Teaching Typing: Lessons and Activities Your Students Will Love

When I first started teaching typing, I’ll be honest, it felt like one more thing to squeeze into an already packed schedule. I knew my students needed it. I knew keyboarding was a life skill. But let’s face it, most kids weren’t exactly thrilled about traditional typing drills. And I didn’t have time to constantly create new practice materials on top of everything else.

That’s when I started thinking, “What if teaching typing could actually be something my students looked forward to? What if it felt fun, seasonal, and connected to the things we were already doing in class?” That’s how my journey of creating themed typing lessons and typing activities began. Over time, it turned into a growing bundle of resources that I have used again and again to give my students purposeful, engaging typing practice for kids, without adding stress to my own plate.

Today, I want to share how I used these activities in my classroom, why they worked so well, and how you can easily bring them into your own teaching routine.

Why Teaching Typing Still Matters Even in a Touchscreen World

Even in a touch screen world, teaching typing still matters.

It’s easy to wonder sometimes if teaching typing is still as important as it used to be. After all, our students are growing up surrounded by touchscreens, tablets, and voice-to-text tools. They’re pretty comfortable with swiping and tapping their way through technology. Here’s the thing: being fluent with a touchscreen isn’t the same as knowing how to type efficiently on a keyboard.

Typing is still a skill they’ll rely on in many ways. From writing essays and completing assignments to communicating in the workplace later on. While voice-to-text is great for certain tasks, it doesn’t replace the need to compose and edit text with intention. There’s something about putting fingers to keys that helps our students organize their thoughts and produce clear writing.

I’ve also noticed that when my students build strong typing habits early on, they can complete computer tasks more confidently and independently. It saves them time and frustration later because they aren’t hunting for each letter. In today’s digital classrooms, that kind of fluency matters more than ever.

Why I Love Using Themed Typing Lessons

Using themed lessons to teach typing gives students plenty of practice with accuracy and speed.

One thing I quickly discovered is that our kiddos respond so much better to typing practice when it’s tied to something meaningful. If I gave my students a random list of words to type, I’d get groans or blank stares. So, what would happen if I could give them an Earth Day activity where they are typing about plants and recycling, or a St. Patrick’s Day set with sentences about rainbows and leprechauns? Suddenly, typing time became one of their favorite parts of tech class.

It wasn’t just about keeping them engaged so that I could work on something else. These typing lessons help build real keyboarding skills. The themed words and sentences provide students with plenty of practice in accuracy and speed, while also connecting back to vocabulary used in other subjects. It is a win all around.

A Peek Inside the Typing Activities I Used

When I created these typing activities, I wanted them to be something any teacher could grab and use without a ton of prep. Each resource is a set of interactive Google Slides with 30 themed slides. Your students type words and sentences directly on the slides, following simple directions at the top. I designed them so that your younger students could easily understand what to do, but your older students still could find them engaging.

The best part is that each theme is connected to a holiday or season. In my Earth Day set, for example, your students type sentences about ways to help the planet. In my St. Patrick’s Day set, they will type about shamrocks, pots of gold, and more. Since the content is always changing with the theme, kiddos stay interested, and you can keep typing practice for kids feeling fresh all year long.

Another thing I love about these typing lessons is how flexible they are. Some weeks, I assign just a few slides for practice during centers. Other times, we’d do a full set in a couple of dedicated tech sessions. It was so easy to adapt based on our schedule. Since the bundle keeps growing, I always have new options ready to go, no matter the season.

How I Used These Typing Activities in My Classroom

Teaching typing can be done during typing class, as a warm-up, or an independent activity.

In my own classroom, these typing activities became one of my favorite tools for building keyboarding skills across the grades I taught. I used them mainly during our technology class periods. Sometimes, they were part of a larger keyboarding unit. Other times, they worked perfectly as a warm-up or an independent activity when my students finished other projects.

Since the slides are already set up and ready to go, it‘s easy for my kids to fit in meaningful typing practice regularly. Flexibility is one of the things I appreciate most. There is no “right” way to use it. I can always adapt based on what my students need.

I’ve also heard from other teachers who use these typing lessons outside of tech class. Some assign them as part of their classroom centers. Others use them for early finishers during holiday weeks. I love that these typing activities can easily fit into different teaching routines. No matter where or how they’re used, the goal is the same. It’s to give our students consistent, engaging practice that helps them become more confident and fluent keyboarders.

A Year-Round Solution for Teaching Typing

There are plenty of themes in the bundle to keep teaching typing going strong year-round.

I want you to have a solution you can use all year long. No more scrambling for a quick typing activity. No more trying to fit outdated drills into your lessons. With this bundle, you can simply pull up the next seasonal or holiday theme and keep your teaching typing routine going strong.

If you’d like to explore the bundle and see all the themes I’ve included so far, make sure to take some time to check it out. I love knowing that once you grab it, you’ll always have a go-to resource for teaching typing throughout the year. As I keep adding more themes, it just keeps getting better!

Time to Make Teaching Typing Fun Again

Teaching typing should be something that helps students build a skill that they will use for life.

At the end of the day, teaching typing should be something that helps our students build a skill they’ll use for life. Plus, it should be something they actually enjoy. That’s why I am creating these typing lessons with so much care and purpose. They’ve made such a difference for my own students, and I hope they’ll do the same for yours. If you’re ready to bring a little more fun and flexibility to your typing practice for kids, this bundle is a great place to start. You’ve got this!

Additional Resources

If you’re looking for even more ideas to support your tech classes, I’ve got a couple of blog posts you won’t want to miss. Whether you’re new to the role or just looking to refresh your approach, these posts are packed with tips and ideas to make your year go more smoothly.

Save for Later

If you’re like me, you sometimes find great ideas when you’re not quite ready to implement them. If this sounds like something you’d want to try, go ahead and save this post to one of your Pinterest boards. That way, when you’re planning your next round of typing lessons, you’ll have it handy!