These are free keyboarding lesson plans for kindergarten to 5th grade, with a short note for 6th. Each grade has a goal, a 15 to 20 minute lesson in four steps, things to watch for, and free materials to use.
The grade on each plan is a starting point. Children start typing at different times, so place each child by what their hands can do today. Accuracy comes before speed in every plan.
We make Bumpy Keys, a typing game for ages 4 to 9, and these plans use its free lessons. Weigh that as you read. Each plan also quotes what state standards and one school district say about that grade. We opened every source on 3 October 2026, and the list is at the end.
How to use these plans
Every lesson has the same four steps, so children learn the routine along with the keys.
| Step | Time | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-up | 3 minutes | Hands find the home row. Children replay keys they already know. |
| New skill | 4 to 5 minutes | You show one new thing: a pair of keys, a reach, or a mark. |
| Practice | 6 to 9 minutes | Children type on their own. You walk the room and watch fingers. |
| Wrap-up | 2 to 3 minutes | One question, one star to color, and devices away. |
How often? Omaha Public Schools in Nebraska published a pacing guide for handwriting and keyboarding, revised in September 2016. For 1st grade it says "A minimum of 15 minutes per week is recommended for keyboarding instruction." For kindergarten it gives the same 15 minutes in the second semester. From 2nd to 6th grade it says "A minimum of 25 minutes per week." One 15 minute lesson a week meets the 15 minutes. Two 20 minute lessons a week meet the 25. Your own district may set different ones. To see the four documents side by side for every grade, read when should kids learn to type.
This page is the lesson-by-lesson plan for a classroom. To set up devices and classroom access first, read free typing practice for schools and Chromebooks. For a plan built around one family at home, see our homeschool typing curriculum.
Keyboarding lesson plans by grade at a glance
Each row is a place to begin. When a plan feels easy for a child, move that child to the next one.
| Plan | Starting goal | Bumpy Keys lessons to start with | Free tool for extra practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | Explore the keyboard and find F and J | Lessons 1 to 3 | Home row keys chart |
| 1st grade | Name the home row and rest a finger on each key | Lessons 1 to 5 | Typing practice, Home row |
| 2nd grade | Type the home row by feel and start to reach up | Lessons 6 to 10 | Typing practice, Top row |
| 3rd grade | Reach all 26 letters with the right fingers | Lessons 11 to 20 | Type the alphabet |
| 4th grade | Type sentences with capitals and marks | Lessons 21 to 30 | Punctuation practice |
| 5th grade | Add the number row and type whole paragraphs | Lessons 31 to 50 | Number practice and paragraph practice |
| 6th grade | Type longer pieces of their own writing | Whichever lesson fits their skill | Typing test |
Lesson numbers and names come from our typing lessons page, which lists all 100 lessons with their keys.
Place each child by skill, not grade
Before the first lesson, watch each child type a few keys. Then pick the plan that fits what you see, whatever grade the child is in.
| What you see | Plan to start with |
|---|---|
| Still finding letters on the keyboard | Kindergarten plan |
| Knows the letters and presses with one or two fingers | 1st grade plan |
| Rests fingers on the home row and looks down to reach | 2nd grade plan |
| Types home row words and is ready for more letters | 3rd grade plan |
| Reaches every letter with the right finger | 4th grade plan |
| Types sentences with capitals and periods | 5th grade plan |
Starting at the home row is never a step back. Omaha's guide for grades 5 and 6, which paces the EduTyping Jr. program, begins its key lessons with "Lesson 1: F, J, and Space Bar." It recommends that students learn finger placement on the home row before the top and bottom rows.
One room can run two or three plans at once. The four steps stay the same. Only the keys change.
Keyboarding for kindergarten: lesson plan
Practice page for this plan: kindergarten typing.
Goal: explore the keyboard, use both hands, and find F and J by their bumps.
What standards say: New York's guidance for kindergarten is one line: "Students should explore keyboards." Omaha Public Schools lists two skills: "Identify right and left hand" and "Locate and touch letters and numbers on the keyboard." Utah's kindergarten standard introduces one technique, sitting with the body centered on the G and H keys. The Common Core asks kindergartners to "explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing" with guidance and support from adults. It does not name keyboarding until grade 3.
A 15 minute lesson:
- Warm-up, 3 minutes. Hold up the left hand, then the right. Wiggle each pointer finger. Lay both hands on the home row mat.
