Keyboard Fun

Keyboard Fun is designed to encourage children to learn the keyboard, by matching keys to pictures, and to be rewarded with sight and sound.

The first screen shown is as follows:

This screen contains the keys from one line of the computer keyboard. (You may select which line to work on from the buttons at the top of the screen). The purpose of this 'game' is to show the student how to find the letters on the keyboard, and to build up expertise at finding the correct letter. At any time, the letter to be typed is highlighted (in this case in pink). When the student finds and presses the corresponding letter on the keyboard, a picture will display and a voice speaks: for example, 'A is for alligator".

It helps initially if the other keys on the keyboard are covered with masking tape. Point out to the student that the letters on the keyboard line match those on the screen. The letter to be typed is highlighted in magenta (or whichever color you choose). Now, encourage the student to press the 'A' key: A picture appears ("A for alligator") and a voice says "A is for alligator".

You (or the student) can now either

• Press the space bar or
• Press the enter key or
• Click on the Next button

in order to highlight the next key in the line

Each letter has a fun picture with corresponding spoken text, to reinforce by auditory and visual means the correct letter. The software comes with a set of pictures with an animal theme, but it is simple to create your own pictures and voice, for things that the student may find motivating - pictures of classmates, friends and family for example.

Once the student has mastered finding each letter on the line in turn, keys may be selected randomly, by clicking the 'jump' button. Now the student cannot just move his/her fingers to the next key, but must begin to memorize where the keys are located. The highlighted letter on the screen gives a visual cue as to where to find the letter.

Note that the keys are shown in lower case, since most students learn to read with lower case letters. However, the keyboard itself shows letters as upper case, which can cause confusion. If you wish to display the keyboard keys in uppercase on the screen (to match the keyboard), click the 'Capitals' icon on the menu bar. The student does not have to type capitals, or turn on the Caps Lock, the program matches keys regardless of case.