Outgrown Dance Mat Typing? What to Try Next (An Honest Guide)
For a lot of families, the BBC's Dance Mat Typing is the very first typing program a child ever uses, and for good reason. It's free, it needs no account, and it makes the keyboard feel like a game instead of a chore. But sooner or later most kids reach the end of it, or start clicking through the lessons faster than they're actually learning. Then the question is: what now?
This guide gives Dance Mat its due, explains what a child needs after an introductory program, and walks through some good free options, including our own, TypePets. We'll be upfront about where each one fits.
What Dance Mat Typing does really well
- It starts in the right place. Kids begin on the home row and add keys gradually, which is exactly how touch typing should be taught.
- It's genuinely friendly. Cheerful animated characters talk children through each step, and every stage ends with a celebration. For a six- or seven-year-old, that matters a lot.
- It's short. The lessons are bite-sized: four levels, each broken into small stages. A child can finish one in a single sitting and feel proud.
- There's nothing to sign up for. Open it and go, which makes it easy for parents and teachers to say yes.
If your child hasn't tried it yet and is just starting out, it's a lovely first step.
Why kids "outgrow" it
Dance Mat is designed as an introduction. It shows children where the keys live and which finger to use. What it isn't designed to do is provide the weeks of steady, repeated practice that turn "I know where the keys are" into "my fingers find them without thinking."
Parents usually notice one of these signs:
- Your child has finished all the levels and asks what's next.
- They can type the lesson letters, but still look down at the keyboard when writing a real sentence.
- They're bored of the same characters and want something that feels more like a game they are getting better at.
- You'd like to see whether they're improving, but there's no dashboard or report to check.
None of this is a flaw. It just means your child is ready for the next stage.
What to look for next
Once the basics are in place, the most useful things a typing program can offer are:
- Continued technique practice. Not just more games, but lessons that keep reinforcing correct fingers on every row, including the bottom row and numbers, which are often the shakiest.
- Real words and sentences. Typing single letters is different from typing text. Kids need practice with spaces, common words, and short passages.
- Accuracy-first feedback. A program that celebrates careful typing, not just raw speed, helps kids avoid locking in bad habits. (Our finger placement guide explains why this matters so much.)
- A reason to come back tomorrow. Daily practice beats long weekly sessions. Streaks, goals, or something to look after make daily practice much easier to sustain.
- Progress you can see. Speed and accuracy over time, and which keys are still tricky.
- Kid-safe basics. No ads, no chat with strangers, and ideally no account to create. We cover this in detail in typing games with no ads and no login.
Free options worth a look
Here's a fair overview of popular free choices. Features and policies change, so check each site's current privacy policy before you commit.
TypingClub
A large, structured course with a long sequence of short lessons. It's thorough and widely used in schools, often through class accounts that let teachers see progress. A great fit if you want a long, linear curriculum and don't mind an account-based setup.
Typing.com
Another full curriculum, with teacher tools that many schools use. The free version is ad-supported. A good option when a teacher is managing a whole class and wants class-wide tracking.
Nitro Type
A multiplayer car-racing typing game. It's hugely motivating for competitive kids who already touch type, but it rewards speed above technique, and it's built around an account. Best treated as a reward for kids who already type well, not as a way to learn.
Keybr
Adaptive practice that generates exercises from the keys you're learning. It's effective but plain, so it tends to suit older kids, teens, and adults better than younger children.
TypePets
That's us. TypePets is built for kids aged 7–12 and designed to pick up right where an introductory program leaves off:
- An 8-stage Finger Training course from the home row through the bottom row, numbers, and the full keyboard, with a color-coded keyboard and optional spoken finger hints.
- Bubble Pop, a game with 20 levels that unlock as training progresses, so the game always matches what your child has learned.
- Read & Type: 26 passages about animals, space, science, history, and sports, where kids can race a ghost of their own best run.
- A virtual pet that grows only from real practice. It gets hungry, and the food is earned by typing.
- No login, no ads. Progress stays in the browser on your device, with up to four child profiles and a "Pet Passport" save code for backups.
To be honest about the limits: TypePets currently supports QWERTY and English only, it has no online multiplayer, and because we don't collect data, there is no class-wide teacher dashboard. Teachers use classroom links and printable reports instead.
Finished Dance Mat? Jump straight into the stage that matches your child's level. No sign-up needed.
Try Finger Training →A simple four-week plan after Dance Mat
Whatever tool you choose, this rhythm works well. Aim for 10–15 minutes a day.
- Week 1: Check the foundations. Redo the home row and top row lessons. They should feel easy. If accuracy is under 90%, slow down and stay here a little longer.
- Week 2: Bottom row and real words. The bottom row is usually the weakest. Mix lessons with short word practice.
- Week 3: Add a game. Once the right fingers are going to the right keys, a game like Bubble Pop builds speed without undoing technique.
- Week 4: Sentences and passages. Type short articles or copy a paragraph from a favorite book. Compare this week's speed and accuracy to week 1.
Not sure what "good" looks like for your child's age? See our typing speed goals by grade.
The bottom line
Dance Mat Typing is a great first chapter. The next chapter is about steady, accurate practice, in something your child enjoys enough to come back to. Pick the option that fits your family or classroom, keep sessions short, and celebrate progress along the way.
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