The 7 Best Typing Games for Kids

The Covid-19 Pandemic undoubtedly altered our way of living. Our modality of work has changed from face-to-face to virtual one. Children began to learn virtually, which posed some challenges.

While child psychologists and development pediatricians discouraged screen time among children, schools were left with little choice but to hold classes online. Schoolchildren needed to learn to use the laptop and learn to type. And what better way for kids to learn typing than through games? We have listed below the best typing games for kids to enjoy and learn. 

The 7 Best Typing Games for Kids

◾ Type-A-Balloon

◾ Keyboard candy

◾ Dance Mat Typing

◾ Keyboarding Zoo

◾ Glider Cats Words

◾ Typing Test Flight

◾ Tomb Rush

Type-a-Balloon

Kids are easily attracted to colorful things, which is why the Type-A-Balloon game appeals to children. The game's smooth animation and the speed at which the balloon pops off the cannon are appropriate for beginners. However, you cannot expand the screen of the game, which is relatively small. 

Screen capture of Type-A-Balloon Typing Game Photo Source: typing.com

The game's background sound/ sound effects are pretty catchy, giving off a happy vibe. A sound effect will indicate that you missed popping the balloon/ committed a typing error.

The game mechanics are straightforward, which makes it easy to understand. The goal is to type at a speed where a player should not miss popping the balloon. It is simple but effective to challenge children and give them a sense of achievement when they pop the balloon by typing the correct keys. It is good for key placement awareness.

Players can choose the difficulty (easy to hard) and the type of lesson (all letters, home row, top row, bottom row, and numbers).

Typing.com offers this game for free. 

Keyboard Candy 

Kids love candies, well, most kids, and this is why the Keyboard Candy typing game is popular among kids and parents. With its vibrant color scheme, it will attract even adults. The music is upbeat and energizing, which gets the players excited. 

Screen capture of the Keyboard Candy Game Photo source: typingbee.com

The game is also easy to understand. The goal is to drop many candies as you can into the jar. Each candy represents a key, and the candy will only drop if you hit the correct key as it appears.

The candies appear pretty fast and can get you on your toes! The Keyboard Candy game is effective in introducing the placement of keys on a keyboard. And since most kids love candies, the thought of getting as many as they can in a jar appeals all the more to them.

The difficulty level ranges from easy to hard, just like the Type-A-Balloon game, but there are more options for the type of lesson. There are lessons for alphabets, numbers, and other symbols; a total of 27 lesson types are available in this game. 

Keyboard Candy typing game is available at Typingbee.com.

Dance Mat Typing

Among all the games listed in this post, Dance Mat Typing is the most helpful in teaching kids the correct finger position when typing. Included in the graphics is a keyboard with a color scheme for touch typing. However, the text appears small because of the busy elements surrounding it, but the color contrast compensates for that in such a way that the text for typing still stands out. 

Screen capture of the home screen of the game Dance Mat Typing Photo source: kidztype.com

This game has no music, only typewriter sound effects, and an incorrect input sound effect. The mechanics are similar to a typing test, only it has kid-friendly graphics. Thanks to its guide, it is beginner-friendly. It is also motivating since you can quickly progress to another level and see your typing performance at the end of each level. 

Visit kidztype.com to access this game. 

Keyboarding Zoo 

One of the first things a toddler learns is the different kinds of animals. It is not surprising that there are games for kids with animal themes, and the Keyboarding Zoo is an example. 

Screen capture of the game Keyboard Zoo Photo source: abcya.com

The unique feature of this typing game and tutorial is that it incorporates phonetics. Each alphabet key has an assigned phonetic sound, which will be associated with an animal at the end of the typing practice, for example, the letter E for elephant. This game hits two birds with one stone; a child gets introduced to typing while learning about phonetics, an essential skill for reading. 

Find the game on abcya.com.

Glider Cats Words 

Another way to engage kids is through racing games. Racing gives them that thrill even adults crave at times. Glider Cats Words is a great typing game for kids because it would surely keep them engaged. Players would want the sense of winning. 

The colors are vibrant, and the graphic game design is smooth. The design elements are balanced, and the texts are big, which is important because kids would not need to get closer to the screen. 

Screen capture of the game Glider Cats Words Photo source: kidztype.com

The music is likewise upbeat; the sound effects are similar to cartoon shows, which kids love. The players can choose their character's appearance and even put their own names. 

Glider Cats Words aims for you to type the words as fast as possible to get ahead of your opponent. There are four options to choose from in terms of difficulty; you can select three to six letters to appear on the tying prompt.

You can play the games for free at kidztype.com. 

Typing Test Flight

Typing Test Flight is such a thrilling game! The game's goal is to type accurately and consistently to keep the character flying or afloat in the air. Once you slow down typing or commit errors, the character will drop to the ground, so you would need to retry. 

Graphic design-wise, the texts are big, and the character looks quite funny, which the children will easily remember. The texts are well-spaced, and the sound resembles a machine or a motor. 

Screen capture of the game Typing Test Flight Photo source: roomrecess.com

The texts are in sentence form which might not be appropriate for beginners. A panel on top shows your performance metrics- accuracy, wpm, correct, mistakes, and the level you are playing. 

Access the game here at roomrecess.com. 

Tomb Rush

If you are familiar with the 1980s Super Mario game, then Tomb Rush should be easy for you to explain to your child or student. It is an adventure-based game wherein the goal is to get the treasure. You will need to type all the words correctly to continue walking until you reach the treasure chest. The catch is you would need to jump like Super Mario when there is a space within the words in a sentence; otherwise, you will fall into the gap and repeat the level. 

Screen capture of the Tomb Rush game Photo source: roomrecess.com

Similar to the Typing Test Flight, this game is not for beginners, and an intermediate-level typist could benefit more from the game. 

Try the game at roomrecess.com. 

Conclusion

The typing game we recommend will depend on the learner's needs. The list below summarizes what you can get from our recommended typing games for kids.

◾ Teach finger positioning- Dance Mat Typing 

◾ Teaching typing with phonetics- Keyboarding Zoo

◾ Perfect for beginners: Type a Balloon, Keyboard Candy

◾ For intermediate level (improving typing speed and accuracy): Glider Cats Words, Typing Test Flight, Tomb Rush

While practice is crucial to improve your typing speed and accuracy, keyboards can also affect your typing performance, especially for kids. Kids need to be comfortable with their keyboards because they are more prone to wrist and hand injuries. We came up with a list of the best keyboards in 2022 that you can check out.

So, among the listed fun typing games, which one do you think kids or students would love? What other typing games have you personally tried? Let us know in the comment section.