Keyboard Town Pals

• Keyboard Town Pals typing program
• Ages 7-12
• Web based or CD Rom $30
• Order online at Keyboard Town Pals
• Additional resources also available  at Keyboard Town Pals

          Teach your child to type in an hour! Sounds too good to be true, but Keyboard Town Pals can accomplish this goal. Keyboard Town Pals uses the “PALS” system to teach typing. PALS is an acronym for Purposeful, Associative, Learning, System. The PALS system works on the principle that two objects seen or heard together will link together in our minds.

     Keyboard Town Pals combines a puppet with a specific letter on the keyboard. Memory techniques improve retention and cues stimulate all ways of learning, visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Puppets, music and humor, combine to achieve the Keyboard Town Pals goal of teaching typing in an hour.

     One of the keys to the Keyboard Town Pals system is the de-activation of the backspace and delete keys. Their philosophy is that the backspace and delete keys cause kids to stop the flow of typing and then have to re-orient their fingers on the keyboard. Mistakes are a part of learning, so no correcting is how kids learn.

     Other features are: No surveillance, No competition, No pressure, No timed tests.  Keyboard Town Pals is suitable for all learning types, including kids with learning difficulties.  Learning moves along at the child’s pace. It is designed to be taught in two 30 minutes sessions. If desired all 8 lessons are also available as stand alone lessons  6-7 minutes long. 

ClarkClan Thoughts

     Rebekah (8) is the one who primarily tried out this program. She loved it. Rebekah likes puppets, so this program intrigued her from the start.  I sat her at the table with a set of headphones to minimize distractions. The program recommends two 30 minute sessions, but Rebekah enjoyed the first 30 minutes so much, she immediately went on to the next 30 minutes.

     Rebekah has had previous typing experience, so I cannot say if this program taught her how to type in an hour. But I can say that  this program captured her attention enough to reinforce her typing skills. I was not sure how the no back space or delete would work, but after watching Rebekah, I decided it was a good aspect of the program.  Because she knew she couldn’t correct her mistakes, she was free to type without ever lifting her fingers off and away from the correct hand position. 

  I have a 10 year old son, Ben, who watched Rebekah  and wanted to try the program himself. Ben did not enjoy it near as much. He was not as enamored with the puppets and songs as Rebekah. It was just not the right program for him, but he is at the upper end of the age range. I think, the puppets and songs appeal to younger ages.

     Want to read what others thought of Keyboard Town Pals? Visit the TOS Crew Blog to read what my Crew Mates thought about the program.

As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a web based trial of Keyboard Town Pals for free  from Keyboard Town Pals, in exchange for my honest review of their product.