My kids love to be on the computer, and my oldest especially loved typing his spelling words while we were using Reading Eggs for a short time right after our baby was born. So, in the back of my mind, I’ve been wanting to try out a few typing programs for him, and I was really excited to be assigned Christian Keyboarding’s ebook for review.
Keyboarding for the Christian School is a simple, traditional typing program. The lessons, especially at the beginning, are similar to what I used when I first learned. That said, my son has enjoyed the lessons. I think the program would be especially helpful for a child who might get easily distracted by a lot of color and details since most of the lessons are pretty straight-forward.
The ebook is designed to be printed and completed off-screen, giving the child practice in looking away from the screen to type. To save on printing expenses though, you could easily download the file to a reader and have the student type from the reader onto the computer screen.
We did his practice in a Word document at first, but then I had him email a few of his lessons to Daddy and to Grandma as well. He loved this and was very motivated to complete his lessons. The drill part was much harder, practicing until he had the lessons down. Because there are so few details and graphics and the lessons are straight drill, he easily got bogged down if I didn’t allow him to move on to the next lesson.
Christian Keyboarding is unique in that, once the child has reached more advanced skill levels, the lessons are from passages of Scripture.
If your child is a very visual learner that requires colorful lessons and exercises, or very hands-on and motivated by games, this might not be the best program. But if you are looking for a simple to-the-point program that is affordable and non-consummable, than Keyboarding for the Christian School, available for older and younger students, might be just for you.
Check out sample lessons here, or pick up your own copy. Ebooks start at $12.95; use the promo code SUMMER2012 for a 20% discount (expires 8-29-12).
Read more reviews at the Schoolhouse Review Crew website.
