Are you looking for a fun way for your child to learn keyboarding and phonics skills? Is English a second language for your student? If so, you might be interested in Talking Fingers Inc. and their Read, Write & Type program.
I received access to the online program, Read, Write & Type, for one year for Eli, Rebekah and Quinton, in exchange for my review of the program. They have progressed at different speeds (which has not surprised me). The one thing that is the same for all three of them is that they have enjoyed working through Talking Fingers.
Rebekah says that Talking Fingers is really fun because she gets to type and learn the words in a fun video game. Quinton just says that he has fun with it. “It tells you where all the keys are on the keyboard and helps you read and spell,” says Eli.
Read, Write & Type is designed with students aged 6-8 in mind, however students older or younger can also benefit from using the program. The program also has special features for those students learning English as a second language and for students with learning disabilities. For example, Quinton is 5 and has been progressing well, although slower than his older siblings. Eli is 10 and he has been moving at the highest rate of speed through the program. Rebekah is right in between the boys. However, all three have been learning essential keyboarding skills and enjoying the program.
How Does it Work?
The child is introduced to a letter and its sound, then the student is shown where this letter is on the keyboard. They are also instructed as to what finger should be typing that particular letter. There are various games and activities that require the student to determine which letter is represented by the sound and then they student must type that letter. As they progress through the program, they are also required to spell and type words.
There are 40 lessons for the student to complete. After the student completes four lessons, he/she will earn a Certificate of Merit. These certificates can then be printed off for the student to proudly display. In addition to teaching early writing and spelling, these forty lessons also teach phonics, reading, vocabulary, punctuation and keyboarding skills.
These are samples from the Certificates of Merit. At the time I took the screenshots, Quinton was still working on his certificate, Rebekah had completed the first one and Eli had completed the second one.
Talking Fingers also has two other programs; Talking Shapes and Word Qwerty. Talking Shapes is for preschool aged children. Word Qwerty follows where Read, Write & Type finishes. It takes students 7-9 further with their reading skills.
What Do We Think About Read, Write & Type?
I really like that the kids are learning keyboarding skills while learning phonics (in Quinton’s case) or are reviewing phonics (Rebekah and Eli’s case). Since they enjoy the program, it is easy to get them to work on it which is also a great thing. I would certainly say Read, Write & Type is a valuable tool to use in our homeschool.
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Jennifer
early writing and spelling
keyboarding
Jennifer