We are so excited to introduce Typing Llamas to the world. This new book helps kids not only learn to touch type (keyboarding) but also how to read (and type) sight words along the way.
I don’t need to tell you how important it will be for kids to know how to type fast in their future. I would argue after this year of distance learning, that they are behind the curve and desperately already need to know how to touch type FAST and NOW.
“Knowing how to touch-type doesn’t just affect the speed that children work at, but the quality of their work, too.” (from 18 reasons your child should learn to touch-type)
This year, I learned that my kids were spending way too much time working on typing an answer to their teacher in the chat window. They were more focused on spelling the words and finding the keys to type rather than the actual concept being taught. Often times during math even, they would be asking ME how to spell or type “number 4 is bigger, so you have to subtract” that we would completely miss the next question or instructions because the teacher had already moved on, while my kids were still typing. SO FRUSTRATING!
I had a sneaking suspicion that I should have been teaching my kids touch typing long before we got to this point. I wish I had put them in front of a real computer (not an ipad or iphone) before we got stuck at home during a pandemic. Their entire school day was now on a laptop and they barely knew how to drag and drop with a mouse, let alone type their own name or respond to a teacher’s question.
“Typing practice can help children learn to write more effectively, and can help children with motor coordination problems express themselves more effectively. Since children have the ability to pick up typing at a young age, it makes sense to introduce them to this fundamental skill sooner rather than later.” (from Touch Typing Is Fundamental — Why Your Kids Should Learn To Type)
Since typing can help emphasize learning to read, why would we not teach kids earlier how to touch type (or keyboarding).
“Research shows that learning how to type should be taught to students at an early age, before bad habits form. This early introduction of typing skills reduces bad habit development and provides additional benefits in English Language Arts that include improvements in spelling, writing, and reading comprehension.” (from Why is it so important to teach children how to type?)
After reading this article that mentioned sight words specifically, my two worlds collided. I have seen a specific gap in my children’s education for sight words AND typing.
“[Typing] prepares children for later grades, when assignments must be completed using a computer, and reinforces familiarity with Sight Words and other high frequency vocabulary.” (from Teaching kids to type)
My mission is to make sight word memorization and learning to read easy and fun. I immediately wanted to create another fun way for parents to help encourage typing at home for younger kids who are ALSO learning sight words.
Llama Friends and Typing are the perfect combination! My own kids are obsessed with our Llama Friends and I love creating new ways for them to learn and master reading. And if there’s ANY way I can quickly teach them touch typing (with few arguments), I am all in.
We have created a FREE downloadable Word document to help practice Typing Llamas – Book One. This book teaches kids the very beginning of keyboarding and teaches them to type 12 sight words using these beginning skills. Not to mention it also features 52 sight words in the text for reading practice.
We’d love to hear from you in the comments. How old is your child and do you think they should learn typing? Do they like llamas?