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K

Ideally students should be learning to keyboard during their elementary years. However, many elementary schools do not have sufficient computers for all students to learn. In addition, the size of children’s hands and the development of fine motor skills also need to be taken into consideration. Third through fifth grade is really about the ideal time.

Another factor to consider with allowing kids to develop their own “method” is their reliance on using just a couple of fingers in their keying. Due to the repetitive nature of typing it is much better for hands to have the typing distributed among the fingers. And, to teach them proper wrist position to help ward off injuries such as carpel tunnel syndrome.

I usually tell my students that when they were little children they were taught to print because that is how small children communicate. As they grew older they were taught cursive to help them develop speed in their writing. Now that they are growing closer to adulthood they are learning to type because that is how adults communicate.

Allen Taylor