- New skill, 4 minutes. Find the bumps. Each child feels for the small bumps on F and J with their pointer fingers. With on-screen keys, point to F and J on the hand poster.
- Practice, 6 minutes. Play lesson 1, Pointer Pals (F and J). A child who is still learning letter names can find the letters of their own name.
- Wrap-up, 2 minutes. Ask "Which two keys have bumps?" Color one star on the progress chart.
What to watch for: one hand doing all the pressing, or a finger that stays down on a key. Invite the other hand in, and show a quick tap. Looking at the keys is fine. This plan has no speed goal.
Free materials: the hand poster for the wall and a home row mat for each desk. Lessons 1 to 3: Pointer Pals (F and J), Middle Keys (D and K) and Ring Row (S and L). On the home row keys chart, any key a child presses lights up in the color of its finger. For more first activities, see typing for kindergarten.
First grade keyboarding lesson plan
Practice page for this plan: 1st grade typing.
Goal: name the home row keys and rest the right finger on each one.
What standards say: New York's line for grade 1 is "Students should continue to explore keyboards." Utah's grade 1 standard reads "Students will be able to identify the home row keys (A, S, D, F, J, K, L, ;)." Omaha lists "Understand location of home row keys and finger placement" and "Learn correct body and hand positions." Omaha also says "Grades K and 1 do not work on touch-typing, but instead focus on developing keyboard awareness." The Common Core asks first graders to "use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers" with guidance and support from adults.
A 15 minute lesson:
- Warm-up, 3 minutes. Fingers find F and J. Replay lesson 1, Pointer Pals.
- New skill, 4 minutes. Teach one new pair. Start with D and K for the middle fingers. Show the pair on the hand poster, and say the finger and its color together.
- Practice, 6 minutes. Play the lesson for that pair: Middle Keys (D and K), Ring Row (S and L), Pinky on A, or Center Stretch (G and H). One new lesson in a session is plenty.
- Wrap-up, 2 minutes. Hands on the mat. Say the home row together: A, S, D, F, then J, K, L, semicolon. Color a star.
What to watch for: fingers that drift off their home keys, and one pointer finger doing every press. Point to the cartoon hands on the screen, which show which finger to use. Cheer for the right finger, however slowly it moves.
Free materials: lessons 1 to 5, a home row mat for each desk, and a progress chart for each child. The home row keys chart also has short practice laps, and every key in them is on the home row.
Second grade keyboarding lesson plan
Practice page for this plan: 2nd grade typing.
Goal: type the home row by feel, start to reach up and come back, and learn the names of the helper keys.
What standards say: New York's line for grade 2 is "Students should be introduced to keyboarding." Its sample plan lists "Intro to Home Row," "Intro to enter key and space bar," "Intro to backspace, delete, shift" and "Intro to correct posture and hand placement." Utah's grade 2 standards ask that children can identify which finger presses each home row key. Omaha lists "Understand movement of fingers on the keyboard" and "Key accurately from dictation." Omaha adds "In grades 2 and 3, the focus should be on technique and accuracy." The Common Core's grade 2 standard has the same words as grade 1: "use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers," with guidance and support from adults.
A 20 minute lesson:
- Warm-up, 3 minutes. Type one Home row lap on the typing practice page. It has no clock.
- New skill, 5 minutes. Reach up and come home. Show lesson 6, Reach Up (E and I). The middle finger reaches up, presses, and comes back to its home key. In a later session, do the same with lesson 9, Pointer Reach (R and U).
- Practice, 9 minutes. Play the new lesson, then Left Dock and Right Dock, which are words for one hand at a time. When those feel easy, try lesson 10, the Harbor Cup.
- Wrap-up, 3 minutes. Tour the helper keys: space bar, Enter, Shift and Backspace. Ask one child to say what each key does. Color a star.
What to watch for: a finger that reaches up and stays there. Say "reach and come back." Check that each child sits with the keyboard in easy reach. Our guide to proper typing posture covers how to sit.
Free materials: lessons 6 to 10 and the Home row and Top row choices on the typing practice page. After the Harbor Cup, print the "I know home row!" page from the certificates.
Third grade keyboarding lesson plan
Practice page for this plan: 3rd grade typing.
Goal: reach all 26 letters with the right fingers, and come home after every reach.
