Teaching typing to kids with dyslexia or dysgraphia

Last reviewed October 24, 2026

If writing by hand is a daily struggle in your home, you've probably wondered whether typing could help. For many kids it does help, as one tool among several. Here's what we've learned, written parent to parent.

We're not doctors, therapists, or reading specialists. This is general information. If your child has been evaluated, talk with that specialist or occupational therapist about how typing fits their plan.

What typing can and can't do

What it can do:

• Take handwriting out of the way. When forming each letter takes real effort, ideas get lost. Typing can let a child get thoughts down without fighting the pencil.
• Make the work readable. Typed words are easy to read, for the child and for you.
• Make fixing mistakes easier. Backspace is a lot less discouraging than erasing a hole in the paper.

What it can't do:

• Replace instruction. The International Dyslexia Association says students with dysgraphia benefit from explicit, systematic instruction in handwriting, spelling, and composition, not just accommodations. Typing works alongside that teaching, not instead of it.
• Fix spelling on its own. A child who struggles to spell by hand will often struggle on a keyboard too.
• Make it effortless. Some kids with dyslexia or dysgraphia need more practice than their siblings to type smoothly. That's normal. Plan for it.

How to teach it gently

1. Keep sessions very short. Five to ten minutes is plenty. Stop on a good note.
2. Go slower than the program suggests. Repeat lessons as many times as they need. There's no schedule to keep.
3. Make the home row a home. Bumps on F and J, thumbs on Space. Come back to the home row keys often.
4. Use color and touch. A printed keyboard finger chart with colors for each finger can help some kids. Others like stickers on the home row keys for the first few weeks.
5. Say the letters out loud. Some kids find it helps to say each letter, or the word, as they type it.
6. Celebrate accuracy, not speed. Speed tests can be especially discouraging for a child who already feels behind. Leave them out for a long time, or entirely.
7. Protect handwriting time too. If your child is working on handwriting with a specialist, keep that going. Typing is an addition.

Things to watch for

• Fatigue. Tired hands or eyes mean it's time to stop.
• Frustration that builds over days. Take a week off, then come back to easier material.
• Peeking at the keys. It's normal, especially at first. Remind gently, or drape a light cloth over the hands as a game.

Helpful settings and tools

• A comfortable font size on the screen, and a calm, uncluttered program.
• Spell check later, not now. During typing lessons, you want them to learn the keys. In real writing, spell check and word prediction can be a big help.
• Speech-to-text is another tool some families use for longer writing. It isn't a replacement for typing, and typing isn't a replacement for it. Many kids use both.

What progress looks like

Progress may be slow, then suddenly faster. Look for small wins: finding the home row without looking, typing their name correctly, finishing a short sentence without tears. Those count.

Where Home Row Mojo fits

Home Row Mojo has guided lessons, then drills with words, phrases, and sentences. There are no ads and no addictive game hooks. The 12 arcade games are there as a reward, not a trap.

We'd suggest trying the free version first to see whether the pace and the look work for your child. Chicken Run and Checkers are free to play. If it fits, the full version is $29 once for the whole family.