Activities like playing outside, running, biking, gardening, hiking, or climbing trees can greatly enhance overall well-being."

Finding a balance

According to Hau, typing games are fun and help children improve fluency, hand-eye coordination and digital skills. However, she emphasizes that students perform best when they type with purpose.

She explains, "Certain activities are more beneficial than random tasks. For example, try writing stories. You could also send letters to grandparents. Keeping a journal is another good option."

Hau also notes that screen time isn't always bad, but it's important to find the right balance. "A healthy lifestyle has many parts," she says. "A child's daily routine is similar. It should include physical activity, creative time, social interaction, and hands-on play."

Experts

• Brian Galvin is the chief academic officer at Varsity Tutors, a live learning platform that connects students with expert tutors.
• Elizabeth Fraley, M.Ed., is the CEO and founder of Kinder Ready, Inc., a provider of early childhood education.
• Isabelle Hau is the executive director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, an initiative that focuses on addressing significant challenges in education.
• Dr. Rebecca Mannis, a learning specialist and founder of Ivy Prep, provides customized educational support for students facing learning challenges.