What standards say: grade 3 is where the Common Core first names the skill. Its writing standard 6 asks children to "use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills)" with guidance and support from adults. New York's line for grades 3 and 4 asks for "a focus on technique over speed." Utah's grade 3 standard reads "Students will be able to key by touch all alphabet letters." Omaha lists "Use correct reaches from home row keys."
A 20 minute lesson:
- Warm-up, 3 minutes. Replay the last lesson, or type one Top row lap on the typing practice page.
- New skill, 5 minutes. Teach the next pair on Road 2: Trail Keys (T and Y), Wide Reach (W and O), Pinkies Up (Q and P), Down Below (C and M), Down Deep (V and N), Low Keys (B and X), then Last Letter (Z). Say the reach out loud in a steady beat while children type it. Omaha's guide gives the example "k i k, k i k, d e d, d e d."
- Practice, 9 minutes. Play the new lesson. Then play a review lesson: Word Climb (real words, both hands) or Alphabet Run (every letter).
- Wrap-up, 3 minutes. Type A to Z once on the type the alphabet page. Count the slips and leave the time alone. Color a star.
What to watch for: eyes. Utah's grade 3 list includes "Eyes on copy or screen, not on keys." Treat that as a direction to grow toward. Invite a look up for keys a child knows well, and let them look down for new ones.
Children who finish Road 2 can go on to Period Pond and Comma Creek. Utah and Omaha both list the period, the comma and the question mark for grade 3.
Free materials: lessons 11 to 20 and the type the alphabet page. After the Peaks Cup, print the Alphabet Champion page from the certificates.
Fourth grade keyboarding lesson plan
Practice page for this plan: 4th grade typing.
Goal: type full sentences with capitals and marks, and begin writing their own sentences at the keyboard.
What standards say: the Common Core's grade 4 standard asks children to "demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting." New York still puts technique over speed in grade 4. Utah's grade 4 standards include "Hold Left Shift key when capitalizing right hand letters" and "Students will compose at the computer." Omaha lists "Compose at the keyboard" for grades 4 to 6. It says "In grades 4 through 6, as students become more comfortable with touch-typing, speed (words per minute) may be discussed and measured."
A 20 minute lesson:
- Warm-up, 3 minutes. Type one lap of the Sentences choice on the typing practice page.
- New skill, 5 minutes. Teach one mark or one Shift habit from Road 3: Period Pond, Comma Creek, Big Letters, Name Game, Question Bay, Wow Falls, Apostrophe Island or Quote Cove. In Big Letters, the other pinky holds Shift.
- Practice, 9 minutes. Play the lesson for about five minutes. Then open a blank document and write two sentences of their own that use the new mark.
- Wrap-up, 3 minutes. Partners read each other's sentences and find the new mark. Color a star.
What to watch for: which hand holds Shift, and typing fast with a plan to fix it later. Ask for careful first. If your school asks for a speed, our guide to average typing speed by age and grade shows the targets a few sources publish. Each number is that source's own goal.
Free materials: lessons 21 to 30, and punctuation typing practice, which takes one mark at a time: the period, comma, question mark, exclamation point, apostrophe and quotes.
Fifth grade keyboarding lesson plan
Practice page for this plan: 5th grade typing.
Goal: add the number row, type whole paragraphs, and keep track of their own progress.
What standards say: the Common Core's grade 5 standard asks for "a minimum of two pages in a single sitting." New York's line for grades 5 and 6 is "Students should continue to improve keyboarding skills, with a focus on increasing speed as well as accuracy." Utah's grade 5 standards read "Students will be introduced to correct fingering when using the numbers keys located on the top row" and "Students will improve speed on 1-minute timed writings." Utah's standards "are designed to help students demonstrate efficient digital input by the end of Grade 5." Omaha's guide for grades 5 and 6 says "Emphasis should be placed on keyboarding accuracy, not speed." The district's own minimum for those grades is 15 to 18 words a minute with 88% accuracy.
A 20 minute lesson:
- Warm-up, 3 minutes. Type one Little stories lap on paragraph typing practice. It has no clock.
- New skill, 5 minutes. Teach one pair of numbers from Road 4: Pointer Numbers (4 and 7), Middle Numbers (3 and 8), Center Numbers (5 and 6), Ring Numbers (2 and 9), then Pinky Numbers (1 and 0). Each finger reaches straight up, presses, and comes home.
