Top row typing: Q W E R T Y U I O P
The top row is where a lot of the most common letters live: E, T, O, I, R, U. Once kids add it to the home row, they can type a huge number of real words. The secret is the same as always: one finger reaches up, taps, and comes home.
Which finger reaches each key
Most top row reaches go up and slightly left. The pointer fingers also reach in toward the middle for T and Y.
| Top row key | Finger | Reaches from |
|---|---|---|
| Q | Left pinky | A |
| W | Left ring | S |
| E | Left middle | D |
| R | Left index | F |
| T | Left index | F (toward the middle) |
| Y | Right index | J (toward the middle) |
| U | Right index | J |
| I | Right middle | K |
| O | Right ring | L |
| P | Right pinky | ; |
The index fingers each cover two keys again: R and T on the left, U and Y on the right.
The one rule: don't slide your whole hand up
The most common top row mistake is moving the whole hand up a row and then typing with the wrong fingers. Only the reaching finger goes up. The rest stay on the home row so the hand never loses its place.
Reach-and-return drills
Each group starts and ends on a home key, so the finger practices both trips.
Left hand:
aqa sws ded frf ftf
aqa sws ded frf ftf
Right hand:
juj jyj kik lol ;p;
juj jyj kik lol ;p;
Say it as you go: "Reach, tap, home."
Words and phrases
These mix the top row with home row letters.
Left side (Q W E R T):
wet tree were rest west
sweet street great water treat
wet tree sweet water great street
we are here
Right side (Y U I O P):
you your type pour trip
you pour out your trip type poetry
your kite is high
Whole top row:
quite write power tower route quote
quite a tower write a poster proper route
Printable sentences
the wet tree grew at the west street
sweet water was a treat after the test
your trip to the pier was quite a story
it is up to you to type out your poetry
write your quote with proper power
Tips for parents
- Left hand first, then right, then both. Mixing both sides right away is harder than it looks.
- Watch the pinkies. Q and P are reaches for the smallest fingers. Slow is fine.
- Listen for "home." If your child's fingers drift off the home row, have them find the F and J bumps again before continuing.
- Real words beat nonsense. Once the drills feel easy, move to words as soon as you can.
What's next
After the top row comes the bottom row: Z X C V B on the left and N M , . / on the right. See bottom row typing. If you'd like everything on one page, print the keyboard finger chart.
In Home Row Mojo
The Meet the Top Row lesson in Home Row Mojo shows each reach on an on-screen keyboard, with the drills above and the reminder not to slide your whole hand up. Then three drill levels build it up: Level 3: Top Row Left, Level 4: Top Row Right, and Level 5: Top Row Full, each with words, phrases, and sentences. Level 3 is part of the free version.
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