Bottom row typing: Z X C V B N M , . /
The bottom row finishes the letters. After this, your child can type every letter on the keyboard by touch. Reaching down can feel less natural than reaching up, so take it slow.
Which finger reaches each key
Every bottom row key is a short reach down from a home key.
| Bottom row key | Finger | Reaches from |
|---|---|---|
| Z | Left pinky | A |
| X | Left ring | S |
| C | Left middle | D |
| V | Left index | F |
| B | Left index | F (toward the middle) |
| N | Right index | J (toward the middle) |
| M | Right index | J |
| , comma | Right middle | K |
| . period | Right ring | L |
| / slash | Right pinky | ; |
Notice the comma and period are here too, and they don't need Shift. That makes this row a good lead-in to capital letters and punctuation.
Keep the hand home
As with the top row, only the reaching finger moves. Curl it down, tap, and bring it back. If the whole hand drops down a row, the fingers lose their place.
Reach-and-return drills
Left hand:
aza sxs dcd fvf fbf
aza sxs dcd fvf fbf
Right hand:
jmj jnj k,k l.l ;/;
jmj jnj k,k l.l ;/;
Z and X are stretches for the pinky and ring finger. If those two are slow at first, that's normal.
Words and phrases
Left side (Z X C V B):
box cab cub back cave
exact black brave voice
black box brave cave exact voice
a calm zebra
Right side (N M , . /):
man name moon mine main
a man named nine new moons
move back home.
Printable sentences
the brave cub raced back to the black cave
a voice at the box gave the exact cab fare
a man named norm ran nine common mines.
the minnow in the moon pond meant no harm.
All the letters together
Once both halves feel comfortable, try lines that use the whole keyboard. A sentence that uses every letter is a nice milestone:
jump quick frozen galaxy zigzag
the quick fox a frozen galaxy
the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Tips for parents
- Split the row. Left side for a few days, then right side, then both.
- Watch the index fingers. V, B, N, and M are all index-finger keys, and B and N are easy to mix up.
- Periods count. If a sentence ends with a period, type it. It's good practice for the right ring finger.
- Celebrate. Finishing the bottom row means every letter is learned. That's a real milestone.
What's next
With all the letters done, kids move on to the number row and capital letters and punctuation. The printable finger chart shows every key in one place.
In Home Row Mojo
The Meet the Bottom Row lesson in Home Row Mojo walks through each downward reach on an on-screen keyboard, with practice like "a calm zebra" and "move back home." Then Drills Level 6: Bottom Row Left, Level 7: Bottom Row Right, and Level 8: Full Keyboard practice real words, phrases, and sentences. A level is passed at 90% accuracy.
Try Home Row Mojo free as a guest. If it fits, $29 once covers every level for the whole family.