- Practice, 9 minutes. Play the number lesson, then a story lesson from Road 5, such as Starting Line. Or type a paragraph for another subject.
- Wrap-up, 3 minutes. Once a week, take the 1 minute typing test. Each child writes down two numbers, keys right and words a minute, and compares them with their own last score.
What to watch for: accuracy that slips when the clock is on. Omaha's guide says "It is important that students learn to type at a slow, steady pace with few errors, rather than too fast with many errors." It also says "Stress that mistakes are normal and with consistent practice, fewer mistakes will be made." Keep scores private. The only fair comparison is a child with their own last score.
Free materials: lessons 31 to 50, number typing practice (it starts with 4 and 7), paragraph typing practice, and the typing test, which runs for 30 seconds, 1 minute or 2 minutes.
A note for 6th grade keyboarding
The Common Core's grade 6 standard asks for "a minimum of three pages in a single sitting." Utah says its grade 6 standards are "not required in Utah State Board Rule." They ask that "Students will compose a variety of documents on the computer."
So a 6th grade lesson is mostly real writing. Keep the four steps. Warm up on the home row. Tune one skill, such as a mark, a number, or a look up from the keys. Spend the longest step writing for another subject. Finish with each child checking their own progress.
Bumpy Keys is for ages 4 to 9, so a sixth grader may prefer a program made for older students. A sixth grader who is new to typing still starts with F and J.
Typing activities for any grade
These short activities fit a warm-up or a wrap-up. Most need no screen.
- Bump hunt. Children rest their hands on a keyboard and find F and J by feel. Then they try it with eyes closed.
- Mat tap. Each child has a home row mat. Call a letter, and children tap it with the finger that owns it.
- Say it in a beat. Call the new keys in a steady rhythm while children type them. Omaha's guide recommends this each time new keys are introduced.
- Partner dictation. One child reads letters or short words, and the other types. Then they swap. Omaha's guide notes that "students can dictate letters to one another in pairs."
- Alphabet lap. Type A to Z on the type the alphabet page. Ready for more? Try Z to A.
- Race day. On the typing race page, each child picks the dinosaur's pace: gentle, steady or speedy. Every right key is a step, so careful typing wins.
- Star wall. After each lesson, children color their own star on the class progress wall.
Printable keyboarding worksheets and charts
Every printable here is a free US Letter PDF with no sign-up. They are charts, mats and posters more than fill-in worksheets, because the practice itself happens on a keyboard.
| Printable | What it is | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Hand poster | The keyboard colored by finger, hands on the home row, and three short tips. | On the wall, from kindergarten up |
| Home row mat | The home row keys at real size, colored by finger, with two hand outlines and the F and J bumps. Lay it above a keyboard and line up F with F. | One per desk, kindergarten to 2nd grade plans |
| Progress chart | One hundred stops on ten roads, with stars to color at each stop. | One per child |
| Certificates | Three pages: I know home row!, Alphabet Champion and Super Typist. | After lessons 10, 20 and 100 |
| Class progress wall | One row for each child, twenty rows to a page, and a star to color for each of the 100 lessons. | On the classroom wall |
| Classroom starter kit | Five pages written for classroom iPads: setup, a two-week plan of ten minutes a day, the home row mat and the first certificate. | Your first two weeks |
| Parent letter | One page to send home, with blanks for your name and class. It says what the class is practicing and how families can play at home if they wish. | The first week |
Free typing tools used in these plans
Each tool opens in a browser. All of them are free, with no ads and no sign-up.
| Tool | What a child does | Plans that use it |
|---|---|---|
| Typing practice | Picks home row, top row, all letters, sentences or numbers, then types short laps with no clock. | 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade |
| Home row keys | Presses any key to see which finger owns it, then types home row laps. | Kindergarten and 1st grade |
| Type the alphabet | Types A to Z in order, then Z to A. | 3rd grade |
| Punctuation typing practice | Types lines for one mark at a time. | 4th grade |
| Number typing practice | Learns the number row a pair at a time. | 5th grade |
| Paragraph typing practice | Types whole little stories with no clock. | 5th grade |
| Typing test | Types for 30 seconds, 1 minute or 2 minutes, then sees keys right and words a minute. | 5th grade |
| Typing race | Races a dinosaur that types at a gentle, steady or speedy pace. | Any plan, as an activity |
Where Bumpy Keys fits
We make Bumpy Keys, so weigh that here. It is a typing game for ages 4 to 9. It teaches the home row first: F and J, then D and K, S and L, A, G and H. Cartoon hands show which finger to use, and each finger has a color. Stars are earned for careful typing.
It plays in any browser at play.bumpykeys.com and as an app on iPad and Mac. On iPad it works with on-screen keys or a real keyboard. All 100 lessons are free in two worlds, Puppy Park and Dino Dash. An optional one-time $4.99 purchase adds all twenty worlds. There is no subscription, there are no ads, and there are no player accounts.
Progress stays on the device, so seat each child at the same device from lesson to lesson. Teachers can request free classroom codes. If your class uses Chromebooks, our Chromebook page shows how to set the game up.
Questions teachers ask
What goes in a keyboarding lesson plan?
Each plan on this page has a goal, a 15 to 20 minute lesson in four steps, things to watch for, and free materials. The four steps are a warm-up on keys children already know, one new skill, practice time while you watch fingers, and a short wrap-up.
How long should a keyboarding lesson be?
The plans on this page run 15 to 20 minutes. Omaha Public Schools recommends a minimum of 15 minutes of keyboarding a week in 1st grade and in the second semester of kindergarten, and a minimum of 25 minutes a week in 2nd to 6th grade. Its guide for grades 5 and 6 says each lesson in the program it uses can be completed in about 25 minutes. Your own district may set different numbers. Short and regular is easier to keep up than long and rare.
What is keyboarding for kindergarten?
Mostly exploring. New York's guidance says kindergartners explore keyboards. Omaha Public Schools lists two skills for kindergarten: identify right and left hand, and locate and touch letters and numbers on the keyboard. A first lesson can be as small as finding the bumps on F and J.
What does a first grade keyboarding lesson cover?
A good starting point is the home row. Utah's standards for grade 1 ask that children can identify the home row keys: A, S, D, F, J, K, L and the semicolon. Omaha Public Schools lists the location of the home row keys and finger placement. In Bumpy Keys that is lessons 1 to 5: F and J, D and K, S and L, A, then G and H.
What do second graders learn in keyboarding?
New York's sample plan for grade 2 lists an introduction to the home row, to posture and hand placement, and to the Enter, space bar, Backspace, Delete and Shift keys. Utah's standards for grade 2 ask that children can identify which finger presses each home row key. Omaha Public Schools says the focus in grades 2 and 3 is technique and accuracy.
Are there free printable keyboarding worksheets?
Yes. Our free printables include a hand poster, a home row mat, a progress chart, certificates, a class progress wall, a classroom starter kit and a letter for families. They are US Letter PDFs with no sign-up. They are charts, mats and posters more than fill-in worksheets, because the practice itself happens on a keyboard.
Do these lesson plans work on Chromebooks and iPads?
Yes. We make Bumpy Keys, and it plays in any browser at play.bumpykeys.com, which covers Chromebooks and laptops. It is also an app on iPad and Mac. On iPad it works with on-screen keys or a real keyboard. There are no player accounts, and progress stays on the device.
Do I have to follow the grade levels?
No. Every grade on this page is a starting point. A fifth grader who is new to the keyboard starts with F and J, and a second grader who knows every letter can move on to sentences. The program Omaha's guide uses for grades 5 and 6 begins its key lessons with F, J and the space bar.
Sources
We opened each of these on 3 October 2026. Every quotation about a grade comes from one of them.
- Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, in the copy published by the Council of Chief State School Officers. Writing standard 6 for kindergarten to grade 6.
- New York State Education Department, Guidance: Keyboarding Instruction, 2017. The line for each grade and the sample instructional plan.
- Utah State Board of Education, Elementary Keyboarding Strands and Standards, revised September 2024. The standards for kindergarten to grade 6.
- Omaha Public Schools, Elementary Handwriting and Keyboarding pacing guide for grades 5 and 6, revised September 2016, in a copy hosted by EduTyping. The guide paces a commercial program, EduTyping Jr., and its lesson list is that program's. The weekly minutes, the skills listed for kindergarten to grade 6, and the notes for teachers.
Standards and district guides change, and the Omaha guide is from 2016. Check what your own state and district ask for. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
Download free for iPad and Mac
Bumpy Keys is a typing game for ages 4 to 9. All 100 lessons are free in two worlds, with no ads and no accounts. Play online.